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T H E D U T C H O N T O U R - Theater Instituut Nederland

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Index<br />

3 Foreword<br />

4 Physical, object & site-specific theatre<br />

12 Andrea Bozic<br />

14 Bambie<br />

16 Boukje Schweigman<br />

18 Dries Verhoeven<br />

20 Duda Paiva Puppetry and Dance [DPPD]<br />

22 Gienke Deuten<br />

24 Golden Palace<br />

26 Hotel Modern<br />

28 Jakop Ahlbom<br />

30 Jetse Batelaan<br />

32 Kassys<br />

34 Lisa<br />

36 Lotte van den Berg<br />

38 Space<br />

40 Stuffed Puppet Theatre<br />

42 Théâtre Espace/Judith Nab<br />

44 The Lunatics<br />

46 Ulrike Quade<br />

48 Vis à Vis<br />

50 Warner & Consorten<br />

52 Youth theatre<br />

58 Beumer & Drost<br />

60 Het Filiaal<br />

62 Het Waterhuis<br />

64 Huis aan de Amstel<br />

66 Jeugdtheater Sonnevanck<br />

68 Kalebas<br />

70 MUZtheater<br />

72 Speeltheater Holland<br />

74 Stella Den Haag<br />

76 Stichting Caspar Rapak/Peter Zegveld<br />

78 Tamtam objektentheater<br />

80 <strong>Theater</strong> Artemis<br />

82 <strong>Theater</strong> Terra<br />

84 <strong>Theater</strong>groep Kwatta<br />

86 <strong>Theater</strong>groep Max.<br />

88 <strong>Theater</strong>groep Wederzijds<br />

90 Xynix Opera<br />

92 Colophon<br />

The Dutch on tour Index


Foreword<br />

Dear Reader,<br />

Dutch theatre and dance are popular in other countries. This is not only true of the big names,<br />

such as the <strong>Nederland</strong>s Dans <strong>Theater</strong> or Johan Simons and Ivo van Hove, but also<br />

of the smaller companies and theatre-makers from the new generation. The Dutch tradition in<br />

diversity and small-scale theatre goes back for decades. This applies to all disciplines, aimed at<br />

both adults and young people: drama, dance, expressive theatre, location theatre and so on.<br />

<strong>Theater</strong> <strong>Instituut</strong> <strong>Nederland</strong> (TIN) has an equally long tradition in promoting Dutch theatre at<br />

home in the Netherlands and abroad. It is our job to keep the international theatre world up-todate<br />

on developments in the Netherlands by means of publications, DVDs, our<br />

website, electronic newsletters, the international visitors’ programme and showcases.<br />

This edition of The Dutch on tour (with accompanying DVD) is a good example of how we work.<br />

In compiling this publication, we made a very conscious selection: the companies mentioned<br />

(and their productions) all have international experience or international ambition that we are<br />

keen to support. They are companies that have already made an impression, or are set to make<br />

one, on the international stage. In this book we focus on physical, site-specific, object and youth<br />

theatre, in the next book the focus will be on drama and dance.<br />

This publication is designed to provide information and hopefully stimulate (budding) enthusiasm.<br />

The next step is to see a live performance for yourself, get to know the companies and<br />

the makers or find out more about the possibility of programming Dutch theatre and dance on<br />

your podium or at your festival. Please do not hesitate to contact my colleagues at the <strong>Theater</strong><br />

<strong>Instituut</strong> <strong>Nederland</strong>. We are here to provide information and facilities, including for international<br />

collaboration opportunities. And we are very happy to do this.<br />

Henk Scholten<br />

Director <strong>Theater</strong> <strong>Instituut</strong> <strong>Nederland</strong><br />

The Dutch on tour Foreword


The 1000 faces of<br />

visual theatre<br />

If you were to try and draw the Dutch theatre landscape, you would need not only a pencil, but also<br />

a huge rubber. That’s because the squares and circles for text and improvisation drama, classical and<br />

modern dance, youth theatre and made-by-youth theatre, movement theatre and site-specific theatre<br />

would soon turn out to be harder to define than you’d think at first glance.<br />

