Aalst (play)
Encyclopedia
Aalst is a play by the Belgian stage director Pol Heyvaert
. Based on real-life events that took place in the town of Aalst
in 1999, the play recounts the murder of two children by their parents. It was originally performed in 2005 by the Ghent
-based theatre company Victoria
. Since then, it has toured extensively in Europe
and in Canada
.
, and the son by stabbing him with a pair of scissors
. They were subsequently arrested, tried and sentenced to life imprisonment. The case caused a sensation in Belgium and was the subject of massive coverage in the press and media.
theatre company, gave the story dramatic form. Heyvaert and his co-writer Dimitri Verhulst
drew extensively on original source material, including statements and interviews given by the accused, television
footage of the trial and a documentary
on the murder investigation. Heyvaert also designed and directed the play, his first outing as a stage director.
The format of the play is simple. Separated by a few feet, the couple sit on two chairs with a microphone stand in front of each. A white curtain hangs behind them. The stage is bare of any other furnishing. Over the next 70-odd minutes, the two are interrogated by a disembodied, authoritative voice, and the story of their lives and that of the murder of the children pours forth.
It transpires that both parents had had horrific childhoods. The woman had been sexually abused by her father while the man had been raised in foster care
and had become a petty criminal at an early age. They are both unemployed and live off generous state benefits, supplemented by income from moonlighting. Both exhibit a sense of entitlement and a lack of responsibility. They order consumer goods off catalogues, including three television set
s and five stereos
, but never pay for these items. Their domestic arrangements are wanting as well. Their house is filthy and constantly in the dark, with the bulbs painted black. Their relationship too is abusive and codependent. The murder of the children is described at length and in detail. The parents excuse their actions by saying that they did not want their children to be taken away by the state and put into foster care, and that they did not want them to suffer in life as they themselves had done. At the very end of the play, doubt is thrown over the veracity of their testimony.
With its difficult subject-matter and frequently graphic detail, Aalst has been described as a 'disturbing' and 'complex' play, one that raises hard questions about individual morality and the welfare society
.
The play has been produced in theatres and festivals across Europe. The Scottish writer Duncan McLean
has also adapted Aalst into a Scottish
version. In March 2007, this version made its UK debut at the Tramway theatre in Glasgow
as a joint production of Victoria and the National Theatre of Scotland
. Kate Dickie
and David McKay played the lead roles under Heyvaert's direction. The play then went on tour and made its London
debut in April 2007 at the Soho Theatre
.
Pol Heyvaert
Pol Heyvaert is a Belgian stage director and designer with long-standing ties to the Ghent-based theatre company Victoria.Pol Heyvaert has a long-standing relationship withVictoria...
. Based on real-life events that took place in the town of Aalst
Aalst, Belgium
Aalst is a city and municipality on the Dender River, 19 miles northwest from Brussels. It is located in the Flemish province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the city of Aalst itself and the villages of Baardegem, Erembodegem, Gijzegem, Herdersem, Hofstade,...
in 1999, the play recounts the murder of two children by their parents. It was originally performed in 2005 by the Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
-based theatre company Victoria
Victoria (theatre company)
Victoria is a Belgian theatre company based in the Flemish city of Ghent....
. Since then, it has toured extensively in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The background
In January 1999, in the suburban Belgian town of Aalst, Luc de Winne and Maggie Strobbe checked into a hotel room with their two children, a boy aged seven and an infant girl of three months. They killed the daughter by suffocating her with a pillowPillow
A pillow is a large cushion support for the head, usually used while sleeping in a bed, or for the body as used on a couch or chair. There are also throw pillows , which are pillows that are purely decorative and not designed for support or comfort...
, and the son by stabbing him with a pair of scissors
Scissors
Scissors are hand-operated cutting instruments. They consist of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutting various thin materials, such as paper, cardboard, metal foil, thin...
. They were subsequently arrested, tried and sentenced to life imprisonment. The case caused a sensation in Belgium and was the subject of massive coverage in the press and media.
The play
In 2005, Pol Heyvaert, a veteran stage designer who had a long-standing relationship with the VictoriaVictoria (theatre company)
Victoria is a Belgian theatre company based in the Flemish city of Ghent....
theatre company, gave the story dramatic form. Heyvaert and his co-writer Dimitri Verhulst
Dimitri Verhulst
Dimitri Verhulst is a Belgian writer and poet. He currently lives and works in Huccorgne.-Biography:Dimitri Verhulst comes from a broken home and spent his childhood in foster homes and institutes. As a writer, he made his debut in 1999 with a collection of stories, De kamer hiernaast about his...
drew extensively on original source material, including statements and interviews given by the accused, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
footage of the trial and a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
on the murder investigation. Heyvaert also designed and directed the play, his first outing as a stage director.
The format of the play is simple. Separated by a few feet, the couple sit on two chairs with a microphone stand in front of each. A white curtain hangs behind them. The stage is bare of any other furnishing. Over the next 70-odd minutes, the two are interrogated by a disembodied, authoritative voice, and the story of their lives and that of the murder of the children pours forth.
It transpires that both parents had had horrific childhoods. The woman had been sexually abused by her father while the man had been raised in foster care
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
and had become a petty criminal at an early age. They are both unemployed and live off generous state benefits, supplemented by income from moonlighting. Both exhibit a sense of entitlement and a lack of responsibility. They order consumer goods off catalogues, including three television set
Television set
A television set is a device that combines a tuner, display, and speakers for the purpose of viewing television. Television sets became a popular consumer product after the Second World War, using vacuum tubes and cathode ray tube displays...
s and five stereos
Stereos
Stereos are a Juno nominated pop band from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, formed in 2008. They are known mainly for their musical style, which fuses aspects of hip hop and pop to form their primary style including. Their first act that had them recognized was appearing on the MuchMusic original series,...
, but never pay for these items. Their domestic arrangements are wanting as well. Their house is filthy and constantly in the dark, with the bulbs painted black. Their relationship too is abusive and codependent. The murder of the children is described at length and in detail. The parents excuse their actions by saying that they did not want their children to be taken away by the state and put into foster care, and that they did not want them to suffer in life as they themselves had done. At the very end of the play, doubt is thrown over the veracity of their testimony.
With its difficult subject-matter and frequently graphic detail, Aalst has been described as a 'disturbing' and 'complex' play, one that raises hard questions about individual morality and the welfare society
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
.
The play has been produced in theatres and festivals across Europe. The Scottish writer Duncan McLean
Duncan McLean (writer)
Duncan McLean is a Scottish novelist, playwright, and short story writer.-Life and works:Duncan McLean was born in Fraserburgh and has lived in Orkney since 1992. While based in Edinburgh in the 1980s, he started writing songs, stand-up routines, and plays for the Merry Mac Fun Co, a street...
has also adapted Aalst into a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
version. In March 2007, this version made its UK debut at the Tramway theatre in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
as a joint production of Victoria and the National Theatre of Scotland
National Theatre of Scotland
The National Theatre of Scotland is a theatre company established in February 2006. The company performs in a wide range of venues including theatres, halls and found spaces across Scotland....
. Kate Dickie
Kate Dickie
Kate Dickie is a Scottish actress who has appeared in television series, stage plays and films. She is best-known for her portrayal as the security camera operative Jackie in her starring debut Red Road, directed by Andrea Arnold, and for which she was given several awards as best actress, among...
and David McKay played the lead roles under Heyvaert's direction. The play then went on tour and made its London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
debut in April 2007 at the Soho Theatre
Soho Theatre
Soho Theatre is a theatre in the eponymous Soho district of the City of Westminster. It presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret....
.