FIRE
Fire is an immersive audio performance about oral traditions, sharing stories, remembering the past and imagining the future.
“Stories and memories connect us ... in the past and in the present. Robbert&Frank Frank&Robbert celebrate the power of connection across generations in this performance."
Charlotte Durnajkin
Review of FIRE in Etcetera
“…almost radical in the precise way in which politeness and friendliness, etiquette and ritual, are combined with openness and the invitation to do something together.”
Fransien van der Putt
Review of FIRE in Theaterkrant.nl
Real fire is introduced in the sharing phase: a candle is lit and everyone takes turns lighting their sparkle stick. During the short time that your sparkle stick illuminates the darkness, you share what you experienced during the auditory trip - the voice, the memories, the smells, images and/or emotions that came to you.
Because you dare to share an intimate moment as a group, a new openness arises. You become a collective instead of a group of individuals. Together you discover the next steps of the performance in which you decide to leave something behind for the next generation. Then you discover what the previous generations have left behind for you.
The performance ends with a gift, a unique handmade gadget that you can take home with you, so that you are permanently connected to this unique fleeting moment.
Credits
Concept, direction, scenography: F&R R&F
Text / Voice over: Jonathan Beaton
Music: Linde Carrijn
Production: WUWAO
Co-production: R&F F&R VZW, Kunstencentrum Campo (BE), Auawirleben (CH), De Brakke Grond (NL), Reiefestival (BE)
Supported by VAF/MEDIA FUND
Fire is an immersive audio performance about oral traditions, sharing stories, remembering the past and imagining the future. Language and abstract thinking are thought to have developed in part through the age-old human practice of sitting around a fire and sharing stories.
In Fire you are part of a group of eight people. You are led into a darkened room. There is no one here — no performer, no guide — just an empty space with an intriguing symbolic campfire in the middle of the room. Eight wooden benches surround the fire. In front of each bench is a black and white symbol, a glass filled with black glittering sand, a sparkle stick (like from end-of-year parties) and headphones.
A voice resounds in the room and addresses the group, inviting the participants to take a seat around the fire:
“Welcome, the following ritual gives you the chance to meet each other in the fire and leave something behind for the next generation. Let me guide you…”
You are invited to choose a wooden log from the fire. Each carved log is linked to a unique auditory perspective of the performance - you are the only one in the group who will experience this perspective of the performance.
“Now place the headphones over your ears, close your eyes and relax your mind…”
A soothing voice and specifically composed soundtrack help you to dive into your memories. Each member of the group floats away in their own thoughts. Sharing an intimate space as a group, while still wandering off individually in their own world is one of the things that makes Fire unique.
Fire
Table Dialogues
is a long-term project by visual theater artists Robbert&Frank Frank&Robbert. It is a collective name for several immersive performances in which dialogue, a sense of wonder and playfulness are central.
Unique to Table Dialogues is the effective mix of wonderful digital experiences (Virtual Reality, immersive audio) with intimate analog elements (sharing memories, walking together, drinking tea, giving presents, making fire, drawing, etc.).
Each experience is named after a natural element and is loosely inspired by Taoist teachings. Connection is the common thread.
Together, the Table Dialogues performances form a cycle that takes you through a playful, hallucinatory, philosophical and personal journey. Let your curiosity run wild and step into the world of Robbert&Frank!
—
The performances Earth, Fire and Wood have been finalized and are currently being played and booked. Don't hesitate to contact our spreading partner GOOD COMPANY for booking info and a full playlist (caroline@goodcompany.be).
The development of Water and Metal is still in its infancy and is planned for 2026 and 2027.