The four-year cooperation between FC Bergman and Toneelhuis will start with the creation of Van den vos, an opera inspired by the epic animal poem Van Den Vos Reynaerde. In this thirteenth-century fable, cunning Reynard the Fox plays tricks on all the animals of the animal kingdom, including King Nobel. Completely unscrupulous but with the full sympathy of the listener, Reynard does exactly as he pleases.

With this project FC Bergman will explore what it is that makes ‘immorality’ attractive, then and in today’s society. The young musician/composer Liesa Van der Aa will write the music for it, assisted by the up-and-coming German ensemble Kaleidoskop while the experienced Josse De Pauw will take charge of the libretto. FC Bergman’s six core members (Stef Aerts, Joé Agemans, Bart Hollanders, Matteo Simoni, Thomas Verstraeten and Marie Vinck) will design and direct this project and also appear in it as performers/singers. In the latter they are joined by voice artist Gregory Frateur, by Viviane De Muynck and by Dirk Roofthooft. Together they will try and master Van der Aa’s music which will be performed by a live orchestra. Van den Vos will have its première in the Bourlaschouwburg in Antwerp in December 2013 in a coproduction with Muziektheater Transparant and Kaleidoskop.