Caban brochure in English by Theater De Spiegel

THEATER DE SPIEGEL PRESENTS

CABAN CREATIVE ACTIVITY SPACE, ARTISTIC PLAY AREA FOR CHILDREN AGED FROM 3 MONTHS TO 3 YEARS

Theater De Spiegel makes music theatre for very young children. Actors and musicians play with figures, space, music and the audience. This delightful interaction results in intimate, heart-warming shows, which arouse the curiosity and amazement of children and adults alike and stimulate their imagination. As well as theatrical performances, Theater De Spiegel has an unusual project we would like to present to you in this publication: the activity space CABAN, which is all about art and creativity for very young children.

CABAN

CREATIVE

SPACE

AND ARTISTIC

PLAY AREA

CABAN is Theater De Spiegel’s artistic and creative play and activity area. We created this project specially for the youngest target group, children aged from three months to three years, and their adult minders: parents, grand parents, crèche workers, infant teachers and helpers. CABAN consists of a number of modules, such as the ‘Bamboo Wood’, the ‘Sleeve Tunnel’, the ‘Nest’, the ‘Table Bed’ and the ‘Ladder Huts’. The different forms and materials from which the constructions are made, stimulate the imagination and invite the visitors to explore them. The modules are arranged in multipur pose spaces in cultural and community centres, day nurseries, libraries or muse ums. They transform the space, they have openings and tunnels but they also create boundaries. Visitors are invited to seek out a place for themselves in the space, to hide or curl up there, to come out of their shell or to look for a way out.

CABAN breaks the mould, it is a new form Unlike a theatre production, there is no stage. The lights don’t go out, no words are spoken, there is no clear beginning, middle or end. It is not an exhibition: you are allowed to look and to touch. Neither is it a playground where the minders let their charges run free; it is a communal experience. It is an unorthodox project – something you have to experience to un derstand exactly what it is. No codes are imposed on the visitors. They are free to experience CABAN as they wish: to observe or to participate, from a distance or in the midst of it, calmly or exuberantly, cautiously or intrepidly. Everyone reacts in his own way to what is happening, to the many impressions and stimuli, according to his personality, expe riences and needs.

Theater De Spiegel invites artists to come and play two-hour musical improvisation sessions at CABAN. The artists play, sing, move in, on, under and between the modules, making use of the different materials and objects. They seek contact with the young visitors, let them come close and explore the instru足 ments, the sounds and the music and feast their eyes, ears and fingers. This sensorily stimulating environ足 ment challenges the artists to go looking for different ways of using their instru足 ments and voice to create sound. Their improvisations often produce new and unexpected sounds and music. In this way the artists stimulate the visitors as they encounter the inspirational world of CABAN. They give the whole experience a focus.

This is not somewhere to pop into. You need to take your time to discover the world of CABAN and you are given the time to do that. Take CABAN at your own pace. Arrive, step inside, forget everything that was on your mind before you came here and leave all your day-to-day worries behind. Allow yourself to be caught up in the mo ment, the experience, the music and the play. Just be and enjoy! CABAN never gets too busy. A maximum of 35 people can take part in any one session. The environment should be relaxing and not too distracting. There is enough room, the space is made as unclut tered as possible and there is sufficient nat ural light so that the set comes into its own.

CABAN can initiate a range of cooperation projects between a variety of partners in the city or neighbourhood.

With Caban we are looking to address organizers in the cultural sector but also in the youth, care and welfare sectors. CABAN can initiate a range of cooperation projects between a variety of partners in the town or neighbourhood: cultural part ners (Cultural Centres, Community cen tres, KCs, museums and libraries) as well as care institutions and educational organiza tions (e.g. education support programmes, nursery, infant and music schools). The modules can be a free and open play zone or a setting for musical improviza tion. At the same time they provide a framework for a whole range of projects, activities and workshops relating to children, child-raising and development and the role of music in this, a framework for creativity, play, spatial and sensory experiences and for having fun with mate rials, objects and sounds.

