Benny Lindelauf

theatre

To Infinity And Beyond!

2021/2022

Theater Totaal is a theater group for people with intellectual disabilities. Together with the artists and musicians of the group I wrote the performance ‘To infinity and beyond’ in honor of their 25th anniversary. The spaceship ‘Totalos 1’ has been looking for a new home planet for 25 years. 25 years on a journey through an infinite boundless space. Meanwhile, the crew is fed up with each other. How do you keep your spirits up when everything goes wrong? When you’re locked up and the view never changes?

Making the performance was an intense space journey in itself: corona came, went and came back, restrictions were imposed, lifted and re-imposed, and all of this had far-reaching consequences for the making and rehearsal process. And although dark clouds gathered again before the end of the rehearsal process, we kept our spirits up. Until just before the premiere, all theaters closed again. Life imitates art: How do you keep your spirits up when things go wrong? When you’re locked up and the view never changes? In the end, Theater Totaal played the performance once, a streamed performance in which the audience watched at home. The hope is that we will still be able to play the performance live in 2022. To infinity and beyond!

Commissioned by Theater Totaal

Director: Elma ten Boekel

Play and music: actors and musicians from Theater Totaal