contribution # 3 | HIGGS – STAND-UP PHYSICS
text and performance - jan van den berg / direction - dirk groeneveld / design - hannie van den bergh
a lecture performance by jan van den berg about the making of a particle also known as higgs. _a theatrical voyage of discovery with exclusive background stories and unique film footage.
for seven whole years, jan van den berg kept a close track on the hunt for the legendary higgs particle. _as a theatre maker and filmmaker, and also as a person versed in the arts. _a man of the arts in the wondrous world of physics! _van den berg descended many times into CERN’s underground particle accelerator and asked dozens of higgs hunters about their passion for the hunt – the hunt for that one needle in a million haystacks. _a ‘needle’ which is often called the god particle. _but why, actually?
jan van den berg is juggling with facts and fiction about the comedy & tragedy of CERN, the mini big bang and the quest for higgs; and how to explain it to the primordial people of papua new guinea, also known as paradise country.
HIGGS premiered on the edinburgh fringe festival 2013. _here's what the press say: ‘a mind-expanding tribute to peter higgs‘ (the scotsman) / ‘a storytelling session of genius’ (broadway baby) / ‘jan van den berg manages to capture the significance, enormity and relevance of his subject in an easily accessible way.’ (edinburgh spotlight)