Frankie

Frankie is Timo Fannoy (°1992), Brecht Hayen (°1991), Simon Lynen (°1990), Vincent Lynen (°1993) and Jef Staut (°1994). They graduated in Photography, Graphic Design and/or Animation Film. On random occasions they ended up in Simon’s bedroom playing music together and sharing their enthusiasm. The flames sparked by these sessions fuelled what would ultimately become their very own peculiar musical universe, collectively composed without any predefined purpose. The band made its first public appearance in March 2017 during the opening night of a four-day exhibition curated by Vincent at Gouvernement, a small artistic workplace and cultural platform in Ghent (BE). Befitting the artistic installment, Simon built a miniature version of the fivesome, creating a sort of puppet-band allowing the band members to play behind a curtain while their puppet alter egos took the stage. Frankie was born. After the succesful premiere, CAMPO, an arts centre in Ghent covering a wide spectrum of performing arts, offered them artistic and financial support and facilities in order to develop their ‘system’ more
intensely.
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Over a span of two years with several short residencies in CAMPO they premiered ‘Laguna Beach’ in March 2019. The creation illustrates their potential both as a music band and a performers’ collective. What started out as a little wooden box with five puppets has developed
into an atmospheric and imaginative yet brutal landscape bearing the name of the production.
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On stage, the band, now acting as the epicentre of the show, is surrounded by an installation cluttered with several small puppets, each in their own specific contexts, Frankie live animations, motorized objects and musical instruments. In a one-hour trip, the landscape guides us through Frankie’s self-made universe and unfolds in a jerky, disjointed way. Each scene is highlighted and jumpstarted – sometimes as a thrilling solo, sometimes along with other scenes – and shored by a matching musical
score – all combined to create the tale of the setting. ‘Laguna Beach’ is your holiday going off the rails: island hopping with a comic, naive and playful perspective of the world.

It is an orchestrated mess that leaves the audience guessing what on earth the next move could be. Hovering from a car crash to a horny lurker spying on a woman on the beach, from palmtrees to beach volleyball, it is unpolished and rough yet charismatic and perhaps even idyllic.
‘Laguna Beach’ was produced by CAMPO, with the support of De Brakke Grond & deBuren.
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After the première the performance toured in Belgium (a.o. Love at First Sight, Antwerp; KAAP, Bruges; 30CC, Leuven; ...) and abroad
(a.o. Spielart Festival, Munich; Kaserne Basel; Tweetakt Festival, Utrecht; Festival Actoral, Marseille; ...) and is still touring. ‘Laguna Beach’ was also selected for Young Work (Theatre Festival Flanders) and nominated for the ‘Grünschnabel 2020 award’ during the Figura Theaterfestival Baden.
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In addition to their theatre work, they also make music that stands on its own. As a band they played at various festivals and events (a.o. Konvooi, Bruges; Copa Cabana, Gent; Pukkelpop & Lijfstroom (Theater aan Zee & Leffingeleure); Gentse Feesten; Nightshift (Gent & Antwerp); ...). They create radio shows, and design the artwork and make video clips based on their music. They like to work in multiple disciplines, as not to limit themselves in the process of creating. They feel confident in making theatre as it allows them to combine all these things.

Simon, Vincent and Jef also work as illustrators (a.o. for ‘rekto:verso’ and ‘De Morgen’). Their animation films were selected for different (inter)national film festival.

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