Grandpa Puss; or how God disappeared

In conversation with Lisaboa Houbrechts

The idea for Vake Poes; of hoe God verdween (Grandpa Puss; or how God disappeared) came about during the conversations that director and writer Lisaboa Houbrechts had with her grandfather. He would talk to her about his youth when she was still a child. Houbrechts: ‘It felt as if I were at play in his imagination’. As an adult, she looks at his stories, in which the war also plays a major role, with different eyes. She was greatly moved by her grandfather, who she feels ‘relates his history like a child.’

Family story and greater history in one

Houbrechts began to dream of writing an epic tale, based on stories from her family, that would at the same time connect with other people’s stories. This resulted in a non-autobiographical story about the reproduction of violence throughout history. Houbrechts: ‘The Belgian collaboration in the 1940s is a black page in our history. Many have tried to suppress it. My grandfather was not a collaborator, but he says things like: “We didn’t know concentration camps had been created” and: “We were poor, and the radio used too much electricity, so we couldn’t keep up with the news. We had no idea.” But then he goes on to describe the arrest of a Jewish family in his city. I’m intrigued by this process of suppression, which plays a major role in the piece.’

Four generations 

The cast of Grandpa Puss; or how God disappeared consists of actors, singers, musicians and a group of children. Four different generations participate in the piece, which is rarely seen in theatre: that of Houbrechts’ grandparents, her parents, of the director (born in 1992) herself and that of children today. Bringing these age groups together almost automatically results in an interesting and moving family dynamic between quite different characters with a wide range of traits. The children play the child versions of the older characters. Houbrechts: ‘The twelve year old main character, Granddaughter of All Granddaughters, travels back in time and there meets the children from the past who carry secrets with them and wish to look into them with her.’

Male fragility and female strength 

In Grandpa Puss; or how God disappeared, the grandfather is a victim of sexual violence at the catholic boys’ school before the start of the Second World War. In a reproductive cycle of violence, both his son and granddaughter go on to be victims of abuse. Houbrechts: ‘It’s interesting for me to see how the oppressed often become the oppressor. And that the distinction between victim and perpetrator is not always conclusive.’ It also shows a side of sexual abuse that generally gets less attention, namely that of men. ‘The story is, in particular, a tragedy about men’s fragility.’ 

Granddaughter of All Granddaughters, who is the one where the cycle of violence ends, is the one who travels back in time in order to try to understand these children. Besides Granddaughter, the grandmother, played by Elsie de Brauw, plays an active role as well. Houbrechts: ‘I did not want to portray women as victims - they’re the ones who have to rectify problems caused by the patriarchal system. But, at the same time, they are also perpetrators who cause suffering.’ 

How God disappeared

The subtitle of the piece, How God disappeared, refers to people who, in the wake of traumatic experiences, come to lose all faith. They hold God responsible. Houbrechts: ‘God went out the window in all these histories: Nazism and collaboration, sexual abuse. The male family members in the piece crucify Jesus again in their living room. The women look for healing in the form of spirituality. What do faith and purpose mean today? Is a way of life that is somehow connected with the divine still possible? They seek mysticism, in contrast with religion: mysticism is to connect with the soul or the divine in your own body. Religion may restrict the individual from connection with the community by following religious rules. The mystical process, on the other hand, can be a process of seclusion and emancipaton.’

St John Passion

In the piece, four singers sing a selection of crucial passages from the St John Passion. The musician Philippe Thuriot has arranged new compositions for accordion and harmonica for this, which he will play live. The piece will also feature recordings of the Opera Ballet Vlaanderen orchestra. Bert and Stijn Cools created an original sound score that both contrasts and intermingles with Bach’s monumental work. Houbrechts likes to play with a baroque combination of elements, from dialogue to dance, music and abstract images, giving each element its own function. She explains her decision: ‘Text can move you in places that music can’t reach, while music can take you places inaccessible through language. An aria from Bach differs from, but is at the same time in harmony with, a monologue from a theatre piece. Directing is about attuning each element to the next in order to arrive at a complete score. Everything has to be balanced, particularly with such a rich colour palette.’

Hopeful 

Houbrechts likes to aim for nuance, even in a loaded subject like sexual abuse, which generally is looked at from only one side. She looks for humanity and compassion in every story, rather than polarisation. She notes: ‘I think nuance can sometimes feel more provocative than black and white thinking, but I hope to bring some kind of comfort with the piece by making sexual abuse tangible from both sides.’  

Working with children is important for this. Houbrechts: ‘Children are unaware of their primal strength, and it’s not necessary either, but Granddaughter is an ancient mother of sorts who has to trace all these echoes from the past. She strings these together in a childlike way, and using her imagination relieves the trauma of history a bit. Beyond all the filth and mud, there is comfort and meaning. And, in the end, light emerges from the darkness.

- Interview by Evelien Lindeboom