So it is not surprising that the genre division in this book is purely a practical division; in each<br />

category there are some groups which could easily have been placed in another chapter.<br />

That said, we can take a look at the categories site-specific theatre and movement or physical<br />

theatre, and at the whole spectrum between drama and dance which doesn’t do traditional<br />

theatrical plots with a-to-z-stories. These theatre forms are an important part of the Dutch<br />

theatre landscape.<br />

Let’s clear one thing up straight away: mime should not be confused with pantomime (that<br />

funny clown with hands tracing an imaginary window), just as site-specific theatre should not<br />

be generalised as street theatre. What can we expect then?<br />

Expressing through movement<br />

In the area of mime – also described as movement theatre or physical theatre – there are such<br />

talented theatre makers as Bambie, Boukje Schweigman, Jakop Ahlbom and Golden Palace.<br />

Many of them were taught at the special mime department of the Amsterdam High School<br />

of the Arts, which attracts students from far beyond the Dutch borders. Inspired by the mime<br />

corporel, developed by Etienne Decroux at the beginning of the twentieth century, this school<br />

builds on a strong mime curriculum, where the central idea of movement is keeping the body<br />

in balance. Students learn how to make theatre, but apart from that they focus on expressing<br />

themselves through movement. Performances are not made on the basis of repertoire, but<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre


Let’s clear one thing up straight<br />

away: mime should not be confused<br />

with pantomime (that funny clown<br />

with hands tracing an imaginary<br />

window), just as site-specific theatre<br />

should not be generalised as street<br />

theatre<br />

come from actuality; what is occupying the performer here and now. Text is not necessary to get<br />

a message across or to evoke an atmosphere or a certain feeling, and if text is used, it is often<br />

developed ‘on the floor’, during the rehearsal process. The power of body language is<br />

used as a source of expression for performing. Unlike in dance, mime must communicate something;<br />

there is no pure, aesthetic movement. A mime player’s aim is to touch people personally<br />

and directly.<br />

Most contemporary mime groups established in the eighties (Nieuw West, Suver Nuver, De<br />

Daders) have their roots in the mime school, and many of them have been directly or indirectly<br />

influenced by the mime companies of the sixties and seventies – such as Waste of Time, BEWTH,<br />

Griftheater and Carrousel – from which the popular Carver split off in 1989. René van ’t Hof,<br />

Leny Breederveld and Beppie Melissen named their group after their first performance together,<br />

about Raymond Carver. Since then, they have been producing successful, original movement<br />

performances about daily life with a comic or tragi-comic character.<br />

Jeannette van Steen, who worked with Bewth for several years, started her own company,<br />

De Groep van Steen, in 1994, and developed a kind of mime theatre that combines elements<br />

from the Japanese Noh theatre with Western movement theatre. At the moment, her company<br />

makes sober performances in museums or other architecturally interesting places. Writing on<br />

her website, Van Steen puts the basic idea of mime aptly: ‘I investigate the possibilities of pure<br />

movement as an independent means of expression, as well as those possibilities presented by<br />

the interaction of music, design and movement.’<br />

Nieuw West, a company set up and led by Marien Jongewaard, started out around 1980 with<br />

confrontational, radical, raw performances that drew heavily on people’s stamina. Many people<br />

rejected Jongewaard’s theatrical views, but just as many loved the way he searched out the<br />

borders of theatrical experience, and the conflict between cruelty and beauty, chaos and<br />

emptiness, existential despair and shameless pleasure. Jongewaard makes use of existing texts,<br />

specially written by author Rob de Graaf. In the production Spartacus (2004), they appeared to<br />

investigate the mentality of ‘crime for crime’ and upcoming terrorism by showing a group of<br />

people becoming brainless fighting machines under the influence of a café boss, while a hard<br />

porno videotape was shown in the background.<br />

One of the younger generation of mime companies, Bambie, invited Marien Jongewaard as<br />

a guest performer for their tenth performance, Bambie 10 (premiere December 2005), which<br />

was about cynicism. Bambie may be regarded as the younger brother of Nieuw West, although<br />

