&Fest – Focus Gent: S 62° 58’ W 60° 39’

The performance begins in Arctic landscapes. A ship has run aground in the Northern Arctic Ocean at coordinates S 62° 58' W 60° 39'. A small group of people finds themselves trapped in this dangerous, harsh terrain, without food, surviving solely guided by nature. Their only hope is the melting ice that would free the ship.

The story starts to crack, merging the theater-making process into an apocalyptic scenario, progressing into increasingly absurd scenes. From the Arctic setting, the actors march off the stage, negotiate breaks with the director, contemplate their roles, and return to the shipwreck narrative. The performance is, in part, a reflection of our times, marked by wars, climate change, inflation, and an energy crisis. At the same time, the shipwreck serves as a metaphor for the crisis in the cultural climate, as well as for the art of theater-making and the existence of theater groups today.

S 62° 58’ W 60° 39’ is a co-production between the world-renowned dance theater company Peeping Tom and &&Espoon teatteri, combining technical excellence, cinematic sound design, contemporary dance movement, and purely theatrical elements. This tangible, humorous, and thought-provoking performance explores the meanings of art, the relationship between actor and director, and where the boundaries between stage roles and personal life lie.

Peeping Tom, familiar to Finnish audiences through their visits to Tampere Theatre Festival and Helsinki Festival, is a Belgian dance theatre company founded by choreographers Gabriela Carrizo and Franck Chartier. Peeping Tom's works are known for their hyperrealistic settings and their ability to reveal something hidden and previously unsaid to the audience. With the performance S 62° 58’ W 60° 39’, the group once again breaks the conventions of performing arts and examines its 20-year history through physical theater.

&Fest – Focus Gent is supported by the City of Gent, Flanders State of the Art and Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation.