Trouble Score

The siblings, originally from Brazil and now living in Belgium, set out to uncover the truth behind a long-buried family scandal. From fragmentary crime stories, an incredible narrative gradually unfolds in which childlike innocence collides with the distorted reality of trauma—against the backdrop of racial segregation and military dictatorship.

With plenty of humor and a sense of complicity, “Trouble Score” captures the fantastical, mysterious, and often hallucinatory nature of family dynamics. The work draws on magical realism to transform negative events into pop songs, coping strategies into exaggerated analogies, and destructive patterns into encouraging mantras.

With “Trouble Score,” longtime artistic partners Luanda Casella and Pablo Casella return to the roots of their collaboration: In their distinctive blend of storytelling, concert, and performance, multi-layered texts, sound samples, and pre-recorded and live music come together to form a complex composition. The minimalist stage design is illuminated by laser lights. A polyphonic evening about trauma, memory, and the possibility of connection.

Theater artist Luanda Casella, based at NTGent, is now appearing at HAU for the fourth time, following “Ferox Tempus – Terror at its best” (2022), “Killjoy Quiz” (2023), and “Short of Lying” (2024).

(English / With English surtitles / approx. 100 min.)