Tue 14.10.25 —
Wed 15.10.25
Aan de start van de brug
Werktoneel & ntgent
NL
None
De gevangenis
De gevangenis
De gevangenis
09.12.25 — 03.04.26Together with four ex-prisoners, Lara Staal, house artist at NTGent, makes a razor-sharp analysis of the failing prison system. Why do we stubbornly cling to a system that helps no one?
For years, Belgium has struggled with overcrowded and totally outdated prisons. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture has repeatedly warned our country. The European Court of Human Rights condemned Belgium in 2014. How come, when we have known for decades that the system is failing, we still stubbornly cling to it?
Together with director Lara Staal, four ex-convicts make a razor-sharp analysis of our prison system in De gevangenis [the Prison]. After Dissident, about Flemish education, and Serdi, about youth care, Staal once again gives a voice to the victims of a failing system.
Prisons form a parallel universe. They are societies in miniature that exist alongside visible, ‘open’ society. But to what extent are we, as citizens, aware of this? What is our collective vision? How do we think about ‘punishment’ these days? And which voices decide what happens?
Life in prison takes place in the shadows. Banishing people to an ‘underworld’ seems a way to keep the world ‘above’ clean and comfortable. But is this really true? What is this violence that we don’t seem to see, upon which our society is built? Can people return from the underworld to the world above? And if they do, in what ways are they marked and changed forever?
Practical info
Duration
90 mins
Tickets
15-28 euros
DutchLanguage level:
Language
DutchLanguage level:
Subtitles
English
Available with Sign Language
Scenes involving verbal and physical violence occur.
The performance contains rapid and unexpected scene changes, which can be perceived as disorienting or overwhelming.
A scene realistically depicts a panic attack, including shortness of breath and heightened tension.
Good to know
Live VGT (Flemish Sign language) on December 10, 2025
Dates
On Tour
This production is also hitting the road. Can’t come at NTGent? Find the full list of tour dates below.
Dig deeper
Program bookletDe gevangenis
They saw the play and said:
If there is something that we do discover about these ex-convicts, it is that they are talented people with dreams, friends and passions. Each one charms us and they show themselves as great performers
Pzazz (BE), Read the articleBahadir Kanmaz, Adam Rambouk and Freddie Konings take on different roles: they are themselves but also a guard, a judge, or a cellmate to each other. This way they see each other as we look at them (...) impressively put together
, De Morgen (BE)
Credits
On Tour
Dates
On Tour
This production is also hitting the road. Can’t come at NTGent? Find the full list of tour dates below.