Jochem Stavenuiter and Paul van der Laan (the two Bambies) seem more sensitive, or less cruel.<br />

Their performances are rich in fantasy and are precisely choreographed. But their beautiful images<br />

are interrupted by explosive actions, their disarming and humorous scenes by cruel fights.<br />

Impulses and desires, dreams and frustrations are extremely magnified, until the figures on stage<br />

almost collapse under them. No wonder that this company chose to cooperate with Marien<br />

Jongewaard (among others) for this production.<br />

The consciously naïve<br />

Another young generation is that of what a journalist at NRC Handelsblad has labelled ‘the<br />

consciously naïve’ movement. They include Boukje Schweigman & designer Theun Mosk, Jetse<br />

Batelaan, Gienke Deuten & Bram de Goey, and Elien van den Hoek. The term ‘consciously naïve’<br />

is a reference to the emphasis that these theatre-makers put on aesthetics and beauty, producing<br />

a show on the basis of imagination and a ‘consciously naïve’ fascination for the world. The<br />

makers treat the world as if opinions were not guided by societal, social, economic or political<br />

interpretations. For example, for one of her shows (Wervel/Whirl), Boukje Schweigman sat her<br />

audience in a ring and made them watch for a full hour as she spun faster and faster on her<br />

<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre


The consciously naïve makers treat<br />

the world as if opinions were not<br />

guided by societal, social, economic<br />

or political interpretations<br />

axis in increasingly wider circles, without even mentioning the topics that dominate the<br />

theatre elsewhere: the integration of ethnic minorities, the hardening of society, extremism,<br />

xenophobia, radicalism, terrorism, or even love, loneliness or death. It is up to the spectators to<br />

decide whether they want to take up the exciting challenge of these or any other topics that<br />

are introduced, and which they find themselves unable to set aside.<br />

Jetse Batelaan created the production Broeders/Brothers, an almost silent fairytale with no beginning<br />

and no end, whereby each actor continually alternates between the role of ‘brother’ and<br />

‘patient’. The patients can only move, act and exist thanks to the help of a ‘brother’. If the ‘brother’<br />

lets go of his or her hand, the patient collapses. But there is no indication of the setting for this<br />

production; it could be a hospital, a hospice or even a metaphor for life itself (which we cannot<br />

live in isolation). So the show takes on a specific, personal meaning in the mind of each and<br />

every unsuspecting person who sees it.<br />

Regular theatre and dance-makers are also often keen to allow their audiences to interpret<br />

what they see. Having said this, the makers’ own interpretation is almost always unavoidable<br />

and rarely without personal motivation. This is how the consciously naïve aim to differ; they<br />

consciously refrain from all forms of interpretation, perhaps because they are all too aware of the<br />

full extent of their personal influence. They know that when they tell a story from A to Z, every<br />

point of cohesion and even the chronology itself implicitly includes an interpretation of the<br />

world according to the maker. Their shows are shades of images and movement, in a seemingly<br />

random order, often moving in circles and a-linear lines.<br />

Their shows have almost no text at all, using only the body in a specially designed space that does<br />

not exist in the real world. This might be mime at its purest – and perhaps, but this is tricky – this is<br />

the final point of the mime that was developed in the twenty years before: this is what the mime<br />

has strived for all the time but that only now has become possible. A landmark in mime.<br />

Theatre outside<br />

Movement aspects are also important in site-specific theatre, though it involves more than<br />

just that. The genre, started some forty years ago as a means of bringing theatre to a non-elite<br />

audience often without money, now fulfils a less idealistic but still optimistic goal: instead of<br />

adapting to the limitations of theatres, theatre makers can choose their own place, rebuild it into<br />

a theatre and make something that can only exist in that particular place. Whether that place is a<br />

forest, tent, passengers’ terminal or supermarket, it will be exclusive. The audience feels a certain<br />

solidarity with the performers, as they share in the secret of performing in a non-theatrical place.<br />

There are theatre groups who only make theatre for special locations. But many regular groups<br />

also create site-specific performances, alongside their work in theatres, especially in the summertime.<br />

