The Decoy

Picture by Herman Sorgeloos


I did some sound design for The Decoy  a play by Pieter De Buysser. The Decoy  (Dutch title: De Lokvogel)  researches the strenghts and weaknesses of democracy, and holds a mirror up to the current citizens' movements.

Too many undemocratic decisions? Or too many democratic decisions with a harmful outcome? A small society of well-meaning experts, intellectuals, academics, and philanthropists can no longer stand it. They must save democracy from its suicidal tendencies. They need to protect crashing emancipation movements from total loss. Meeting in the anonymous corners of Europe, they forged a plan.

Choosing a dead-ordinary man, they inspired, manipulated and persistently guided him through the political landscape. He had to embody the values and insights of this elite. And at the same time, be constantly supported by the most diverse layers of the population. In the manner of old rabbis, the society moulded Lukas Alberg, father of two, into a decoy. Step one is to expand democracy. Step two is to lay the resentment and identity fetishism to rest. Like a golem emerging from the silt of Europe’s magical subconscious, the decoy crawls forth.

I created the sounds for The Decoy's  finale, where Lukas is confronted with the outcome of his actions.

More information about the play can be found here.


Credits

Text & direction Pieter De Buysser  Live Performance Gillis Biesheuvel, Pieter De Buysser, Herman Sorgeloos, Suleiman Abdulmohsen, Elisa Demarré  Recorded performance Simon Arazi, Issam Daka, Maarten Degraeuwe, Viviane De Muynck, Jessica Fanhan, Ellen Goemans, Wouter Hendrickx, Ondrej Hrab, Jodie Hruby, Vladimir Javorski, Jan Kraus, Musia Mwankumi, Sandra Sara Oklobdzija Raes, Miles O'Shea, Mieke Quintens, Jef Stevens, Graham Vincent, Gonçalo Waddington  Dramaturgy Elisa Demarré  Production Elisa Demarré, Francesca Pinder  Scenography & visual dramaturgy Herman Sorgeloos  Decor & props Hugh Roche Kelly  Video & projection Quinten Vanagt, Luca Mattei, Gertjan Biasino, Dieter Diependaele  Lighting Herman Sorgeloos  Camera Jonathan Wannyn Sound video Kwinten Van Laethem  Sound design Stijn Demeulenaere  Sound recordings Stijn Demeulenaere, Daniel Demoustier Dramaturgical advice Koen Haagdoorns, Varenka Theuninck  Make-up artist Peggy Timmermans  Production assistant Leen Gebruers  Media design Sam Metcalfe  English translation Jodie Hruby  French translation Anne Vanderschueren  Promotional image Sylvie Mikulcova  Production ROBIN  Co-production Kaaitheater, Brussels (BE); BIT Teatergarasjen, Bergen (NO), Archa Theater Prague (Cz)  Thanks to Campo, Ghent (BE); Théâtre Garonne, Toulouse (FR); Staatstheater Mainz, Mainz (DE), Sarah Vanagt, Effi Weiss  Support from De Vlaamse Gemeenschap, VGC and the Vlaams Fonds voor de Letteren.