Using a number of fixed ingredients CABAN comes up with a different recipe each time. The content, appearance and experience vary considerably, depending on the lo足 cation, the artists we engage, the target groups and the organizations involved.

MODULES

LADDER HUTS

TABLE BED

SLEEVE TUNNEL PANCAKE HEAVEN

BAMBOO WOOD NEST

STACKING CUSHIONS 9

THEATER

DE SPIEGEL’S VISION

Audible sound is one of the keys to creating a young child’s world “CABAN is an artistic playground contain ing a number of children’s-size architectur al constructions. These various modules are huts and imaginary types of dwelling: a nest, a ladder tent, a table-bed camp, a sleeve tunnel house, etc. We invite artists to play music in these installations”, explains conceptionist and artistic director Karel Van Ransbeeck. “Rehearsing is not something we do, because the modules transform the larger space in which they are erected. Today the nest will be in a different place from last week. So the musicians always start from scratch. They begin by observing what children do with the constructions. Then they start experimenting with the acoustic possibilities, for audible sound is one of the keys to creating a young child’s world. Is the sound different if I crawl into a small er corner? That’s how children play and experiment. So our musicians do the same. They inspire the children to take a different approach to the world they have known to date. 12

Children are great scientists because they don’t exclude anything a priori. A baby or toddler may live in an abstract world, but he nevertheless recognizes certain emotional sensations. In CABAN we capitalize on that. How far can we go with what we want to say? Take, for example, Ha Dede, a theatrical performance about cubes and balls. Children experiment: “Does one shape fit into another? Yes, wow! I’m going to try that again. Brilliant!” Or: “Ugh, I can’t get the cube into it. I’ll get rid of that one!” Adults wonder: “What’s this performance all about?” Basically Ha Dede told a univer sal story about ‘others’. Does the other one belong with you or not? Adults had more difficulty grasping that underlying mes sage than children! Very young children live in a culture of understanding. They look for similari ties, irrespective of cultural backgrounds. What binds us? How can I converse with you? Every interaction reveals their basic respect for communication. Initially the parent’s reaction is often more reserved than their young offspring’s, for the parents are unsure what their child is going to get out of the project. However, they soon come to realize that the envi ronment is a safe one and they usually ‘ac climatize’ after about 15 minutes. As soon as the parent’s caring role gives way to the

uninhibited shared experience, the child noticeably loosens up and behaves naturally. That dynamic is very interesting to a theatre-maker because you can see the impact the parent-child relationship has on the CABAN experience. Actually a lot has to do with the way adults approach CABAN. What we do is fragile. We encoun ter parent and child at an intimate mo ment. The musician always has to try and strike a balance too. He is in direct contact with his public. With the aid of theatrical elements such as music and objects, we try to have children and their parents experience things to gether which take them off into a different world. CABAN lasts a total of two hours, but people can come and go. If a parent real izes that his or her child has had enough, they can simply leave. But to their own sur prise, many stay for at least one-and-a-half hours.

Theater De Spiegel is not in the business of making shows in the hope that young chil dren grow up to become culture vultures. No, we do it because very young children have the right to experience culture now. They are not sacred creatures to mollycod dle and treat like cute little dolls. Children like the real deal. They should be allowed to be a real part of society. Why should a two-year-old be inferior to me? He may not be able to express himself verbally in the same way, but he has a hundred and one other ways of doing so. That’s what’s so fan tastic about our public. Children commu nicate very directly. If they don’t like some thing, they turn round and they’re off. Or they look at you as if to say: Who are you?” Karel Van Ransbeeck, Artistic Director of Theater De Spiegel interviewed by Oona Goyvaerts

Elsewhere in Europe people have been more sympathetic to artistic initiatives for zero to three-year-olds. Indeed, scien tific research shows that musicality, for example, is invaluable for the child’s devel opment. Sadly, people usually focus more on their baby’s language skills and musi cality takes a back seat.

