Esplanade Presents

Theatre

Handle with Care

Ontroerend Goed (Belgium)

7 Aug – 6 Sep 2026

1hr

(Intermission: None)

Esplanade Theatre Studio (7 & 8 Aug), Esplanade Recital Studio (3, 5 & 6 Sep)

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Photo credit: Joëlle Desmet
Photo credit: Ans Brys
Photo credit: Ans Brys
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Synopsis

★★★★★
“A tiny theatrical miracle”

– Bakchormeeboy

 

★★★★
“We walk out glowing a bit brighter … as if we shared a secret”

– BroadwayWorld

 

Handle with Care is a theatre performance in a box.

No actors. No technical crew.

Just a box. And you.

 

A box is mailed to the theatre.

The instructions are clear:

Invite a group of people, on a specific night, at a specific time.

Let the audience take their seats.

Place the box at the centre of the stage.

The audience is waiting.

Then, an audience member stands up and opens the box.

The show has started.

 

Ontroerend Goed is returning to Singapore after a showing of its work £¥€$ at Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) in 2023. Its previous outing with the Studios was in 2021 with TM, a live online performance for one audience member at a time.

 

And now, in 2026, hot on the heels of its successful presentation at the Hong Kong Arts Festival earlier in the year, Handle with Care puts you, the audience, in control. We provide the structure; you shape the experience. Choose your role—take the lead, or observe others. It’s all up to you. Together, you and other audience members will create something special: a shared experience filled with reflections on time, transience, and togetherness.

 

As one of Belgium’s most playful, least conformist theatre companies, Ontroerend Goed prides themselves on making participatory theatre for people who don't like participatory theatre.  

 

And don’t worry, there are no wrong choices in Handle with Care. You’ve got this. For one hour, you’ll live something unique, fleeting, and unrepeatable. Here. Now. Together. No one is watching. What’s yours, stays yours. Take good care of it. And please, send us a postcard. 

 

“There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t yet met.”
– William Butler Yeats

 

CREDITS

Concept & creation: Alexander Devriendt, Karolien De Bleser, Samir Veen, Leonore Spee & Charlotte De Bruyne

Design: Nick Mattan & Edouard Devriendt

Advisory:
  • Latecomers will not be admitted once the performance has begun. There will be no re-admission for this performance.

  • Handle with Care is performed entirely by the audience.

  • There is an option to not participate; an audience member can choose to hand over to another person if they do not feel like engaging with the prompts and tasks.

  • There may be references to and portrayals of death and dying.

Admission Age:
14 and above.
Language: English
Things to Note:
Accessibility: All our venues are wheelchair-accessible. We offer various services to support patrons with access needs. For assistance, please contact Esplanade Customer Experience at 6828 8377. Concessions are available for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and one accompanying companion. To learn more, read our accessibility guide.
Ticketing: Prices exclude ticketing agent’s booking fees. Entry to performance venues is granted to patrons with tickets that have been purchased through authorised ticket agents only. Read about ticketing or check our FAQs.
For information about late seating, photography and more, please read our general advisory.
With the growing threat of online phishing scams, please remain vigilant. Use official ticketing channels such as Esplanade.com or Sistic.com.sg and check that you are on legitimate websites before logging in to book tickets.
Artist Information

Ontroerend Goed

Instagram | Facebook

The Belgian theatre performance group Ontroerend Goed (a punning name, roughly translated as “Feel Estate”) produces self-devised work grounded in the here and now, inviting its audiences to participate as well as observe.

 

Whether it is performing backwards, turning spectators into voters who eliminate actors, guiding strangers through a labyrinth of mirrors and avatars to meet themselves, or placing the audience at the controls of the financial system, the company has made it its trademark to be unpredictable in content and form.

 

It first emerged on the international scene in 2007 with The Smile Off Your Face, a one-on-one show in which the audience is tied to a wheelchair and then blindfolded. Its hit show Once and For All is an uncompromising celebration of raw teenage energy on stage. Since then, the company has won numerous prizes across Europe and has hit New York, Sydney, and London to critical acclaim.

 

Ontroerend Goed tours worldwide and creates remakes of its productions in other languages: Russian, French, Mandarin, Cantonese and Kazakh, among others.

 

Ontroerend Goed delivers intense experiences built in the reality of theater. Convinced that life goes on during a performance, the group fabricates possible realities that question how we as individuals position ourselves in the world today. Led by artistic director Alexander Devriendt, the collective is convinced that every idea deserves its own brand of artistic expression, and cherishes a sense of ownership from every single contributor to their work, from actors to light designers, scenographers to conceptual thinkers.

Date & Time

7 Aug 2026, Fri

8pm

Esplanade Theatre Studio

8 Aug 2026, Sat

2pm

Esplanade Theatre Studio

5pm

Esplanade Theatre Studio

8pm

Esplanade Theatre Studio

3 Sep 2026, Thu

8pm

Esplanade Recital Studio

5 Sep 2026, Sat

2pm

Esplanade Recital Studio

5pm

Esplanade Recital Studio

6 Sep 2026, Sun

2pm

Esplanade Recital Studio

5pm

Esplanade Recital Studio
Tickets & Prices
Standard

Students, NSFs, Seniors & PWDs
(Limited)

Price $35 $30

  • Standard Ticket

  • Concession Ticket

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Esplanade&Me Specials

Early Bird (7 May – 7 Jun 2026, limited tickets)
Black: 20% savings
White: 15% savings
Discover: 15% savings (Min. 2 tickets, limited)

 

From 8 Jun 2026, 10am
Black: 15% savings
White: 10% savings
Discover: 10% savings (Min. 2 tickets, limited)

 

Applicable to Standard tickets only. Terms and Conditions apply.

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The Studios 2026 Season Pass

(Available from 7 May – 26 Jul, 3pm, limited tickets)

Enjoy 20% savings when you purchase min. 1 ticket to each of the 5 applicable productions, valid for up to 4 tickets per production:

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