A philanthropist endowed with immense faith in progress and a speech defect undertakes to build a spacecraft. The story traverses a pronounced curve in space-time, a little girl tired of the Messiah and a lost detective who no one is looking for anymore. A portable particle accelerator, whirlpools in the China Sea, a dozen nebulous spirals and a majestic black hole gradually increase the tension… Because, fabulous as they might be, all the elements in this planetary show are inspired by today’s political and scientific reality. The Tip of the Tongue is an exploration of borders for nationalists, a local geography lesson for cosmopolitans and a cosmology lecture for pioneers of a new image of the world.

Premiere: May 6, 2017, Kunstenfestivaldesarts
Thereafter: May 7 & 8, 2017 Planetarium Brussel, ihkv het Kunstenfestivaldesarts

Text, direction & play: Pieter De Buysser
Scenography: Herman Sorgeloos
Full dome video: Elias Heuninck
Scientific advice: Kurt Vanhoutte (Universiteit Antwerpen)
Dramaturgy: Esther Severi
Financial advice: Roger Christmann 

Production: ROBIN
Co-producers: Kunstenfestivaldesarts Brussel (B) KFDA), Kaaitheater Brussel (B), Stiftung Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin (DE), Théâtre les Amandiers Paris-Nanterre (FR), Archa Theatre Prague (CZ), House on Fire

With the support of: de Vlaamse Gemeenschap, VGC, PARS (Performing Astronomy Research Society, (F) en het Franse Ministerie van Cultuur en Communicatie

Thanks to: Laboratorium van KASK / School of Arts van de HoGent

Credit image: Nasa, Apollo 8, crew member Bill Anders, 24 December 1968