ART

FOR

CHILDREN THE ACADEMIC VISION 14

It is important that children, even very young children, experience art. In fact, the Convention on the Rights of the Child states that every child has the right to participate freely in cultural life and the arts. Children have the right to be together, to play together, to experiment and to expe足 rience art together. Irrespective of their age, their social background or economic status, children have the right to en足 joy first-rate art made by professionals. Participating in artistic processes feeds their emotional intelligence and at the same time helps the harmonic develop足 ment of their empathy and talents. Art for and with children is more than just looking. It is also feeling, listening, discovering, experiencing and creating. If very young children feel they are being addressed, they react physically. They allow themselves to be led by sensitive stimuli, smells, colours and sounds, light and dark, warmth and cold.

The way children are exposed to art will partly determine the intensity of their experience. For example, a child discov ers that if he taps on a box with a stone he creates a sound and if he taps on a tin with the same stone he creates a very different sound. The music-making or rather the musical experiment begins. A musician can also initiate a musical dialogue with a child. Children have the right to share an artistic experience with their family. Art is a universal language that breaks down language barriers in our diverse society. It is an intense experience and one that young children and adults share. By using diverse forms of expression, artists bring children, parents, minders and artists closer. Thus art takes on a social dimension. Art triggers something in people, it builds bridges. Art is the place where fantasies converge, where mutual understanding between children and adults comes about spontaneously. The young child is a treasure trove of pos sibilities, powerfully, competently, openly and creatively directed at others. By listening and looking at children’s many languages, we can capitalize on their wealth of perceptions and experiences. Artists create inviting environments in

which children and adults can play and share experiences together, enjoy them selves to their heart’s content and develop. This is absolutely essential. Children are not just fragile creatures who need protection and support on the road to adulthood. Children are active participants in their de velopment. “Children and adults are differ ent forms of Homo sapiens”, posits Alison Gopnik in her book, The Philosophical Baby. “Their brains, minds and conscious ness are different, but equally complex and highly developed and designed to cope with different evolutionary functions. She believes that the path from infancy to adulthood is not linear, but that human development resembles a succession of metamorphoses, rather like caterpillars becoming butterflies. Or is it that children are the vibrant, wandering butterflies who transform into dull caterpillars inching their way along the grown-up path?” Caroline Boudry, Assistant at the Centre for Innovation in the Early Years (VBJK), Ghent

TESTIMONIALS,

EXPERIENCES AND

OBSERVATIONS

PARENTS Oona was given the time and space to enjoy it in her own way. “The constructions are such that children want to start exploring immediately. They needed no encouragement to tumble into them. I was expecting some sort of beginning which never came, but I think that’s a typical ‘adult reaction’. The atmos phere was lovely, everyone seemed really pleased to be there. Oona had a couple of clear favourites. One of the musicians let her hear the sound of the little balls of a pearl necklace rolling over the floor. She followed that around for a long time. For the most part I observed and followed her, but I gave her the occasional nudge. For example, she was not at all impressed by the ‘Sleeve Tunnel’ until I persuaded her to look out from inside the tunnel. She suddenly put her head through the neck of a T-shirt and was very pleased with herself! 20

Oona was given the time and space to enjoy it in her own way. She was intrigued by the music, but stayed well away from the musicians. I was pleased to see that this didn’t matter; nobody tried to make her go any closer than she wanted to. I cannot fault it in terms of family-friend liness. We were given a warm welcome, there was a buggy park – I even had help taking the buggy upstairs. There were changing mats, a quiet corner, a drink, somewhere to hang up your coats and take off your shoes... Everything was provided, all in a really nice, chilled sort of way.” Katelijne, mother of Oona (aged 2)

I liked that it was great for the children but that I enjoyed it too. “Emma took a while to get used to it. It’s not what you expect. It isn’t your usual play ground. But as soon as she had started to explore the space and figured out what it was all about, she got involved and, with the encouragement of the musicians, she started playing and moving around. The set-up really fired her imagination, but in a different way from normal. It was both simple and original. As a parent you were free to observe or join in, as you preferred. I even started dancing! I liked that it was great for the chil dren but that I enjoyed it too.” Femke, mother of Emma (aged 2) 21

