Zilke
Death and awakeningThe stunningly beautiful Zilke suffers since birth from the extremely rare syndrome of Cinderbeauty, or commonly known as Sleeping Ella, which shows itself in the following symptoms: several times a day her heart breaks under the weight of compassion for the suffering of mankind, and she dies, only to be awakened again and again by the merciless Death.
Suzanne, Zilke’s mother, unscrupulously exploits these Deaths and Awakenings, elevating them to a spectacular circus act, thus forming the core business of her extremely profitable company: The World Enterprise of Entertainment. The day the rebellious Zilke runs away from home her mother faces bankruptcy. Being at her wits’ end she turns to her treacherous mother Bernadette, who has been running her establishment with an Iron ladylike hand for forty years, keeping the middle between a freak show, a circus and a variety theatre. Bernadette, that is for sure, is determined to break Zilke’s will.
But then suddenly along comes Rafaël, a young entrepreneur who is madly in love with Zilke, thinking love and money can buy anything. What follows is a passionate melodrama taking place in the deepest caverns of the entertainment industry. But the special guests of this existential farce must be the legendary seven goats, fired up by the Iranian shepherd Abbas, unleashing a spectacular and surprising finale.
CREDITS
music Peter Vermeersch
text Pieter de Buysser
actors/vocalists/musicians: Nordine Benchorf, Annique Burms, Eurudike De Beul, Flath Earth Society Orchestra, Thaïs Scholiers, Charlotte Vandermeersch, Geert Van Dijk, Bernard Van Eeghem and Evelien Van Hamme
text adaptation and direction Judith Vindevogel
scenography Stef Depover
costumes Myriam Van Gucht
sound Geert De Wit
technique Kris Merckx
production WALPURGIS
coproduction Flat Earth Society Orchestra / vzw BONK, Theater op de Markt, Zeeland Nazomerfestival
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