Whereas until a few years ago, the month of June marked the end of the theatre<br />

season, last year’s summer invitations were posted to theatre lovers from May to September.<br />

A lot of summer festivals invite theatre and dance groups to perform in open spaces, in tents,<br />

on the beach and in the woods.<br />

During the Festival Oerol (started in 1982), almost every corner of the island Terschelling is used<br />

for plays, dance performances, research presentations or music concerts. A visit to Terschelling’s<br />

Oerol means, apart from waiting in long queues and bumping into other visitors, experiencing<br />

theatre in the open air, where the environment and the weather contribute to the performance.<br />

You can watch a dance performance in stormy rain on the coast at night, and the next morning<br />

watch a theatre piece shielding yourself from the burning sun with a newspaper. A few years<br />

ago, Oerol even started a workshop for site-specific theatre, where the genre can be researched<br />

and developed by young inspired artists. Making theatre for a special location is more than just<br />

taking account of the technical needs, the audibility and the weather; it is also important that<br />

the environment fits the play and vice versa.<br />

<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre


Site-specific theatre makers can<br />

choose their own place, rebuild it<br />

into a theatre and make something<br />

that can only exist in that particular<br />

place. Whether that place is a forest,<br />

tent, passengers’ terminal or supermarket<br />

But Oerol is not the only open-air festival; there are many more, some of which also take place<br />

in the cities. De Karavaan travels through the province of Noord-Holland and shows its performances<br />

on streets and squares. Festival Over ‘t IJ in Amsterdam, Festival aan de Werf in Utrecht<br />

and <strong>Theater</strong>festival Boulevard in the south of Holland put emphasis on young site-specific<br />

talents. And De Parade descends for a few weeks each year on the cities of Rotterdam, Utrecht,<br />

The Hague and Amsterdam, with a lot of special site-specific and regular theatre in tents or in<br />

the mud. And the audience loves it; the highest theatre attendance figures are always during<br />

the festival season in the summer months.<br />

The best-known theatre groups who only make theatre on special locations are The Lunatics<br />

and Vis à Vis. The latter makes large-scale outdoor summer performances where image and<br />

action play a larger role than dialogues and plot. In visual comedy, the performers show ‘the<br />

fight of modern man with the stubborn reality of everyday life’. In Picnic (2000), the group gave<br />

the audience the opportunity to see what happened both on and off stage. On stage, a couple<br />

decides to go for a picnic and meets a wounded passer-by. Instead of helping him, they take<br />

his luggage, with all the consequences. Behind the scenes, the technicians and actors struggle<br />

hard to create a cinematic illusion on stage. Apparently simple effects turn out to be extremely<br />

complicated to bring about. The eight hundred visitors saw half of the show backstage, and<br />

half of the show on stage – a sublime and humorous invention.<br />

Warner van Wely left his former company Dogtroep in 1990 and started a new company three<br />

years later: Warner & Consorten. It’s a group of sculptors, musicians, dancers and actors who all<br />

prefer unusual locations, indoors and outdoors. In the summer of 2005 they performed Clockwork/Guerilla,<br />

a double production for public spaces. In Clockwork they explored the boundary<br />

between man and machine. The scenery was formed by a living, twenty-metre-long installation,<br />

where the actors endlessly repeated everyday actions (making bread, feeding the fish, washing<br />

socks). Man seemed to be transformed into machine.<br />

There is a new generation of theatre makers who don’t choose to work only in theatres, on<br />

location, for young or adult audiences. They do it all, which leads to beautiful performances.<br />

