Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen has checekd in with the following update:

"Wow, there must be some mistake. I just heard I got voted best metal guitar player in the Benelux! I’m not worthy. No really, not with amazing players like Marcel Coenen (Sun Caged) and Timo Somers (Delain) around. And honestly, I didn’t even vote for myself..."

Go to the Den Haag FM website here for details on Lucassen's victory.

He checked in back in December 2015 with the following update:

"Sorry for not having posted for so long, I’m working feverishly on the Theater Equation DVD/Blu-ray. We hope to release before the summer, fingers crossed!"

Nearly 6,000 Ayreon fans from 49 different countries flocked to Rotterdam (Netherlands) this past September to witness the once-in-a-lifetime theater production, The Theater Equation, based on Ayreon's The Human Equation. The album's original vocalists James LaBrie, Devon Graves, Heather Findlay, Eric Clayton, Marcela Bovio, Magnus Ekwall and Irene Jansen reprise their roles on 18th, 19th and 20th of September in the Nieuwe Luxor Theater. Rounding out the cast were Ayreon veterans Wudstik, Anneke van Giersbergen and Mike Mills.

For years fans of Arjen Anthony Lucassen's rock operas begged for a live performance. The creative team of Shadow Freaks, a theater production company lead by Lucassen's former manager Yvette Boertje, answered that call by staging a fan favourite: The Human Equation.

The Human Equation tells the story of comatose man who battles his emotions that have come to life in a frightening and bizarre world: his own mind. After a 20-day emotional rollercoaster ride filled with good and bad memories, shocking revelations and hope-filled desires, the man has to make a decision: wake up or die?

The band featured some of Lucassen's finest guest musicians: Ed Warby, Johan van Stratum, Jeroen Goossens, Ben Mathot and Maaike Peterse. Joost van den Broek was music director and arranger for the band that also features Marcel Coenen, Freek Gielen, Erik van Ittersum and Ruben Wijga. The Epic Rock Choir, assembled especially for this show, brought an extra dimension to this production as a finishing touch.

The Theater Equation's spectacular cast, band, stage design and costumes turned this production into the prog event of 2015. The first three shows sold out so fast, that a fourth (and final) show was added later.

Cast:
James LaBrie as 'Me'
Devon Graves as 'Agony'
Heather Findlay as 'Love'
Eric Clayton as 'Reason'
Magnus Ekwall as 'Pride'
Marcela Bovio as 'Wife'
Irene Jansen as 'Passion'
Anneke van Giersbergen as 'Fear'
Jermain van der Bogt (Wudstik) as 'Best Friend'
Mike Mills as 'Rage/Father'
Nienke Verboom as 'Nurse'
Peter Moltmaker as 'Doctor'
Anita van der Hoeven as 'Mom'

Band:
Ed Warby: Drums
Jeroen Goossens: Flutes and woodwinds
Johan van Stratum: Bass
Maaike Peterse: Cello
Ben Mathot: Violin
Marcel Coenen: Guitars
Freek Gielen: Guitars
Erik van Ittersum: Keyboards/synths
Ruben Wijga: Keyboards/synths