Fire, Walk with Me

Just before the darkest time of the year, a group of youngsters converts the NTGent Schouwburg into a temple of ash, warmth and light. In a process guided by artists in the months before, the children have grown from preteens into young adults. 

They are the ones who have learned to deal with fire. In doing so, they have developed self-confidence, control and wisdom. They lit the fire at the opening of the ’25–’26 season. They are its guardians. They collected the ashes and brought them back to the theatre, the place where they will complete their transformation. 

In a musical installation by the artists Kim Boeun and Timo Tembuyser, the young people perform a musical composition for little flames. The video artist Mirjam Devriendt reveals the hidden side of the ritual to the audience. From the Schouwburg stage, the young people share what they have learned. They return fire, energy and hope to the adults. The responsibility to keep the fire burning is no longer theirs alone. From now on, the collective will tend it with them.