Truth or Dare, Britney or Goofy, Nacht und Nebel, Jesus Christ or Superstar

Sensitive pearl that gives mentally weaker people a voice

For Truth or Dare, Britney or Goofy, Nacht und Nebel, Jesus Christ or Superstar Lies Pauwels works together with mentally vulnerable youngsters. Not to disclose their private problems but out of interest in their view on our world. On stage the young people are surrounded by three fashion models and a priest. The first stand for a superficial world that is obsessed by externals. The second symbolises a time in which people have passed on their meaning of life to the church. From their internal or external consciousness this special cast blurs the line between physique and psyche. Far away from any comfort zone the youngsters confront us with constantly changing images and delusions. In an artificial place they distinguish lies from truths and go in search of authenticity.

In the past,Lies Pauwels and hetpaleis already brought The Hamilton complex to NEXT. The performance, played by thirteen girls of thirteen and a body-builder, dealt with the search for identity in a confusing, continually changing world. The Hamilton complex conquered the hearts of both press and public, resulting in 65 performances in eight different countries. On top of that the piece was selected for the Theatre festival 2016, where the jury described it as 'an emotionally charged masterpiece'.

Truth or dare will not be a sequel to The Hamilton complex but a continuation of Lies Pauwels' uncompromising quest for a theatre in which emotional intelligence and authenticity predominate. In her world nothing is taken for granted and yet everything is unmistakable. Lies Pauwels has acquired international fame as a director and an actress. She has already made work at the request of the National Theatre of Scotland, and toured from Singapore to New York. She has worked closely together with Alain Platel and Arne Sierens, with whom she created a prize-winning trilogy for the Victoria company. For her performances Pauwels works quite a lot with improvisation but very well directed.