Theater Stap is a professional theatre ensemble distinguished in Belgium's theatrical landscape for its remarkable performances spotlighting individuals with learning disabilities. Their productions are characterized by a level of quality that sets them apart. The company holds a firm conviction in the capacity of disabled artists to deeply touch the audience through their performances. It provides a platform for actors to cultivate their skills and pursue individual artistic paths. This collaboration extends to other professional artists, with a special emphasis on preserving the actors’ authenticity. Concurrently, their efforts enhance the visibility of disabled individuals and invigorate broader dialogues about theatre.
Between 1984 and 1985 director Erik Wouters and musician Flor Verschueren started a theatre project with mentally disabled students in the special school De Brem. The project garnered enthusiastic reception and subsequently evolved into an autonomous endeavour, receiving logistical backing from the cultural centre de Warande. Additionally, it secured subsidies from the Ministry of the Flemish Community’s Department for Youth Work. A steady ensemble of actors was created, and in 1986, their inaugural full-length production, titled Stap speelt Stap (‘Stap plays Stap’), premiered. This production toured across Flanders. Their second play, Tussenbeide (1987), received invitations to festivals in Paris and Berlin.
In 1989, STAP staged CODE, a play with life music (this being STAP’s trademark at the time) and organized the “European Festival for Theatre by the mentally disabled”. They also brought to life “Theateratelier Stap”, comparable to a daycare centre for mentally disabled people, which was formally recognized as Day Centre Kasteel in 1991. In that very year, the company presented its inaugural narrative-driven production: Antigone. The subsequent years saw a series of productions, including notable performances like Medea (1994), Elektra (1996), and Dracula (1998), which led to substantial increases in their subsidies. In 2003, the company performed Henry V for Children, and the following year adaptations of Macbeth and The Tempest, as well as Frankenstein in 2005. In 2007, STAP was nominated for the Culture Award Flanders, division of Youth Theatre and in 2009, they shot the film En waar de ster bleef stille staan (“Baby Jesus of Flandr”). Later on, in 2012, the STAP actors were involved in the thrilling TV series Lord of the Flies and the following year, another TV production (Met Man en Macht, “With Might and Main”) was aired, also starring the actors.
The growing fascination with dance was notably evident in the performance of To Belong (2016), which toured across Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. A pivotal moment for the company came with the creation of the TV series Tytgat Chocolat (‘Team Chocolate’) in 2015, eventually making its broadcast debut in 2017. Garnering an audience of over a million viewers and earning the accolade for ‘Best European International Fiction Series,’ it established a new benchmark for the capabilities of actors with intellectual disabilities. In 2018, De Wereld was hailed as the “must-see experience of the year” by the press. The year 2019 witnessed the company embarking on tours across Belgium and the Netherlands, staging several compelling productions.