Dries Verhoevens recent production U bevindt zich hier/You are here was a hit at the summer festivals<br />

of 2007. People checked in in a hotel-like setting, were guided to their rooms and cordially<br />

requested to lie down on their beds. What started as a one-on-one performance changed all of<br />

a sudden into a one-on-one-on-all performance when the mirror ceiling started to rise, offering<br />

the spectator a peak in every other room.<br />

Lotte van den Berg offers the spectators a complete new view on what seemed normal up<br />

until the moment they stepped into her performance. In Gerucht/Rumour (spring 2007) she<br />

blended the street and city traffic into the performance; the audience watched it through a<br />

huge window in their temporary wooden home. The dividing line between what was real and<br />

staged was so thin that the audience was kept in constant doubt.<br />

Many more groups, like The Lunatics, Théâtre Espace or Space, explore what drama can do to<br />

everyday locations. And it can do a lot, as most of their audience members will agree! It should<br />

come as no surprise that the work of these companies is also extremely popular at festivals<br />

outside the Netherlands, as the visual language of this theatre genre can be understood all the<br />

way from Holland to Japan.<br />

Lonneke Kok<br />

10 The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

11


Language<br />

English<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Andrea Bozic<br />

T +31 (0)6 – 41 24 75 27<br />

E andboz@yahoo.co.uk<br />

I www.willmsworks.net<br />

A union of old and<br />

Andrea Bozic<br />

new media<br />

Andrea Bozic produces interdisciplinary and multimedia shows that balance on the border<br />

between podium art and media art. They are compositions made from fragments of movement,<br />

music, video, film and (sometimes) text. She usually works with video artist Julia Willms and<br />

composer Robert Pravda.<br />

She is fascinated by presence, embodiment, fiction and narrative, and what happens to these<br />

elements when a space is configured with technology: how does our media-obsessed living<br />

environment affect how it feels to live in this world?<br />

In her projects, Andrea Bozic has developed several strategies for addressing these questions:<br />

It’s Me But I’m No Longer There was an installation for two active spectators, but without a protagonist;<br />

Ways To Multiply Yourself was a production for a far removed body that was being observed<br />

by two cameras; Still Life With Man And Woman was an existential thriller, a film set within a live<br />

performance. The new production Nothing Can Surprise Us (June 2008) follows on from the use<br />

of film material as a ‘script’ for a show, whereby two art forms unite to produce an interdisciplinary<br />

theatre discipline.<br />

International<br />

Over the last few years, Andrea Bozic has worked throughout Europe at festivals, conferences<br />

and on exchange programmes. The production Still Life With Man And Woman, a co-production<br />

made with <strong>Theater</strong> Gasthuis (Amsterdam) and the Plateaux Festival, Mousonturm (Frankfurt),<br />

was performed in various European countries. Ways To Multiply Yourself appeared in Tanzhaus<br />

NRW (in Germany) and the Dance Week Festival in Croatia. Pulse Line, a dance film produced<br />

in collaboration with Julia Willms, toured countries including Israel and South-Africa.<br />

She was given good reviews in various European newspapers. For example: ‘Brilliant theatrical<br />

essay on contemporary image culture’ (De Morgen, Belgium); ‘Abseits der dummen Videokonfektion<br />

auf vielen <strong>Theater</strong>bühnen glänzt das feinsinnige, ruhige und konzentrierte Still life’<br />

(Frankfurter Algemeine Zeitung, Germany).<br />

Still life with man and woman<br />

Photo: Andrea Bozic<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

13


Language<br />

On request<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic directors: Paul van der Laan en Jochem<br />

Stavenuiter<br />

T +31 (0)20 – 463 67 21<br />

E postbus@bambie.demon.nl<br />

I www.bambie.org<br />

Agency: Bureau Berbee, Inke Berbee,<br />

www.bureauberbee.nl<br />

Extreme, physical<br />

Bambie<br />

numbers<br />

Bambie is the theatre company led by Paul van der Laan and Jochem Stavenuiter, which works<br />

with alternating guest actors. Apart from the numbering, Bambie’s productions stand out for<br />

their extreme physical style. Bambie ‘speaks’ in effects and actions, in fights and embraces.<br />

Source: the human body, mirror of the soul, manager of impulses, urges, dreams and frustrations.<br />

