Handle with care: theater shows where the audience performs

A theater performance with no actors, no director, no sets, not even any lighting. Sounds strange doesn’t it? There is a sealed cardboard box in the middle of the room. Nothing happens for a while. Then someone stands up, walks forward, opens the box and reads its contents out loud. Within minutes, the strangers are on their feet, talking and moving around, performing various tasks. this was handle with careThe latest work from Belgian theater group Ontroerend Goede.

The show was brought to Bengaluru by Aaron Fernandes Entertainment on 13 December at the Prestige Center for Performing Arts. The show asks how far audiences will go when all they have is a box, a script and, most importantly, themselves.

Aaron Fernandes

different thinking

It is often described as “theatre stripped of its essence”. handle with care Trained performers are replaced by anyone who arrives on the day of the show. Guided by letters, objects and instructions hidden inside the box, the audience enacts the action.

While the structure is tightly designed, who speaks, who hesitates and who leads depends entirely on the chemistry of that particular group. Needless to say, no two performances are alike.

CEO and founder Aaron Fernandes first encountered the work at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024. “I immediately realized how unfamiliar and necessary this format was,” he recalls. “A performance that exists only through audience participation challenges many of the assumptions we still have about theatre.”

What stayed with him was his insistence on shared responsibility. “It asks people to listen, respond and put together an experience. This feels especially relevant in India now.”

trust, consent and moving forward

Given its faith-based format, careful framing is necessary. “Participation is never mandatory,” Aaron emphasizes. “People can enter the experience at their own pace, with real agency over how they engage.” Behind the scenes, Ontroerend Goede supported presenters with detailed documentation and global briefings, while local teams ensured that the box and surrounding experience were handled with care.

For artistic director Alexander Devriendt, the project began with an intriguing question: “Is it possible to create theater in this way?” As he explains, the aim was never to create a puzzle. “We create interactive theater for people who don’t like interactive theater. No one is forced to be in the spotlight.” Control has been deliberately handed over. “We’re not even there. That’s the scary part.”

show participants

Alexander opposes cultural stereotypes, noting that audiences everywhere share more similarities than differences. He says resistance is also part of the design. “If you want to watch from the back seats and do nothing, that works too.”

For Aaron, handle with care This was not a one-time staging. The strong response it received in cities has reinforced his belief that small, high-concept actions can have a profound impact. In a room where a cardboard box can turn a quiet crowd into a makeshift community, that future is already quietly underway.