Billy’s Joy

Shakespeare has been a controversial artist for over 400 years. Sometimes he is the greatest ever, other times he is dismissed as an anti-Semitic misogynist who especially got a kick out of conceiving violent scenes. That's what Billy's Violence covers extensively. 

In the eighteenth century, people detested the violence and dark twists in his tragedies. Consequently, these were shamelessly rewritten. Romeo and Juliet lived happily ever after! 

This inspired Needcompany to ask Victor Afung Lauwers to read the comedies and see what they can still mean in our time - a time of great controversies, vulgar polemics, cancel culture, structural racism, climate change, war. What is there left to laugh about? Is humour the coward's weapon or a form of activism?

"Billy's Joy: a liquid comedy, a 'HYSTORY', a battle of attrition. Something is rotten in Fairyland!" (Victor Lauwers)

Dutch, English, Catalan and Spanish spoken with Dutch and English surtitles
This performance contains scenes of nudity and violence.

Double Bill(y)

A double bill featuring the works of William - Billy - Shakespeare. You can watch each performance separately, they are not sequels of each other. But you can also go for the full experience!

More info

text Victor Afung Lauwers music Maarten Seghers creation Jan Lauwers, Grace Ellen Barkey, Emily Hehl, Nao Albet, Gonzalo Cunill, Romy Louise Lauwers, Juan Navarro, Maarten Seghers, Meron Verbelen and Martha Gardner dramaturgy Elke Janssens technical direction and lighting Koen De Saeger technique Jannes Dierynck Raphael Noel and Jérémy Michel sound Ditten Lerooij performance props and costumes Charlotte Seeligmüller stage technique Luca van het Groenewoud company manager Pieter D'Hooghe production Needcompany co-production Impulstanz (Vienna), PerPodium, Le Quartz (Brest), The Shakespeare Festival (Gdansk), CC Brugge and Teatro Central (Sevilla)