With its 35th edition, this year’s het TheaterFestival opens the new performing arts season with eleven days filled with theatre, dance, circus and performance gems. With a selection of the most interesting performances of the past chosen by an independent multi-party professional jury, hTF brings the not-to-be-missed performances to Ghent. Het TheaterFestival is much more than a ‘best-of’: it is a meeting place for audiences and artists to engage in conversation, follow workshops and reflect critically on the performances.

A newly composed multi-voice VakJury – with Lotte Vrancken, Emilie Hulsmans, Rojda Gülüzar Karakuş, Floris Baeke, Filip Tielens, Liv Laveyne – puts together the selection after a year of intensive prospecting. There is also a jury consisting of open-minded city dwellers of different ages and cultural backgrounds, who have little or no previous experience with theatre: the WijkJury. In Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp, each of these cities meets in its own WijkJury. Together, they visit around ten performances a year and at the end of the theatre season choose their favourite: De Keuze van de WijkJury (The Choice of the Neighbourhood Jury).

As every year, the festival kicks off with the States: two speeches that make the performing arts field think and make room for new ideas. This year, the State of the Union and the State of the Youth turn into the States of the Future.

The heart of the festival this year is at VIERNULVIER at de Vooruit in Ghent from 3 to 13 September. Het TheaterFestival is looking forward to kicking off the season with a great performing arts festival!