FC Bergman / Toneelhuis
| Producer: | FC Bergman |
| Creation and cast: | Stef Aerts, Joé Agemans, Bart Hollanders, Matteo Simoni, Thomas Verstraeten and Marie Vinck |
| Guest cast: | Wim Verachtert, Paul Kuijer, Gert Portael, Herwig Ilegems, Shana Van Looveren, Celine Verbeeck, Marijke Pinoy, Gert Winckelmans, Ramona Verkerk, Arne Focketeyn, Flor Decleir, Matthieu Sys, Luc Agemans and Cas van Neef |
“Disconcerting, eccentric and entertaining, 300 el x 50 el x 30 el clearly proves why FC Bergman has gained such an excellent reputation in such a short period of time”.Brabants Dagblad
FC Bergman created 300 el x 50 el x 30 el for the 2011 Antwerpse Kleppers Festival in a mere month. With a large guest cast, six extras and an entire town on stage, the Belgian group –one of the most interesting newcomers on Europe’s contemporary scene in recent years– brings to life a town united by the threat of an impending flood. What happens inside the houses is projected on a large screen. Theatre and film dramatically intertwine and speak a language that shakes the audience down to the core. A live event takes shape, a visual spectacle unfolds.
Bringing 300 el x 50 el x 30 el to the stage was no small effort. An entire town of people surrounded by a dark forest of pine trees enveloped in fog was built on stage. A fisherman sits over a pond, staring at the audience. Light blends with small wooden houses, lending an intimate glow to the scene. The smell of leaves scattered on the ground wafts through the audience, and for a moment it seems as if the real world is actually the one on stage.
A camera crew walks around the edge of the stage, making it possible for the audience to see what is happening inside the houses on three large screens. We see an old man in a bed and a family dinner where is bound to come; a couple who has lost all self-consciousness with each other and a group of friends that experiments by playing sadistic games on the group’s weakest member. All are extreme situations: comical and exaggerated, but also grotesque. They hide the truth of a society that we all recognize as one very similar to ours. The people of this small and tight community anxiously await a flood. This waiting brings aspects of the residents’ personalities to the surface that they would usually prefer to keep hidden. A gloomy mood and a series of smart yet unpleasant scenes help create a sinister atmosphere. Like a thriller, the camera follows a young girl as she walks into the dark forest, parting the branches and fog with a blinding white light that illuminates her distorted face. The images are stunning and beautiful. While a disturbingly uneasy feeling descends and settles on the audience throughout the play, the actors also make us laugh with their audacious comedy.
300 el x 50 el x 30 el premiered in Antwerp on 28 January 2011 and the play has been on a non-stop worldwide tour ever since.
| Producer: | FC Bergman |
| Creation and cast: | Stef Aerts, Joé Agemans, Bart Hollanders, Matteo Simoni, Thomas Verstraeten and Marie Vinck |
| Guest cast: | Wim Verachtert, Paul Kuijer, Gert Portael, Herwig Ilegems, Shana Van Looveren, Celine Verbeeck, Marijke Pinoy, Gert Winckelmans, Ramona Verkerk, Arne Focketeyn, Flor Decleir, Matthieu Sys, Luc Agemans and Cas van Neef |
| Costume design: | Judith Van Herck |
| Camera: | Thomas Verstraeten |
| Production manager: | Celine van der Poel |
| Technical production manager: | Ken Hioco |
| Set technicians: | Niels Antonissen, Kobi Gruyaert and Fik Dries |
| Lighting: | Henk Vandecaveye |
| Sound and video: | Paul Van Caudenberg |
| Set design: | FC Bergman |
| Executive producer: | Toneelhuis |