Johan Terryn

In Aanwezig departs Johan Terryn from a recognizable question: how present are you actually in the lives of the people you love? What starts as a personal search for fatherhood grows into a warm and poignant performance about time, distance, and everything we still want to pass on. When he leaves his youngest son behind in Prague, a long drive back begins, full of memories, doubts, and insights. Along the way, he reflects on his own father, on what he himself still wanted to say, and on how difficult being present sometimes is in a world full of distractions. With his typical mix of humor, emotion, and reflection, Johan Terryn once again brings a performance that enters softly and lingers for a long time. So you were going to be a present father. Promise to yourself. And the next thing you see yourself doing is breaking up with the mother of your children. Suddenly you are only half present. Week by week. And you keep repeating that formula, until you suddenly drop off a child to go study in Prague. Your last child, your young boy. And you wave. And then? Then you have 900 km to ask yourself how present you yourself have been. Being present. It seems like a task in a time full of stimuli that lure us elsewhere. In his new performance, Johan Terryn tries to crawl into the here and now as much as possible. To be there and stay there. He remembers his father who was present without being present. Just like so many fathers of that generation. Whatever you asked, the answer was invariably ‘hmm’. When he himself leaves his young adult son behind in a distant, strange city and drives away waving doubtfully, he wonders if he himself has been enough. Present. The feeling ‘I still have so much to give’ plagues him. On the long drive back, he collects the most important things he still had to say. A speech to send his son into life. Helped by his podcast guests, he makes his own – sort of – Wear Sunscreen or: ‘900 km of good advice to be fully present in this life’. The podcast Aanwezig (Present) was launched on October 4, 2025. Well-known and inspiring guests (such as Jeroen Leenders, Nora Monsecour, Tim Van Aelst, Ine Van Wymersch, Emma Bale, Wannes Cappelle, Fatinha Ramos, William Boeva, Emy Koopman, Ignaas Devisch, and Aaron Blommaert) are asked how they try to be present in this world full of distractions. Invariably with the question of what the most important life lesson is that they themselves would have liked to know at 21. A second series of the podcast follows in 2026. Just like in his earlier performances De ingehuurde man, Het uur blauw, and Tot onze grote spijt, Johan Terryn manages to touch again with his stand-up psychology. His tone varies between funny, conjuring, moving, and heartwarming. Text and acting: Johan Terryn  Coach: Randall Casaer and Wouter Deprez  Muziek: Pieter Schrevens  Decor and lighting: Pieter Van Leuven  Foto’s: Katoo Peeters (poster) and Diego Franssens  Met the support of the Tax Sheltermaatregel of the Belgian federal government, Sabam for Culture and Nieuwsblad  Coproductie: De Studio and Ouroboros BV www.johanterryn.com