The story
On 28 October 1965, Nederlands Toneel Gent (Dutch Theatre of Ghent) was established as the city theatre of Ghent, a public institution, with its home at the Royal Dutch Theatre (KNS).
From 1979 to 1993, the KNS undertook an extensive refurbishment, which included the addition of a house on Biezekapelstraat. While the entrance and auditorium were undergoing renovations (1987–1993), NTGent had to find alternative venues for its performances.
Swiss-born director Milo Rau was appointed artistic director in 2018. Wanting to reshape the model of the European stadtstheater, believing that they are exclusive and elitist, and wanting to create "something more open" and better reflecting the multicultural nature of European cities today, Rau introduced his 10-point "Ghent Manifesto", in which he declared, among other stipulations:
It's not just about portraying the world anymore. It's about changing it. The aim is not to depict the real, but to make the representation itself real.
The literal adaptation of classics on stage is forbidden. If a source text – whether book, film or play – is used at the outset of the project, it may only represent up to 20 percent of the final performance time.
At least two different languages must be spoken on stage in each production.
At least one production per season must be rehearsed or performed in a conflict or war zone, without any cultural infrastructure.
Each production must be shown in at least ten locations in at least three countries. No production can be removed from the NTGent repertoire before this number has been reached.
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Rau stepped down from the role of artistic director in January 2023, although he continues to be involved with NTGent.
From Wikipedia’s article on NTGent, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5