Arts Centre Vooruit, Ghent, Belgium

“I want to be naked and start.” This verse from Paul Van Ostaijen’s Feasts of fear and agony also applies to the main character in De keizer van het verlies. He’s a clown who carries his heart around in a bag, on his head or between his legs, because it beats too heavily for his body. His tricks fail each time, but he keeps on trying, because practice makes perfect. The clown is the embodiment of the tragic aspect of comedy. He is the symbol of the artist as a jester, who craves recognition, but despises this desire and the audience at the same time. Because most of all, he wants to forget and start over. He is trying to find his wings, which will one day help him rise above everything and everyone, just like an angel.

• This is the first of three pieces Jan Fabre wrote for actor Dirk Roofthooft. You can also see De koning van het plagiaat and De dienaar van de schoonheid in Vooruit.