Following the Guide

Every Thursday, for nearly 15 years, a group has been gathering at the Maison de la Solidarité in Ixelles. The goal: to enjoy the pleasure of theater. The special feature: all participants are at least three times twenty years old.

At the end of March, a spring breeze blows through Viaduct Park. Through the slightly open window, voices respond to one another, laughter rings out, and applause resonates. Welcome to the senior theater workshop, organized by Inti Théâtre since 2008!

On the agenda for these sessions, guided by Didier Poiteaux and Valériane De Maerteleire: warm-ups, exercises, improvisations, and short scenes. Didier explains: “Every Thursday, from October to June, we explore different worlds and texts. We never repeat the same thing. We’ve already delved into absurdism, food, mourning. We’ve worked with texts by Liliane Wouters, Molière, and Jean-Claude Grumberg.”

Each session engages the body, the memory, and, above all, creativity and imagination. Didier and Valériane, both directors, build on the participants’ suggestions, who write texts and share their experiences and stories. “Friendships have formed in the workshop. It’s an appointment everyone looks forward to. For some, holidays can sometimes feel too long (laughs).”

This Thursday’s session is a genuine creative exercise rooted in trust. Each participant lets themselves be guided, lets go, and incorporates suggestions to refine their story or performance. Both memory and the body are stimulated.

This year, the theater workshop’s theme focuses on painting and the world of painters. Two public performances are scheduled for June 20 and 21 at Théâtre Mercelis. In addition to excerpts from “Art” by Yasmina Reza, the play will feature scenes written by the participants, along with a more intimate section sharing life stories that highlight the participants’ connection to art, exhibitions, and painters. The museum and its artworks will come to the audience. Follow the guides!