LOD is a production house in Ghent for opera, musicals and other musical theatre. For more than twenty years now, it has been a name that guarantees pioneering and adventurous artistic work.

LOD develops creative projects with a pool of artists from various disciplines. Together, they work on a wide range of projects in which diverse artistic genres meet. The LOD artists are valued for their contemporary approach to musical theatre. While their work is hybrid, and not easy to pin down to one genre, it is always the result of intense artistic exploration and great creative and artistic joy.

Kris Defoort is an important figure within the world of European jazz and opera. He derives his highly individual style from the encounter between classical music and jazz. At LOD, together with director Guy Cassiers, he has composed the internationally acclaimed operas The Woman who Walked into Doors (2001) and House of the Sleeping Beauties (2009). In autumn 2010, Kris Defoort and Dirk Roofthooft present The Brodsky Concerts. Working with Wajdi Mouawad, he will complete another opera in 2013 which premieres at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.

In his compositions and creations, Dick van der Harst (Composer of the City of Ghent 2008/2009) blends many influences: jazz, classical and folk music. His highly committed work is very much appreciated. Van der Harst is often invited to international forums or festivals to develop projects with large groups of musicians, such as Flut for the Cultural Capital of Linz 2009 (Austria). Dick van der Harst is planning a joint project with Thomas Hauert (ZOO) in 2010. This will be followed by a project with Tahika Sekand (Turkey).

Jan Kuijken strives towards creating music that is organically interwoven with the performance of the actor which creates a form of musical theatre, whereby the one can no longer exist without the other. With Josse De Pauw, he has composed Die siel van die mier (The Soul of the Ant) (2004) and Liefde/zijn handen (Love/His Hands) (2008), among others. They are working together on De gehangenen (The Hanged) which is to be completed by April 2011.

Dominique Pauwels composes for film, theatre and television. At LOD, he works on his individual musical theatre style and writes music which is often enhanced by electronics or which makes use of installations with small speakers. His recent works include Judaspassie (Passion of Judas) with B’Rock and the musical Adams Appels (Adam’s Apples) with Olympique Dramatique. Together with An De Donder, he has created Twee oude vrouwtjes (Two Old Women) (2009) and Autopsie van een gebroken hart (Autopsy of a Broken Heart) (2010). His future plans are focused on writing an opera based on Macbeth (2013).

In her work, Inne Goris balances on the edge between performance, visual art, theatre and dance. The uncompromising theatre-maker has worked together with Pieter De Buysser and Dominique Pauwels on Judaspassie (Passion of Judas) (2009) and Muur (Wall) (2010). In autumn 2009, she collaborated with Pieter De Buysser and Eavesdropper to create Nachtevening (Equinox), the second part of the diptych Naar Medeia (2008) based on the stage classic Medea. In the near future, Inne Goris will be creating a work based on the life and world of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath and a theatre installation Kindsoldaten (Child Soldiers) (2013).

Philosopher and author Pieter De Buysser uses his individual style of writing to tempt his readers and the audience to look at things in a different way. In 2004, he worked with Dick van der Harst and Dominique Roodthooft on De Stotteropera (The Stuttering Opera). Working once again with Dick van der Harst and together with Koen De Sutter, he created The Attendants’ Gallery, Stories of Europe in 2007. Along with composer Dominique Pauwels and director Inne Goris, he created Judaspassie (Passion of Judas) in spring 2009. He and Inne Goris are responsible for the creation of Nachtevening (Equinox) (premiere November 2009) and Muur (Wall) (premiere May 2010 as part of the Kunstenfestivaldesarts). In 2012, along with Josse De Pauw and various LOD composers, Pieter De Buysser is planning a theatre serial: Mijnheer Afzal (Mr. Afzal).

Actress/director An De Donder has been developing a unique idiom for theatre for fifteen years now. Her productions are minutely crafted stories. A number of years ago, she acquired a strong passion for opera and musical theatre which continues to this day. In the beginning of 2009, she collaborated with Dominique Pauwels to create Twee oude vrouwtjes (Two Old Women) (based on a text by Toon Tellegen). In the 09/10 season, she is working on Autopsie van een gebroken hart (Autopsy of a Broken Heart) (based on a text by Marcelle Sauvageot).

Josse De Pauw is an internationally renowned actor, author and director. He writes in a lucid, mildly ironic style, which feels warmly poetic and remains profound in its simplicity. Starting from the anecdotal, he portrays people both in his texts as well as on stage in a poignant, easily identifiable manner. He describes his artistic creations as “dramatic concerts”. In 2004, he worked together with Jan Kuijken and George Van Dam on Die siel van die mier (The Soul of the Ant). Josse De Pauw and Jan Kuijken have together produced Liefde/zijn handen (Love/His Hands) (2008) and are working on De gehangenen (The Hanged) (2011). In co-production with the theatre group Transparant, Over de bergen (Over the Mountains) (premiere May 2010) follows shortly.

LOD is interested in young artists. In the coming seasons, LOD is inviting two promising and talented composers and musical theatre makers to chart out a creative course. Daan Janssens is a young musician, composer and conductor, who is sometimes described as the “composer of silence”. In 2012, in collaboration with the visual artist Patrick Corillon, he is planning the hybrid opera De blinden (The Blind), based on the book of the same name by Maurice Maeterlinck. Thomas Smetryns is a composer who is particularly interested in searching for a new, experimental musical experience which is embedded in a historical and/or social subconscious. Serious-sounding intentions which result in gems such as the visual musical tale De duivel beduveld (The Devil Bedevilled), a collaboration with Patrick Corillon. In 2013, Thomas Smetryns’ first chamber opera will premiere.