Outwitting the Devil

Outwitting the Devil

We are thrilled to present our new Company production Outwitting the Devil. Stirring classical and contemporary, Akram Khan explores our oldest rituals in the midst of our ever-changing planet. He brings together a superb ensemble of six international artists sharing great differences in their practice: Ching-Ying Chien, Andrew Pan, Dominique Petit, James Vu Anh Pham, Mythili Prakash and Sam Pratt.

Inspired by the newly discovered fragment of the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the world’s earliest surviving great works of literature, Akram’s new work is a concentrated epic about ritual and remembering. In a landscape of broken tablets and fallen idols, its six characters trade their remaining wealth and stories, seeking to make whole the fragments of ancient knowledge lost and forgotten over time.

To weave the narrative and design of this new piece, Akram has invited his close collaborators: dramaturg Ruth Little, composer Vincenzo Lamagna, rehearsal director Mavin Khoo, costume designer Kimie Nakano, and writer Jordan Tannahill – joined by lighting designer Aideen Malone and visual designer Tom Scutt. Combining live and recorded music and video projection, Outwitting the Devil invites us all to the table where life, death and our half-remembered myths are the bread we break together.

Shows

Grand Théâtre, Aix-en-Provence, France
29 – 30 November 2019

Théâtre de Namur, Namur, Belgium
5 – 7 December 2019

Central Le Théâtre, La Louvière, Belgium
10 – 11 December 2019

La Comédie de Clermont Ferrand, Clermont-Ferrand, France
7 – 8 January 2020

Concertgebouw Brugge, Bruges, Belgium
10 January 2020

Théâtre de l’Olivier, Istres, France
17 January 2020

Theatres Tilburg, Tilburg, Netherlands
21 January 2020

Douwe Egbertszaal, Utrecht, Netherlands
22 January 2020

Cultuurhuis de Warande, Turnhout, Belgium
25 January 2020

SPOT/Stadsschouwburg, Groningen, Netherlands
28 January 2020

Théâtre de Liège, Hasselt, Belgium
30 January 2020

Grand Espace, Chalon-sur-Saône, France
21 February 2020

Festival Schrittmacher Heerlen, Theater Heerlen, Heerlen, Netherlands
24 March 2020

Zuiderstrand Theater, The Hague, Netherlands
26 March 2020

Teatro Arriaga, Bilbao, Spain
3 – 4 April 2020