Samuel Baidoo - Plum Road Tea Dream

Plum Road Tea Dream_The Performance is a theatre production in which the audience follows two performers who immerse themselves in a video game. This virtual gaming world was designed by Samuel Baidoo as a space for new mourning rituals, to store memories and to reflect on their identities as people of colour and queer artists.

This hybrid experience combines theatre, gaming and rituals. Through the performative possibilities of live streaming, the two performers discover the intimate world of feelings and experiences of the character S before the eyes of the audience. The audience is drawn into a cinematic experience that becomes theatrical because the streaming takes place in real time on stage. This creates a popular dynamic within the online gaming world on stage: a community watching as a player discovers a game for the first time.

One of the performers takes on the role of guide. The other person is a guest playing the game for the first time. Their encounter on stage is both authentic and performative. While the game is projected onto a large screen on stage, the audience witnesses the performers' reactions. The guide navigates the journey and uses the virtual world as a starting point for a social and personal conversation with the guest.

Through encounter, recognition and imagination, Plum Road Tea Dream_The Performance offers a layered story that combines fiction and reality. It is a compelling experience that invites and encourages empathy. After the performance, the audience can discover the models, sketches and objects that form the basis of the virtual creations. Online meets offline. An (exhibition) space is created for further discussion.

Concept Samuel Baidoo I Co-author François Vincent I Guides Zindzi Tillot Owusu / Sara Lâm and a guest I Music Dimitra Sofroniou, Maria Muehombo (MIMI), Ciska Vanhoyland, Tsubasa Hori I Dramaturgy Stine Sampers I Outside Eye Marie Umuhoza I Lighting Ellie Bryce I Technical support Jurgen Fonteyn I Video game creation Hussein Shikha, Dani Santander, Pepijn Willekens, Diego Fabri, Matthias Willemen, Jenna Van Wezemael, Nathan Goffin, Ewout De Vos, SONDI, Jira Duguid, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, Salina De Donder, Che Go Eun, Ricardo Gomes, Jedidjah Julia Noomen, Esmeralda Hoffman I Set design assistance Hanne Holvoet, Marianne Bierbooms I Production management Myrthe Bokelmann I Production Hanafubuki I Video game production Reveal Game Studio I Co-production Per Podium, C-Takt, de Brakke Grond, De Singel, workspacebrussels Distribution Good Company I With the support of the Flemish government, Tax Shelter of the Belgian federal government and Creative Europe project Digital on Stage I With thanks to Het Bos, Campo, De Studio, STUK, De Grote Post, wpZimmer, STORMOPKOMST, CC Brugge, 0090, VAi, Digital On Stage, Sybil Berlin and MORPHO I Design tablets ‘New Gods Generator 3000’ Bianca Neyre, Giorgi Urusmadze, Gwen Verlinden, Hanne Holvoet, Kaori Ishiguro, Lola Bogaert, Manu Garcia, Mischiko Salia, Nona Sadey, Samuel Baidoo, Sari Veroustraete, Tamayo Okano, Valeria Secchi I With thanks to Eva Willemen, Dagmar Blommaert, Nick von Kleist, Marleen Grauls, Chris Hanney, Nikima Jagudajev, Jan Willekens