Inner motivation is magnified to the extreme, showing how it can rule people’s lives,<br />

making them cling on until it almost kills them. Mankind as a Don Quixote: magnificent in his<br />

drive for action, but diminutive in his fears. A challengingly endearing view of mankind; there is<br />

good reason for the company choosing the name Bambie.<br />

The company’s productions show how images from outside can influence mankind. The attitude<br />

and clothing of the powerful earthmen in Bambie 6. The pile of lifeless bodies in Gorilla<br />

meets Bambie. They suggest the most bizarre scenes, purely by movement. The physical illusionism<br />

of mime in optima forma.<br />

The characters in Bambie productions can pant and scream, mumble and spout. And if required<br />

by the scene, an actor may even use his voice.<br />

International<br />

During the last few years, Bambie has performed in South-Africa (the Klein Karoo Nasionale<br />

Kunstenfees, Bambie 6), Brazil (Bambie 6), Croatia (Bambie 6), Iran (FADJR festival, Bambie 8), Switzerland<br />

(Bambie 9), Germany (Bambie 7), Bolivia (Oleg Oleg Oleg). Bambie also gave workshops in<br />

Brazil, Egypt and Iran. At the 2004 Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre, Bambie’s<br />

production of Bambie 8 won prizes for best production and best direction. Bambie 10, in which<br />

four absurd characters barricade themselves behind the conviction of their rightness, has not<br />

yet toured internationally.<br />

Bambie 8<br />

Photo: Ben van Duin<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

15


Language<br />

None<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Boukje Schweigman<br />

Agency: Via Rudolphi, www.viarudolphi.nl.<br />

For Slagschaduw: www.jeugdconcerten.nl<br />

T +31 (0)20 – 627 75 55<br />

E info@viarudolphi.nl<br />

I www.boukjeschweigman.nl<br />

www.theunmosk.nl<br />

Authentic, poetic,<br />

Schweigman/Mosk<br />

intimate<br />

Productions by theatre maker Boukje Schweigman and set designer Theun Mosk cannot easily<br />

be compared with other theatre existing today. These two young people ‘speak’ the same silent<br />

theatre language, characterized by incredibly strong imaginative powers and an approach that<br />

makes serious demands on the senses. Movement, design, lighting, sound and manipulation of<br />

the space; they all contribute to create an authentic, poetic and intimate experience. The pair<br />

invites spectators to become a physical part of their surrealist world. The audience sometimes<br />

dresses in white robes to form a fairy ring around the stage (Wervel), and sometimes they float<br />

on a lake in a large red ball (Dreef). Schweigman and Mosk do not only use the stage as a vehicle<br />

for conveying their message, they also consistently break down the theatrical fourth wall,<br />

transporting the audience into a state of mental confusion that allows them to enter their<br />

astonishingly alienating world.<br />

‘Theatre is the perfect platform for sharing an experience that activates the senses and<br />

challenges our imagination’. (Boukje Schweigman)<br />

International<br />

Experience has already proved that the body language in work by Schweigman/Mosk makes<br />

it universal. In 2007, Wervel/Whirl by Schweigman/Mosk toured successfully in Lebanon, Iran<br />

and Jordan. Benen/Legs by Schweigman was performed at the Cairo International Festival for<br />

Experimental Theatre 2003, in White Russia at the International Monoplay Festival I in Minsk and<br />

in Belgium during the 2004 festival Voix Gras in Leuven. Various productions have won Dutch<br />

awards; Benen/Legs received the 2003 Top Naeff prize, the public award at Voix Gras Leuven<br />

and the Performance Prize in Minsk, White Russia. Grond/Ground, Dreef and Slagschaduw/Cast<br />

shadow are also suitable for international tours. In its review of Dreef, the Volkskrant newspaper<br />

even wrote: ‘hopefully, it will not be long before [the float] also docks in foreign waters’.<br />

Wervel/Whirl<br />

Photo: Jochem Jurgens<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

17


Language<br />

On request<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Dries Verhoeven<br />

Producer/agency: Huis aan de Werf,<br />

www.huisaandwerf.nl<br />

T +31 (0)30 – 231 58 44<br />

E info@huisaandewerf.nl<br />

I mid 2008: www.driesverhoeven.com<br />

Gestures that overawe<br />

Dries Verhoeven<br />

and leave an impression<br />

Dries Verhoeven makes experiential productions: installations, happenings and performances<br />

in which the spectator is the pivot. The audience is often physically involved in the show.<br />

