opera & music theatre

In this musical meta-murder mystery, actors and musicians weave three whodunits together. Whoever dies in one story reappears as a new character in the next.

“The company keeps you captivated from start to finish – which, given the multitude of actors, characters, and storylines, is an absolute achievement."

A Midsummer Night's Dream is more than just a performance featuring seven musicians and four actors. It also tells the story of a company on tour with that very same production. The theater, dressing rooms, and foyer all find their place in a creation that will have you laughing one moment and crying the next.

"A Midsummer Night's Dream may not be traditional Shakespeare, but you won't regret that for a second." ★★★★☆

Who can resist Don Giovanni? Since 1787, Mozart’s seducer has captivated both characters and audiences alike, stubbornly refusing to mend his ways. Director Tom Goossens transforms this endless cycle into a ritual: will this second chance lead to the same mistakes, or can the vicious circle finally be broken?

“The man cannot break free from his patterns. Goossens makes this clear by showing the loops in which the recidivist Giovanni is trapped with almost graphic precision.”

At night, society glitters in the party lights, and Violetta Valéry is in the centre of it all. Director Tom Goossens lets the characters wrestle over who is allowed to show whom in which light. A game with reality begins between disenchantment, recognition and acknowledgement.

"Tom Goossens is the name of the brilliant Belgian who is directing the costume-drenched co-production with Opera Ballet Vlaanderen and making his international directorial debut with Verdi's "La Traviata" in Wiesbaden He has not only set himself the task of critically exploring the centuries-old male view of Verdi's noble prostitute. He is also trying to put her in charge of the action right from the start."

Five generations of actresses perform an adaptation of Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor, taking on the iconic character Falstaff. As they perform, reality breaks through the stage, blurring the lines between fiction and truth. A true theatrical matryoshka.

"This Falstaff peels away the layer of elitism like silicone from a mask, and plays with meta-theatre in a way that is a pure delight." ★★★★☆

On the small patch of stage visible to the entire opera auditorium, amidst the remnants of a castle set and costumes from stock, Tom Goossens unravels the threads of this madcap comedy with comedic precision.

"Funny, inventive, and moving. In a new production for Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Tom Goossens sprinkles Mozart's 'Le nozze di Figaro' with a dash of Flemish humor. Bold, but successful."

Jupi is an opera for preschoolers aged 3 and up, based on Händel's oratorio Semele. The essence remains: a stimulating story about playing together and being alone, about ability and generosity, about light and music.

“‘Jupi is beautifully designed and full of witty jokes and inventive rhymes. Goossens’ approach is a hit with preschoolers too.”

Caesar must die: in Händel's version he survives, in Shakespeare's he is murdered. Goossens combines both versions into one compelling show for actors and singers.

Portici is a rhythmic dialogue of the deaf, where music, dance, (sign) language, and vibration compete for the final word. A theatrical revolution on the linguistic border between hearing and feeling, set amidst the absurdities of Belgian identity.

"The efforts Goossens and Pessemiers-Benamar have made to create a performance that is not only accessible but also truly enjoyable for the deaf and hard of hearing may well herald a new revolution in theater."

The tradition of continuing to perform Die Fledermaus is remarkable. Every year on New Year's Eve, the operetta is performed somewhere in Europe. In Fledermaus Forever, eight actors extend this tradition infinitely over the course of a single evening.

"It is clear that Goossens creates fully fledged music theatre."

On the evening of the summer solstice, we celebrate love with Mendelssohn’s enchanting orchestral music for Shakespeare’s romantic comedy: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Tom Goossens has adapted the melodrama scenes into a new entanglement between two couples, set on a lake.

A young actor portrays all the characters inhabiting a countess's loving reveries. Rossini’s spectacular opera Il barbiere di Siviglia is transformed into an intimate double duet for two actors and two musicians.

"A clever choice: the spirited, rhyming text by Goossens, where sharp satire and silly puns go hand in hand, is the production's greatest strength." ★★★★☆

During Ravel's Boléro, dancing technicians assemble a clock in which the main character of the one-act opera L'Heure Espagnole is trapped. Will she manage to break free from time?

Two singers, two actors, and a pianist join Rigoletto to reconstruct the events that led to his tragic fate. They draw on the text of Victor Hugo's Le Roi s'amuse and the music from Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto.

"With great respect, but also with a healthy dose of anarchy, they strip the opera genre of its formal clichés."

A mature couple examine their marriage with a flighty young man, using a language based on Mozart and Da Ponte’s Le Nozze di Figaro. A saxophone-player, pianist and soprano accompany them.

"The linguistic virtuosity was dazzling at Operadagen Rotterdam. The Flemish company DESCHONECOMPANIE provided the highlight of the festival with The Da Ponte Trilogy."

Using elements from Shakespeare’s masterful play and Verdi’s musical masterpiece, theater maker Tom Goossens and composer Mathias Coppens have created a radical adaptation of Macbeth for children aged 9 and up.

"Anyone will realize that Goossens has won the struggle with this often unwieldy medium. He has resisted the temptation to 'just' make an opera; instead, he plays with opera, lets the opera play for him, all while exposing the performance itself. There are directors with more experience who, once they reach the opera houses, no longer manage to stay true to themselves and their original poetics. In that respect, Goossens’ clear self-insight is perhaps an even greater gift than his promising directorial talent."

Two actors, two classical singers, a pianist, and a violinist appear on stage. Using Mozart and Da Ponte's Così fan tutte as a starting point, they philosophize and debate the existence of eternal fidelity.

Three actors, a singer, and a pianist dissect the tragic character of Don Juan before the audience's eyes. They do this using music from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni, which they rapidly intersperse with texts from Molière's Don Juan.

"With 'Don Juan', DESCHONECOMPANIE proves that a shipyard shed is the perfect opera house."