Het Kanaal /The Channel / Crossing Borders

Composer Annelies Van Parys uses the Shakespeare-text as a libretto for a cycle of songs, which set the refugee theme in a historical perspective.

On a beach near Calais a young refugee prepares himself to swim across the Channel, towards his new future. On the English side, on the chalk cliffs of Beachy Head, a (transsexual) woman bids life goodbye; in a few instants she will jump to her death.

The new text by author Gaea Schoeters is mirrored by recently recovered Shakespeare-text. Composer Annelies Van Parys uses the Shakespeare-text as a libretto for a cycle of songs, which set the refugee theme in a historical perspective. The soprano is also the intermediary between past and present, audience and play; via other spoken Shakespeare fragments she sets the story in a different perspective, turning the personal stories into a sharp reflection of society, both in the 16th century and today – because the similarities are, alas, striking. 

Text Gaea Schoeters Composition Annelies Van Parys Direction Gable & Romy Roelofsen / Het Geluid Maastricht Actors Katelijne Verbeke & Adams Mensah Vocalist Naomi Beeldens Lute/guitar Maarten Vandenbemden  

Produced by Antwerp Queer Arts Festival 
In coproduction with Muziektheater Transparant, Het Geluid Maastricht, Opera Days Rotterdam