Tjipetir

A mother has died, but in the thoughts of her son, she remains present. As a voice that asks questions, that laughs and blames, that seeks a way to understand him. From a piece of surf that serves as an afterlife, she (Marijke Pinoy) speaks about her son. A boy who has sought out the sea from a young age and as a beachcomber becomes fascinated by everything it swallows and coughs up. The sea is more than decor: it becomes a co-player. It reveals its treasure chest full of washed-up artifacts and living creatures and thus offers the character what she needs to talk about personal and social themes. ‘Tjipetir’ is a poetic monologue about the difficult bond between a mother and her son. About how complicated it can be to understand each other and how love continues to sound after death. About drifting away and washing ashore, missing and finding again, and about leaving and being left. From and with: Marijke Pinoy (performance), Tom Goossens (scenography), Marijke Libert and Stephan Vanfleteren (concept), Aäron Fabrice de Kisangani (inspirator), Marijke Libert and Fred Libert (text), Stephan Vanfleteren (scenography), Laurens Aneca (improvisation coach), and Daan Borloo (dramaturgy). In co-production with Perpodium. With support from the Vlaamse Overheid, Stad Gent, and De Belgische Tax Shelter measure via Cronos Invest. NEW TITLE: MARE MADRE After printing the season brochure, the title and promotional text were adjusted. In terms of content, the original setup of the performance remains the same. A boy walks along the surf and collects artifacts from the North Sea. Ever since his childhood, he has been a beachcomber, fascinated by everything the sea coughs up and swallows. The sea reveals to him a treasure chest full of relics; a leaking lifebuoy, seeds from other continents, a sperm whale that urgently needs to be kept alive. The whole world with its beauty and destruction, its turbulent migration and climate, is drawn for him in one coastline. A mother walks along the surf and collects memories of her son. Ever since his childhood, it has been clear that he thinks differently and lives differently. Will she be able to let him go into the wide world? Will he be able to let her go? ‘Mare Madre’ is a poetic monologue about the intense bond between a mother and a son, about missing and finding again, about drifting away and washing ashore. Tom Goossens directs, Marijke Libert and Fred Libert write, Stephan Vanfleteren designs the scenography. Together with Marijke Pinoy, they bring a performance that wants to be as sober as it is rich in imagery, in which the power of the smallest trinkets speaks. Mare Madre is both navel-gazing and staring at the horizon.