The children didn’t have to be quiet. As a parent you never needed to worry that they might cause a disturbance. . “The children were so inquisitive. There was nothing that didn’t fascinate them. They started playing immediately and crawled into, through and under every thing... And they listened to the music the whole time. If they found one thing less interesting than another, it didn’t matter, they could just go on doing what they were doing. Nothing was obligatory, no holds were barred. Daan was absolutely fascinated by the drum. At a certain point the musician let him join in and he drummed on it with his hands and with the sticks... After that there was no tearing him away! They played together, worked with the instruments, made music together ... they didn’t have to be quiet. Wonderful you do something like this for very young children. As a parent you never needed to worry that they might cause a disturbance.” Jana, mother of Jelle (aged 3) and Daan (1 year and 8 months) 22

You move towards stillness and openness, not unlike a wellness experience. “The children took it in their stride, but as a parent I felt slightly uncomfortable to begin with. There is something unfamiliar about it, it is slightly at odds with the hectic pace and solidity of our lives, the fact that nor mally everything has to be instantly clear. That was not the case here. So I hesitated as how I should behave, what I should do... It took me a while to adapt to the concept. But then I just allowed myself to be guided by Viktor, by his journey of discovery, and I let myself go. You move towards stillness and open ness, not unlike a wellness experience. It happens organically, the atmosphere is relaxed, partly because of the interven tions by the musicians. They break the ice, they seek contact, all very intuitively. That makes you feel you can just do your own thing.” Inge, mother of Viktor (aged 3)

There was no hurry, no pressure. We could do as we liked, just explore and enjoy ourselves together. That was wonderful. “Matisse was totally mesmerized by the violin. He lay on his stomach in the ‘Nest’ and constantly tried to lift his head to look at the musician. A moment’s rest and then again, and again ... Then the musi cian stood up and went on playing as she walked over to him, and he began stamp ing his feet to the music. He was not very interested in the other instruments. If was as if he was bewitched by the violin! He lay against me, looking up, to follow the musicians with his eyes. Sometimes he sat upright to get a better view. Now and then he sighed deeply and I felt him gradually relax more and more. When I stood up to go closer, he crawled after me across the floor.

But that didn’t matter. He could do whatever he wanted, for as long or as short a time as he wanted, participate or not. We could do just as we liked. That was won derful. There was no hurry, no pressure, just exploring and enjoying ourselves together. He went home with bright-red cheeks from his exertions!” Tin, aunt of Matisse (aged 6 months on his first visit, 1 year and 9 months on his second)

Sometimes he didn’t react immediately. When a musician came closer with his in strument, he didn’t go and join in at once, not even when other children did. Though he did want to touch the shiny buttons of the saxophone. 23

NURSERY SCHOOL STAFF AND CHILD MINDERS

A few of our minders gave the children cooking pots and spoons and let them make their own music! “Our minders approached it in very differ ent ways. Afterwards a few of us gave the children cooking pots and spoons and let them make their own music! Others did nothing with them. Next to us is a therapeutic centre for children with physical or mental health problems. It is even more difficult for that group to participate in cultural activities; the threshold is even higher. But when CABAN was here, they came to us. At times it was really moving to see all those children so involved. They were calm and relaxed, even going into Zen mode. I remember one boy who sat under 24

the drum module in a complete trance, he was so intrigued. He cried and began shouting when it was time to go home. You have children who don’t do much, but enjoy just looking. And then you have those who want to try everything, and feel and touch and smell. You have the more active and the more passive. It varies from child to child; they all react differently.” Valerie Vanhove, Nurse at the Driekoningen nursery, Sint-Niklaas

