With this testimony, I want to emphasize the importance of the whole company of Troubleyn/Jan Fabre, its creation processes, the acting methods of the Jan Fabre Teaching Group and of course the theatrepieces that are being made. It is not to be overseen in the art world and art history.
I have been working for Troubleyn/Jan Fabre for 6 years now. I started as an intern dramaturgie when I was 20 and studying Art History at the University of Ghent. The world of Troubleyn, the art knowledge Jan Fabre had and shared, the way of creating a theatrepiece… It was an artistic creativity and atmosphere that I had never felt before. When my internship was over, I was very sad to leave this inspiring world full of art. One year later I started working for Troubleyn/Jan Fabre as a directing assistant and assistant dramaturgy for the piece ‘Mount Olympus’. The year (!) we worked and created this piece all together, has been one of the most wonderful years of my life. Sitting next to Jan Fabre daily, fed my artistic knowledge and teached me more than I learned in 4 years at the university. The necessity of art and beauty became very clear to me. What I am most thankful for, is the way Jan and Miet gave me a lot of responsibilities like leading rehearsals and spacings. I wasn’t sure I was experienced enough for it, but they trusted me and, as Jan always said, curiousity is more important than experience.
The way Troubleyn/Jan Fabre makes theatre is magic; with months of improvisations, everyone has input and is being encouraged to try things out. We work together as a group. This is very important and not known by people who have never worked for Troubleyn/Jan Fabre. Jan Fabre is a very good artist, because he can bring the best out of you as a performer, artist or person.
I once asked Jan how he can see so fast if an improvisation is good or not. He told me this: “I already know what the piece is going to look like, and what scenes will come out of improvisations, but I want the performers to find it themselves. That’s the only way they will remember the content forever. It will be in their brain and in their body, and not just in their ears because I told them to”. This is exceptional in the theatre scene.
Later, I worked with other directors, and for various different houses, but I never felt this inspiring feeling again in theatre. I never had the feeling that art and beauty, and the piece that we were making, was the most important thing. It felt like ‘a job’.
It makes me incredibly sad to see how all the works and the beauty of this company is now being turned into ruins. Especially because many people don’t know the way we work, create and perform.
If Troubleyn/Jan Fabre ceases to exist, I can only say it will be a true loss for the artistic scene in Belgium and for art itself.
Floria Lomme
