Part of the Tribunal26 — Brussels & Antwerp, 25-28 March 2026
صوتي- Mijn Stem
Music theatre by the 2026WOMEN Collective, Madam Fortuna
© Anna Kestens (2024)
Venue: Arenberg Theatre, Antwerp
Date and time: 26/03/2026* at 20h
Public: Mixed public
Tickets: Minimum price** 10 EUR (+ kansentarief). Buy it HERE.
*Note this is the performance avant-première for a mixed public audience. 2026WOMEN will also perform in the opening ceremony of Tribunal26 on 27/03/2026, in the morning, for a FINTA public for FREE. Register HERE.
**We invite you to make an additional contribution to the 2026WOMEN initiative, to support the travel, accommodation and expenses of the women participants from Marseille, Barcelona, Rotterdam and Antwerp.
2026WOMEN brings together 40 women from Marseille, Rotterdam, Barcelona and Antwerp – diverse in age, origin, background and social class – united by art, activism, and sisterhood.
After a first creation in winter 2024 that sold out twice, their new music theatre performance opens the 50th Anniversary Tribunal on Crimes Against Women, after the groundbreaking 1976 Tribunal. Voices from 1976 and 2026 meet on stage, revealing how far we’ve come – and how far we still must go.
Expect music that lifts, stories that hit, scenes that move from poetic to explosive and a collective energy that transforms pain into creativity. The performance radiates the resilience and resistance of women – turning testimony into movement, injustice into art and trauma into shared strength.
2026WOMEN invites you to witness a vibrant, unforgettable celebration of women’s voices, courage and hope.
A performance that reminds us that when women create together, we not only resist we they reinvent the world.
Language: Multi-lingual
Forum Theatre
Participatory theatre by Persephone
© Thehero (2008)
Venue: Arenberg Theatre, Antwerp
Date and time: 27/03/2026, afternoon
Public: FINTA
Registration: Part of the Tribunal26 socio-artistic mosaic. Register HERE (free entrance).
Persephone vzw is the only association in Flanders for and by women with disabilities or chronic disabling illnesses. Their mission is to empower each other, raise awareness and advocate for their interests in order to achieve full citizenship.
Through their forum theater, Persephone vzw solicits input from the audience to ensure that recently reenacted situations end better. Situations taken from real life, for which a new perspective is sought. You are welcome to join!
Scene 1: about finding and keeping interesting work
Scene 2: about overcoming resistance to motherhood
Scene 3: about breaking through the wall of disbelief in the face of sexual violence
Language: Dutch
Melic
Contemporary circus performance by If Circus
© If Circus (s.d.)
Venue: Arenberg Theatre, Antwerp
Date and time: 27/03/2026 at 20h
Public: Mixed public
Tickets: Minimum price 15 EUR (+ kansentarief). Buy it HERE.
If Circus presents: Melic (‘belly button’, in Catalan)
Drawing inspiration from the ancient practice of knitting and the ancestral knowledge passed down through generations, Melic is an intimate and poetic circus performance about connection, memory and care.
At the heart of the piece is a hand-knitted rope that continuously transforms: it tightens and loosens, knits and unknits. This rope supports and cradles the performers, while symbolically connecting bodies to memory, lineage and shared experience. Melic unfolds as a dialogue between movement, material and remembrance.
Knitting Memories (participatory workshop)
On the day preceding the performance, the two artists invite participants to take part in Knitting Memories, a participatory workshop specially designed for women. Together, participants will knit the very rope used on stage during Melic. Alongside the collective making process, the artists will conduct individual interviews to gather stories, experiences and memories related to knitting, preserving lived knowledge, personal histories and intergenerational wisdom. This activity is part of the Tribunal26 socio-artistic mosaic. Register HERE (free entrance).
CLOSING CEREMONY
ARTivist performances and music concert by Think Again
© Think Again (2024)
Venue: Theaterplein & Arenberg Theatre, Antwerp
Date and time: 28/03/2026 at 17h
Public: Mixed public (outdoor) / FINTA (Arenberg)
Registration: Part of the Tribunal26 socio-artistic mosaic. Register HERE (free entrance).
Tribunal26 will conclude with a ceremony celebrating sisterhood, resilience, hope, and the unwavering determination to push boundaries and transform society.
The evening will begin with an outdoor procession – a moment when the Tribunal26 participants will step outside the theatre to meet the wider public, including men and allies. During this procession, an artwork by Renate Els Aerts will be unveiled: “The Universal House, the Earth, the Womb.” Around this powerful piece, we will gather to sing a shared song, dance and place our written messages within and around the sculpture. In light, chants, movement and collective presence, we will create a moment of communal energy and visibility in the heart of the city. After this brief but symbolic encounter with the public, the ceremony returns to the theatre for an evening of music and celebration.
The night will feature a full performance by Think Again – a groundbreaking all-women global music project uniting musicians and instruments from vastly different cultures. Passionate artists, the members of Think Again bring original compositions, and blend musical traditions from around the world (Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, Colombia, Sweden), with contemporary European influences. Their reinterpretations transform ancestral sounds through deconstruction, innovation and joyful reinvention, breathing new life into world music.
The audience will also be welcomed with other surprises: songs and short performances by additional women’s groups, each offering their own artistic contribution. Together, these elements bring a fitting finale for a unique and plural event: the 2026WOMEN Tribunal on Crimes Against Women!
Language: Multi-lingual