In Ostend, final preparations are underway for the annual city festival Theater Aan Zee (Theatre on Sea), which begins on Wednesday. This year, there will be around 500 performances at some 40 different venues, including, in keeping with tradition, theatre productions making their debut.
“We’re completely ready, and yet never quite ready,” jokes artistic director Cindy Godefroi. “But we’re really looking forward to it. We’re very much looking forward to the opening on Wednesday”.
In search of a message from the sea
This year’s theme is ‘Message in a Bottle’. And that manifests itself in various ways, explains Godefroi. “The idea is for people to interpret it according to their own tastes. For us, it’s a way of listening closely to the sea. We interpret it as ‘what does the sea have to tell us?’ And if the sea could put a message in a bottle, what would it be?”
That interpretation of the theme will also be reflected in the installation ‘Troost’ (Consolation) at open air café Café Koer. “It’s an installation where, from the opening right through to the end of the festival, people can leave their own messages in a bottle — their own letters to the world, to the sea or to a loved one. We hope it will come to life and that, by the end of the festival, the installation will be filled with all those messages from people. I’d be delighted if the installation were to be given a permanent home somewhere in the city after the festival.”
Accessible to everyone
“We always try to put together a diverse programme for a wide audience. We’re grateful to have visitors of many different ages, people who also enjoy being surprised by new work. It’s a mix of stage performances at beautiful, often new venues. We’ve made a conscious choice to do this this time. In addition, there’s music every evening at Café Koer and at Fort Napoleon. There are circus acts and free activities for children.”
New plays in the spotlight
13 new plays are premiering. “They’re all important, of course, but I’m particularly looking forward to ‘Océanisé-e-s’. It’s a production by De Roovers, featuring the wonderful Sara De Bosschere at a truly beautiful spot on Ostend’s East Bank, at the former military station known as De Halve Maan. It’s a production that perfectly captures our theme, as it explores the sea as a primal element in a relationship in crisis.”
“It’s definitely worth checking out, as there are certainly still plenty of performances with seats available,” Godefroi assures us. “That applies to both accessible and more challenging performances.”