The best sessions are those the public make a point of coming along to. “The cultural centre had come up with the idea of organizing something at the nursery for young children aged 0 to 3 – an age group that tends to fall by the wayside when it comes to art and culture. Often the sector doesn’t cater for them at all. It is an open experience. Minders often tend to push the children in all directions: do this, do that, try that, don’t touch! That is not the idea with CABAN! It is all about children experiencing the environment. Some parents are more casual than others. Some just let their child get on with it, while others accompany the child. You see the interaction between parents and children very clearly. You also see the difference between things which are en forced and things which are not. And you see the effect of the parents’ reactions on the children’s behaviour. For ex ample, when people are asked to take their

shoes off. Some immediately go and sit on the floor and enthusiastically remove their shoes. So the children do the same. But when adults hesitate and wait, you see the children hesitate too: should we, shouldn’t we... Consciously or not, the minder transfers his feelings to those of the child. You can say to a child that is crying, afraid or agitated: “Crying again? Oh, he always cries when there are other people.” And the child will go on crying. But you could say: “It’s nothing, come on, let’s go and have a look.” You transfer your own feelings to the child and he is comforted. The best sessions are those the public make a point of coming along to. It’s not something you do in a rush, in-between the other activities, after shopping and before going on somewhere else... That would not be relaxing, it would not be a moment of respite. Sometimes you can re ally feel people’s stress. It works best when people have chosen a time to come along and have made time for it. When they themselves feel at ease and relaxed enough to let the children do their own thing.” Micheline Verschelden, director the day care center ‘Driekoningen’ in Sint-Niklaas 25

PROGRAMMERS

CABAN gives us a whole new audience. It is not linguistic, there are no expectations or requirements in terms of prior knowledge or theatre codes of conduct expected in Theatre. It is an open environment, it is all about ‘experiencing’.

“Nothing is obligatory. You feel that people are really enjoying spending time with their child. There is a sense of tranquil lity, there is time to join in with their child’s play and to go with the music. Sometimes you see people arrive really stressed, but by the end of the session they have picked up on the atmosphere of tranquillity, the feeling that they are allowed to relax and to make time for what they find here. That is really good to see. The modules offer endless possibilities. They stimulate the imagination creatively and invite parent and child to explore together. The setting itself is beautiful and the whole thing is an experience. The modules don’t obstruct the child’s exploration and they are not overstructured. Often activities for very young children have been chewed over for too long, it has been decided in advance what they have to do. At CABAN things are left open. The freedom that allows is greatly appreciated. Even towards the end things are taken slowly. The musicians don’t work towards a grand finale, a spectacular fireworks moment, but let things take their course. The end is deferred. You can leave in your own time. 27

On the one hand, you have the wonderful interaction with the musicians and, on the other, there are moments of tranquillity. The activity then gathers momentum and the mums and dads are just asked to explore. That combination works well. How the children react depends very much on how the parents handle it. Some adults just sit on the sidelines and let their children get on with it. Others explore and play together. That can be really lovely, that sort of interaction, when parent and child go and have a look at the musical inventions together. Some minders want to direct things slightly, push the children in a certain direction. They think they should keep the group together and so say: All of you come over here, now weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to do this and now weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to do that... They have already decided what form it will take and what they want their children to get out of it, whereas the nice thing about it is letting the children discover and experience things for themselves.

As the session progresses, you see people begin to let go of the established pattern. They realize they can leave the children more and more to their own devices and that the children get more out of it than they can themselves. To an extent, the boundaries set by theatre-makers, set by us as a cultural centre, are broken through, though a degree of diffidence remains among the public. The attitude of the parents is often expect ant. They don’t abandon themselves to the experience immediately, they don’t join in with the children’s play. Some come and ask what the idea is. Can the children go everywhere, is there any restriction on the noise they can make? Most children, on the other hand, just make a beeline for the installation. Organizers find themselves fishing in the same pond in terms of public. CABAN gives us a whole new audience. Because it is not linguistic and because there are no expectations or requirements in terms of prior knowledge or theatre codes > codes of conduct expected in Theatre which people need to know. It’s a very open environment, it’s all about ‘experiencing’. I believe that’s its real strength. You could also stage these interventions for an adult public at, say, SMAK. Parents

can enjoy it just as much as children. It is ‘proper’ music, the musicians don’t make concessions in terms of content or quality. They don’t play nursery songs, they are not out for effect. You also hear non-Western sounds and music, jazzy pieces for example. Things children don’t hear on the radio or on the usual children’s CDs – things which are not normally part of their world. Fantastic! That broadens their horizons.” Ingrid Verdonck, Programmer Families and Schools at the Belgica Cultural Centre, Dendermonde 29

