studio pramudiya | npi

The Harvest of Broken Promises

Pankaj Tiwari / CAMPO & Studio Current

Belgian premiere

Wed 23 Sept - Sat 24 Oct

23 Sept

20:30

CAMPO nieuwpoort

Sold Out
25 Sept

21:00

CAMPO nieuwpoort

Tickets
26 Sept

21:00

CAMPO nieuwpoort

Tickets
2 Oct

21:00

Romaeuropa Festival - Rome

Tickets
3 Oct

20:00

Romaeuropa Festival - Rome

Tickets
20 Oct

20:00

Grand Theatre - Groningen

Tickets
23 Oct

20:00

Kaaitheater - Brussels

Tickets
24 Oct

18:00

Kaaitheater - Brussels

Tickets

From the scent of soil to deep family ties: a compelling, moving monologue about thirty years of changing agriculture

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

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IN THE PRESS

"For Tiwari, agriculture is about much more than just feeding people." - Pieter-Jan Keleman, interview in MO* magazine

"Tiwari skilfully manages to bring us back to the smallest essence every time: seeds. Telling his story – at times visibly emotional – is an attempt to get us involved in his story. And he succeeds." - Mina Etemad, review in Theaterkrant

"A deeply moving performance." - Annette Stiekele, review in Hamburger Abendblatt

PAST TOURING DATES

7 AUG 26 - 19:00 - THEATERFESTIVAL BOULEVARD, DEN BOSCH (avant-premiere)
8 AUG 26 - 19:00 - THEATERFESTIVAL BOULEVARD, DEN BOSCH (avant-premiere)
14 AUG 26 - 20:00 - INTERNATIONAL SUMMER FESTIVAL, HAMBURG (premiere)
15 AUG 26 - 20:00 - INTERNATIONAL SUMMER FESTIVAL, HAMBURG (premiere)
16 AUG 26 - 20:00 - INTERNATIONAL SUMMER FESTIVAL, HAMBURG (premiere)
27 AUG 26 - 20:00 - FESTIVAL DE GENEVE, LA BÂTIE
28 AUG 26 - 20:00 - FESTIVAL DE GENEVE, LA BÂTIE
29 AUG 26 - 20:00 - FESTIVAL DE GENEVE, LA BÂTIE

Credits

concept, creation & text Pankaj Tiwari performance Pankaj Tiwari music Nazanin Yalda video, sound & interviews Prabhash Chandra video & scenography Pol Heyvaert dramaturgy Maria Dogahe & Michiel Vandevelde set design Fern Van Der Grijn & Gino Seghers set design assistant Wim Goedertier costumes Sigga Hannesdóttir technique Laurens Claas, Geeraard Respeel & Piet Depoortere production CAMPO & Studio Current co-production Internationales Sommer Festival Kampnagel (Hamburg), Theaterfestival Boulevard (‘s-Hertogenbosch), Kaaitheater (Brussels), MC93 (Bobigny), Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst & Fonds Podiumkunsten with the support of the taxshelter of the Belgian Federal Government via uFund & Het Cultuurfonds