Pol Heyvaert

The Harvest of Broken Promises

Pankaj Tiwari / CAMPO

Premiere

Fri 7 Aug - Sat 26 Sep

7 Aug

19:00

Avant-premiere

Theaterfestival Boulevard - Den Bosch

Tickets
8 Aug

19:00

Avant-premiere

Theaterfestival Boulevard - Den Bosch

Tickets
14 Aug

20:00

Premiere

International Summer Festival - Hamburg

Tickets
15 Aug

20:00

Premiere

International Summer Festival - Hamburg

Tickets
16 Aug

20:00

Premiere

International Summer Festival - Hamburg

Tickets
27 Aug

20:00

La Bâtie - Festival de Genève

Tickets
28 Aug

20:00

La Bâtie - Festival de Genève

Tickets
23 Sep

20:30

CAMPO nieuwpoort

Tickets
25 Sep

21:00

CAMPO nieuwpoort

Tickets
26 Sep

19:00

CAMPO nieuwpoort

Tickets

A sensitive portrait of farming through time

How do we remember the land once it stops feeding us? Can theatre capture the smell of soil, the ache of labour, or the true weight of a harvest?

At the heart of The Harvest of Broken Promises is a simple yet urgent image: a piece of land that no longer remembers how to sustain itself. Born into a farming family, theatre-maker Pankaj Tiwari revisits his memories of the traditional, sustainable agricultural practices of his youth, and reflects on their gradual disappearance over the past three decades. Since moving to Europe in 2019, Tiwari has observed local farming practices first-hand. Despite being on a different continent, he sees similar struggles, albeit marked by a distinct gap in time.

In The Harvest of Broken Promises, Tiwari interweaves video footage, interviews, visual art, and folk tales. By blending his own history with the stories of farmers from across India and Europe, his play captures the profound tension between aspiration and survival. Tiwari’s narrative serves as a mirror for a generation caught between the glittering promises of progress, and the steady loss of ancestral knowledge.

Duration: 70 minutes
In English, Hindi, Awadhi, Dutch, German & French (with surtitles)

Part of

Credits

concept, creation & text Pankaj Tiwari performance Pankaj Tiwari music Nazanin Yalda video, sound & interviews Prabhash Chandra video & scenography Pol Heyvaert dramaturgy Maria Dogahe technique Laurens Claas production CAMPO co-production Internationales Sommer Festival Kampnagel (Hamburg), Theaterfestival Boulevard (‘s-Hertogenbosch), Kaaitheater (Brussels), MC93 (Bobigny), Studio Current (Amsterdam) & Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst with the support of the taxshelter of the Belgian Federal Government via uFund & Het Cultuurfonds