IVONA, PRINCESS OF BURGUNDIA Opens Today at Summerhall

Timeau De Keyser, Hans Mortelmans and Simon De Winne - together known as Tibaldus are one of Belgian's most exciting and innovative young theatre companies, producing work that is fierce, surprising and thrilling.

They have joined with five other actors and dancers to create a bold and radical contemporary reworking of Witold Gombrowicz's ('The Shakespeare of Poland') ground-breaking masterpiece Ivona, Princess of Burgundia the story of a royal family and its household which loses its grip when Prince Filip suddenly becomes engaged to Ivona. Unlike other princesses in the royal circle, Ivona is a frump, a revolting creature who everyone treats harshly. Burgundia's 'fairest' stoically endures it all and despite everything, stubbornly remains mute, her passive bearing challenging the courtiers to confront their conceited, self-satisfied existence.

The Tibaldus collective is a company driven by the desire to tell stories bursting with humour and imagination, working with artists from different disciplines. It was founded by Timeau De Keyser, Hans Mortelmans and Simon De Winne who met while studying Drama at the KASK, Ghent in 2009.

Witold Marian Gombrowicz (August 4, 1904 - July 24, 1969) was a Polish writer and playwright. His works are characterised by deep psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and absurd, anti-nationalist flavor. In 1937 he published his first novel, Ferdydurke, which presented many of his usual themes: the problems of immaturity and youth, the creation of identity in interactions with others, and an ironic, critical examination of class roles in Polish society and culture. He gained fame only during the last years of his life, but is now considered one of the foremost figures of Polish literature.

See more at https://vimeo.com/channels/tibaldus.

Photo credit: Kurt Van der Elst