The Cultch is thrilled to present a provocative piece from Ontroerend Goed (Fight Night) about the end of humanity, and what comes after. World Without Us runs April17-29 at The Cultch’s Historic Theatre.
In the span of a heart beat all of humanity is extinguished. No more talk about the old days, about what’s possible. No more words. The spaces we used to fill are now empty. World Without Us is a poignant and poetic monologue, and the third part of a thematic trilogy about humanity and the cosmos from Ontroerend Goed (A History of Everything (2012) & Are we not drawn onward to new erA (2015)). “I was attracted to World Without Us because it so eloquently creates the experience of a world without human beings, something we are racing towards as we continue to try and kill the planet,” says Cultch Executive Director, Heather Redfern, “I believe it is our job as artists and houses of art to talk about this critical issue using the tools we have.”
Ontroerend Goed, the Belgian theatre company that brought the ground-breaking piece, Fight Night, to the Historic Theatre in 2016, is known for its innovative work and its experimentation with the form and function of theatre. “With this performance, I’m not only trying to track the slow material decay of our civilization and the recovery process of the earth, I also want to investigate what it means to be human,” says co-creator and director Alexander Devriendt. “There’s a double layer in it, almost like a question: does ‘The world’ really exist without humans to perceive it or name it?” World Without Us give us the opportunity to experience the life of the planet after our extinction — from the first few moments, to millions of years later. What would it be like? We can hardly imagine.
WHEN: Apr 17 – 29, 2018
Apr 17, 8PM: Preview
Apr 18, 8PM: Opening Night
Apr 19 – 21, 24 – 28, 8PM
Apr 22 & 29 2PM
WHERE: HISTORIC THEATRE 1895 Venables St.
TICKETS: Tickets from $22. Single tickets on sale now through The Cultch’s Box Office: 604-251-1363 or tickets.thecultch.com.
ADDED VALUE: Book tickets for one of the TALKBACK performances and enjoy a lively post-show Q&A session with the artists: Apr 19 &24, 8 PM, Apr 22, 2 PM