Research and development is a part of artistic practice that usually takes place behind closed doors. Yet it is vital to the performing arts field. We often hear that too much work is being produced. Our view is different: too much work is being produced before it is ready to be presented. Budgets are shrinking and rehearsal periods are becoming shorter, while creating something from scratch often requires more time, not less. There is barely any room left for developing ideas before moving into production.

At laGeste, too, development is currently tied almost exclusively to production.
This needs to change. In the future, we want to be able to buy back time so that we can not only share our infrastructure with (young) creators but also make our team available, with all its extensive know-how about processes and how to support them.
At the same time, those doors must be opened. Audiences are an essential part of the development of performing arts. Without testing work in front of an audience, artists have little way of understanding what they are actually making. That is why, within the framework of Bijloke Wonderland 2026, we are opening our doors to reveal what has been developing behind our walls over the past years. What emerges is a remarkably diverse range of artists, stories, and artistic approaches.

In the future, developed@laGeste will become a label worth looking out for, synonymous with high-quality artistic support and genuine time and space for research.
Consider this edition a first step in that direction.