Theater De Spiegel targets the small child now. It sets out to provide a real and immediate experience. After all, a child is more than just somebody on his way to adulthood. A child is also somebody now. “Some parents clearly have to get used to it. But there’s nothing to it really, the pace is so relaxed, the atmosphere so agreeable. People feel at ease. There is never anything forced about it. It may well be strange and unfamiliar to you and, indeed, it is something new. You have time, you don’t have to react immediately, be there immediately or step into the lime light. And that’s great because it opens it up to lots of people. You have parents who think: it’s great for my child and I’m here too. They watch their children, note the way they experi ence things and even keep a slight dis tance. And then you have parents who join in, sharing the experience with their child. 30

The fact that the musical interventions are two-hour blocks is certainly necessary. Otherwise people might not be relaxed enough to explore. You have to be able to focus the attention a little, not dash from one installation to the other, from one mu sician to another, try everything briefly and then leave. The location must also encourage visitors to relax. The set-up, the modules have a certain aesthetic. If the environment is too distracting, if there are too many things, for example, it doesn’t come into its own. It needs space and light. The live music really is a plus. The artists give the whole thing a focus. The way they interact with the children, the atten tion they give them, really in the moment. Wonderful, too, how close they let the chil dren come, allowing them to explore the instruments, the sounds, the music. That makes it really worthwhile. Otherwise I think people would be in and out much more quickly.

want to do things well and stimulate their child in every possible way. Theater De Spiegel targets the small child now. It sets out to provide a real and immedi ate experience. In many reports about children’s theatre, or if you have to justify yourself as a programmer in your town, it’s all about the child that will later become a big child, and then as an adult continue to go to the theatre, by which time we ‘have’ him. That’s the rationale behind children’s programming. I always find that strange. As if a child or a toddler can’t just enjoy experiencing something now. As if a child is just some body on his way to adulthood, and not somebody now.” Ann Goossenaerts, Children’s Programmer at Sint-Niklaas Cultural Centre

There is a great demand for shows and activities for these very young children. The things I programme for this target group always sell out immediately. There isn’t much for this age group. Parents are concerned they can’t do that much with their children. So this is new. Parents 31

THE ARTIST

You can’t pretend with children. A child notices that your mind is on something else, that your focus isn’t there and switches off. “To start with, parents will sometimes take their children by the hand to go and look at an intervention. But after a while people begin to see that things take care of themselves. One thing leads to another, and if they don’t see it the first time, they see it the next time or something entirely different. You see people really relax. And play with their children. For some parents that comes very naturally, for others it sud denly clicks. They feel there is space just to play, that anything goes and nothing is imposed. Then they realize that children often work things out for themselves and indicate what they want to do. You have a dual role as regards the parents. They are often unsure, they don’t know 32

what is allowed and what isn’t, they aren’t used to the freedom to act as they wish. So it is your job to put them at their ease.

communication is very direct and your public is incredibly honest. Because if they are not interested, they’re off!

When a child suddenly begins to strum my violin, people immediately assume that something like that isn’t allowed. But it is! That can be confusing because they are not expecting it. But if you allow such things to happen, they get used to it. And so the children also become more daring and try things out.

That’s fine. But it can be difficult too. I have often thought: I’m wasting my time here. Sometimes you do all kinds of things and you don’t get a reaction. You keep going with something for a while, but you have the impression it isn’t working. You get fed up, so you stop... And then you see the chil dren begin to react! So it does work. Only then has it registered, only then have they been able to embrace it and join in.

