Ontroerend Goed Comes To Edinburgh Fringe With THANKS FOR BEING HERE
Performances run 12 - 24 Aug 2025.
By: Stephi Wild Jun. 30, 2025
Eight-time Fringe First winners Ontroerend Goed will return to the Fringe with a show that celebrates the most essential element of theatre: the audience. Blending digital livestream with shifting spatial viewpoints, Thanks for Being Here unsettles expectations as roles blur and the boundary between performer and spectator dissolves. The audience is filmed on entry, and throughout the performance live footage is layered with pre-recorded voices and merged with the faces of those in the crowd - captured in real time by the performers. Watching becomes part of the performance, not by following instructions, but simply by being present. After the show, audiences are invited to leave suggestions that can subtly shape future performances, meaning Thanks for Being Here is never quite the same twice. A subtle, hopeful celebration of togetherness in the here and now, among a room full of strangers, it isn't just a show - it's an homage to those who show up.
Director Alexander Devriendt said, "I used to want to shake people awake, but now I just want to reach out and connect. Everyone is awakening, slowly. In times of distrust, being positive can almost feel controversial. That's why it's hopeful to see that, even in an age of streaming and games, people still make the effort to go outside and experience something unique in the theatre. Thanks for Being Here is our way of saying thank you for that."
Belgian theatre-performance-group Ontroerend Goed has established a long track record on Edinburgh Fringe. After their international breakthrough with The Smile Off Your Face in 2007, they have been awarded several Fringe First, Herald Angel and Total Theatre Awards. The company has won numerous prizes across Europe and has hit New York, Sydney, London to critical acclaim. Their work is currently being performed in countries around the world. Previous shows include interactive shows £¥€$ about economy, Fight Night about democracy, TM about online radicalisation, Are we not drawn onward to new erA about the progression of the human race towards downfall or salvation, and Funeral, which celebrated the finiteness of things in a theatrical ritual.
Big in Belgium is a trusted label for bold and distinctive theatre from Belgium. Since 2013, the platform has presented a carefully curated programme of acclaimed and emerging performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Known for its high artistic quality and international appeal, Big in Belgium continues to champion work that is relevant, surprising and theatrically daring. This year the showcase includes: Thanks for Being Here (Ontroerend Goed, ZOO Southside), Up Your Ass (Lieselot Siddiki & Nona Demey Gallagher / detheatermaker, ZOO Southside), Swiping Right (Sophie Anna Veelenturf / BERLIN, ZOO Southside) The Ego(Anemone Valcke & Verona Verbakel, ZOO Playground) and Fatal Flower (Valentina Tóth, Summerhall). This year's selection is made possible in collaboration with Summerhall, ZOO Venues, the Flemish Government and deAuteurs
Get Broadway News on WhatsApp
Receive the latest updates, breaking news, and exclusive coverage from Broadway directly in WhatsApp.
Videos