For many residents at hetpaleis, it is the first time they collaborate with a young audience. And for most young visitors, it is the first time they step into an artist’s studio. In the residencies, everyone is searching, and that is what makes them unique. Normally, young audiences only see a performance once it is finished. In the residency space, it is different: visitors encounter the exploratory nature of art. Sometimes, trying things out together matters more than the final result.

Residency visits are exciting and playful; they are curious, adventurous, and sometimes a little chaotic.

List of residents 2025–2026

• Zach Swagga
  December 2025 – January 2026
  Zach is working on his research project La lettre, in which he attempts to reconstruct his father’s history and, by extension, their father-son bond. 
   
• Annika Serong
  October 2025 & February 2026
  In October 2025 and February 2026, Annika is writing her research on ‘the villain as a theatrical figure’.
   
• Louai Hashem
  June 2025
  Louai is writing his solo piece Is het nog ver? in the residency space. The premiere will take place in December.  
   
• Danaé Bosman & Laura Fierens in collaboration with Platform K
  May 2025
  Together with Laura, a permanent dancer with the inclusive dance company Platform-K, Danaé explored the normative view of movement with which young people grow up.
   
• Lisette Ma Neza
  February – April 2025
  Poet and creator Lisette wrote for and with primary school-aged children. The metaphors she worked with were mirrors, lines and the image of the playground. In terms of content, she sought a visual language to convey human rights.