You often see parents who are really surprised to see how their child reacts to certain things. A child that is mesmerized by a particular instrument, for example, that can’t be dragged away from it. Strongwilled children who suddenly become very calm. Or children who start singing along – and parents who then say they have never heard their child sing before! Children answer a voice with their voice, to music. They can imitate the most im possible things with their voice. Older children, six-seven-year-olds, have often forgotten how to do that and find it diffi cult to pick up a note they hear and join in the singing. But very young children do it automatically and they even keep in tune. Incredible! As an artist you are never so close to the public as you are with CABAN. The

You have to see everything that’s happening. A group of children has a dynamic all of its own. There are guaranteed to be two who sit behind you and react totally differently from those in front of you. So you learn to grow eyes in the back of your head. You don’t want to be unprepared for a reaction. You want to go along with what they experience, but you don’t want to in trude on anyone’s space. Where does your own focus lie as an artist, and how, or how far can you take a child with you in that respect? That’s what it’s really about. With shows for adults you have that, too, but it is less ambiguous. With adults you more or less know how they view things and you can anticipate what is coming. 33

With children there is no system and you can’t pretend because they see through that immediately. An adult will always fol low, look where you look, look how you move. But a child notices if your mind is on something else, if your focus isn’t there and he switches off. Kids are really sensi tive like that. Children can sometimes cope with much more complex music than adults. In the beginning you think: it must be nice music. Absolutely not! It must be good music. You have to narrate something, there must be a thread running through it – that can be very abstract, atonal even, it doesn’t mat ter, children don’t have a problem with it. Sometimes they even find that much more exciting because you make new sounds, because they hear things they have never heard before. So not always choosing the easy way in spires you as a musician. It inspires you to do totally new things. It may sometimes take a little longer before you get a reac tion, but that reaction is often greater or better than when you play a sweet little melody. I try to leave those interactions as open as possible. It is not that you never approach the children, but you try and let them decide to come to you and do things. 34

Say that a child gives me a cushion. I will accept it but I won’t immediately start do ing something with it. I will give it back and see what happens. And then go along with what I think the child is doing. So you let it lead, but you also guide it. However, I try not to guide too much. For many children it is the first time they have come across instruments like ours. As a musician you don’t always stop to think about it, but they must make a huge impression. The very first time I heard a violin, I said: I want to play that. And it completely changed my life. To see an instrument played live is totally different from a recording. It’s spectacular. Of course you don’t need to bring about the sort of incredible change that happened to me. But the fact that they encounter those things for the first time is in itself fantastic. If you just arouse their curiosity, make them wonder what sort of sound is com ing out of the instrument – could you ask for more!” Astrid Bossuyt, violinist and puppeteer

CABAN CREDITS

TEXT AND FINAL EDITING

Concept and coaching: Karel Van Ransbeeck Design and execution of modules: Wim Van de Vyver with the help of Raf Cammaer, Stef Vetters, Babs Franco, Gwen De Jaeger, Aicha Aalovchi, Hussein Alkhbar and VK*ateliers

Tina Ameel

With the cooperation of numerous musicians, including Astrid Bossuyt, Inez Carsauw, Joeri Wens, Christian Gmünder, Nicolas Ankoudinoff, Sara Meyer, Sam Faes, Sonja Tavormina, Isabelle Matthyssens, Pascale Rubens, Toon van Mierlo and Jean Bermes.

TRANSLATION Alison Mouthaan FOTO’S ©Marion Kahane ©Mieke Verbijlen ©Katrien Oosterlinck ©François Caels GRAPHIC DESIGN www.zap.be COMMUNICATION SUPPORT

CONTACT Theater De Spiegel Molenstraat 9 2018 Antwerpen 03/225.28.39 WWW.DESPIEGEL.COM INFO@DESPIEGEL.COM WHO ARE WE? Artistic director: Karel Van Ransbeeck Commercial director: Zita Epenge Special projects and government communication: Marie Caeyers Administration and bookkeeping: Liesje Van Hulle  Set and workshop: Wim Van De Vyver Production manager: François Caels

Hopsasa – Anja Horckmans PUBLISHER Zita Epenge, Molenstraat 9, 2018 Antwerpen TOUR PLANNING AND PROMOTIONAL SUPPORT Thassos info@thassos.be 03/235.04.90 Theater De Spiegel enjoys the support of the Flemish Community and the Province of Antwerp