If you like Ayreon and particularly the 2004 double album The Human Equation, you might find this interesting. It's The Human Equation Theater Experience. Yvette Boertje is putting together a theatrical version of The Human Equation with an awesome cast and band for three shows in the fall of 2015 in The Netherlands. Some of the performers confirmed so far include vocalists who sang on the record. Arjen Lucassen himself does not perform, but he does endorse the project.

Vocalists confirmed so far with more to be announced: Magnus Ekwall (Pride), Heather Findlay (Love), Irene Jansen (Passion), Marcela Bovio (Wife) and Devon Graves (Agony) will be on stage to reprise their roles at Ayreon's The Human Equation Theater Experience in September 2015.




Tickets won't go on sale until September 2014, but a special pre-registration starts today, May 19th at 20.00 CET through their website. You can find all you need to know there.

To clarify: you are not buying tickets, but registering to receive a code to be able to buy tickets earlier than the general public later this year. Beware: There are a limited number of codes.

The band is supervised by Music Director Joost van den Broek.

The band:

Jeroen Goossens (Flutes and other woodwinds)

Ben Mathot (Violin)

Maaike Peterse (Cello) (Kingfisher Sky)

Ed Warby (Drums) (The 11th Hour, Hail Of Bullets)

Johan van Stratum (Bass guitar) (Stream Of Passion)

Marcel Coenen (Guitar)

Freek Gielen (Guitar)

Erik van Ittersum (Keyboards)

Ruben Wijga (Keyboards) (ReVamp)

Some info about the project: "The Human Equation theater show, complete with theatrical set, elaborate costumes and a high-end multimedia presentation, is headed up by Yvette Boertje. Yvette was closely involved with Arjen Anthony Lucassen as his personal manager for many years, but before this time she was mainly involved with theater. In 2002 she directed the Star One tour, for instance, for which she also built the stage set together with her brother Marco. Yvette has remained in contact with Arjen who in 2013 suggested that she put together a theater show for The Human Equation; a plan that they had often discussed. What began as a simple production with fans quickly evolved into a full professional show complete with Ayreon vocalists, some of whom were featured on the original album. Beside these vocalists, a number of 'Ayreon' instrumentalists will perform..."

"It was clear from the beginning that The Human Equation had the potential to be a theatrical production, and this has remained a dream for Arjen. Unfortunately, apart from a few tentative attempts by various parties, a project never came to fruition in The Netherlands. In the mean time, a few fan performances have been produced. The first one was as early as 2005 by Arena Media in Sweden by students of the Lulea tekniska universistet. An Italian version called The Human Equation Project followed later and there have been many different initiatives since. The most recent, that we are aware of, was performed in April 2014 in Germany."

Artists:
"Like all Ayreon rock operas, The Human Equation features performances of an impressive group of vocalists and guest-instrumentalists. One of the main obstacles to perform The Human Equation live in The Netherlands, regardless of Arjen's involvement, was dealing with the expectations that fans would have concerning the cast and band. The availability of this group of artists is extremely limited after all, and the expectations were (and are!) extremely high."

"When The Theater Equation started in September 2013 the plan was to perform the piece with a group of musical fans, as has been done in other countries. But when various original vocalists appeared very interested to participate in this unique event, the plan changed. The project transformed into a large international venture and the small scale project was extended and adapted. The fan version, for instance, was to take place in a small theater in March 2015, but the sheer star power of the participants forced the team to look for a larger venue, resulting in the show's rescheduling to September of that year."

[Thanks to Ivor for the tip!]

Source:	facebook.com
Band profile:	Ayreon