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More than a decade after its premiere, this critically acclaimed theatrical exploration of democracy is being remade to reflect a changed world. Fight Night, from Belgian theater and performance group Ontroerend Goed, invites audiences to participate in a series of live votes, dwindling five contenders down to one winner. Without any mention of American politics, this impartial examination of democratic principles highlights the sweeping distrust of a previously unimpeachable system of power.

Five contenders. Five rounds. Your vote. Only one will survive. The stakes: your attention, your love, your approval, your laughter, your compassion, your weak spot, your guilty pleasure, your heart, your support, your choice. We help you to decide through random checks, voting signposts, coalitions, campaigns, debates, consultants, exit polls, spin doctors, opinion gauges, list pushers, referendums. We’ll do anything to make the best not win.

Fight Night, created in 2013, has been touring the world, playing from Australia and Belgium to Canada, from Hong Kong to Switzerland. Remakes were made in Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey, whilst a French version was touring Europe. Fight Night remains one of the most popular shows in Ontroerend Goed’s repertoire, ready for a new world tour in 2024, the election year.

Ten years after its premiere, we are remaking Fight Night. Because, a decade later, we and the world have changed. Today, more than ever, trust in democracy is faltering. A conspiracy of fake news, mainstream media and stolen elections is no longer an absurd analysis. Back then, distrust in the system was a rather marginal phenomenon. Now it has permeated the broadest segments of the population – and political parties.

The structure of Fight Night remains the same. However, the changed context inevitably is felt in the performance. In the past, questions were answered, or not. Now, increasingly, the premise of the question is not accepted. Which is symptomatic of the distrust for the system we have taken for granted for years.

In the brand-new Fight Night, the world will remain outside. No political statements, only a sharp analysis of how democracy works.

Coming to the Gaillard Center September 12 & 13 at 7:30 pm. Tickets start at $50 and go on sale March 22nd at 11am.