The sound of Silencer

'Silencer!' an alternative theater experience by sound artist Cilia Erens, hones in on the phenomenon of silence and sound in an interactive show that concentrates on the audible underbelly of our everyday world.

In this day and age our senses are assaulted at every turn and the subtleties and beauty of our environment can often escape us. In her new interactive theater production 'Silencer!', Cilia Erens explores silence and sound to create new perceptions of the world around us. Erens uses none of the typical tools of theater: participants in her shows are taken on a journey with the help of headphones and a number of props, some of which are edible; actors, sets and dialogue are absent.

In her continual exploration of the world of everyday sounds, the artist became intrigued by the phenomenon of people being silent together, with the accompanying soundtrack of background sounds. Erens: "Among other things, I recorded sounds during the morning rush hour in metro's and trains in Tokyo. Everyone is as still as a mouse. The occasional cough or the sound of a person shifting position is the only indication of human presence in the densely packed train cars."

This is of course not true silence but rather the absence of human verbal communication. Ambient sounds clue listeners in to the sound environment they are being guided through in a theater show to be held in restaurant/playhouse Het Voorhuis in Delft. 'Silencer!' is part of a series of productions on location organized by Delft's Theatre de Veste. The show is without text and therefore especially interesting and open to people of all languages.

Theatre de Veste has a special offer for TU Delft students: the normal ticket price is 13.50 euro, but is reduced to 10 euro with TU college card. The maximum number of participants per show is forty. Performances are from October 11 to the 14th, at 18:00 and 20:00.

Reservations made via the Theatre de Veste box office: tel: 015-2121312. Tickets must be picked up at the Theatre de Veste prior to the show. 'Silencer!' is held on location at het Voorhuis, Voorstraat 66.

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'Silencer!' (Photo: Hans van den Bogaard)