Performers do not feature in his productions; they merely act as ‘staff’ helping to guide the<br />

spectators through their experience. The projects are on the interface of expressive art and<br />

theatre, and can be appreciated by wide audiences.<br />

In a busy, chaotic world, Dries Verhoeven goes in search of gestures that will overawe and leave<br />

an impression, that will allow the spectators to rediscover their inner self. Within the reality of<br />

day-to-day life, he manages to create intrusive, poetic and confusing moments, moments that<br />

allow you to experience reality from a different perspective. The projects are often presented<br />

in the context of a festival or on location. A lot is left to chance or input from the audience.<br />

Over the past few years, Dries Verhoeven has produced work including Thy kingdom come,<br />

featuring two spectators who have never met, in the same room but separated by sound-proof<br />

glass; Trail tracking, in which spectators speak to a performer on a mobile phone while walking<br />

through a deserted train station; and You are here, in which a spectator lies on a bed in a hotel<br />

room, with a view of the other ‘guests’ via a large mirror.<br />

International<br />

Thy kingdom come has already toured in Belgium, Switzerland, France, Italy and Germany, and is<br />

due to appear in other countries. Trail tracking was performed as Mobile/immobile in a shipyard<br />

in Ramonville, France. You are here will be touring Europe in the summer of 2008. The large movement,<br />

in which the audience sits in a small cinema in the middle of town watching the outside<br />

world, is also suitable for other countries. And so is Hartstocht/Passion, produced in collaboration<br />

with Roos van Geffen, featuring a bus trip that allows the audience to experience the world<br />

upside-down.<br />

Thy kingdom come<br />

Photo: Dries Verhoeven<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

19


Language<br />

English<br />

Contact<br />

Creative director: Duda Paiva, co creative director:<br />

Paul Selwyn Norton<br />

T +31 (0)20 - 421 21 65<br />

E info@dudapaiva.com<br />

I www.dudapaiva.com<br />

Agency: two six – kleine spui, www.kleinespui.nl<br />

Duda Paiva Puppetry<br />

Poetic and flowing<br />

and Dance [DPPD]<br />

illusion<br />

DPPD makes a mix of dance and puppet theatre for adults. By performing their productions<br />

and giving master classes and workshops, the company has put this wayward form of theatre<br />

on the national and international map.<br />

The person behind DPPD is Duda Paiva. He aims to use his research into combining modern<br />

dance with classical puppet theatre to develop new techniques that will enable the puppeteer’s<br />

body language to heighten the powers of imagination. The use of movement and voice as<br />

storytelling instruments in this very specific form of choreography generates an intense relationship<br />

between the puppet and the puppeteer. The result is a poetic and flowing illusion, which<br />

both challenges and entertains the audience.<br />

Together with choreographer Paul Selwyn Norton, Duda Paiva has produced a great deal of<br />

varied, inventive work including productions comprising an unusual mix of voice, movement,<br />

video, light, live music and puppetry.<br />

International<br />

DPPD has a particularly strong international focus. Over the past few years, the company has<br />

worked in every corner of Europe as well as in Bolivia, Brazil, Singapore and Australia. They do<br />

not only perform, but also give workshops and master classes. In 2007, Duda Paiva Puppetry<br />

and Dance made Fasada together with actors from the Bialystok Theatre Lalek, Poland.<br />

The next solo production is to be co-produced with the Agder Theatre in Kristiansand, Norway.<br />

The shows Angel and Morgenster/Morning star made off with various prestigious international<br />

prizes, such as the Critics’ Choice FITAZ in Bolivia, the Prize of the Polish Artists’ Association for<br />

the mastery in animation and the Grand Prix and Public award of Spectaculo Interesse Ostrava<br />

in the Czech Republic.<br />

Angel<br />

Photo: Frantisek Reznicek<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

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Language<br />

None/English<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Gienke Deuten<br />

Agency: STIP theaterproducties<br />

T +31 (0)20 – 623 06 23<br />

E johanna@stipproducties.nl<br />

I www.stipproducties.nl<br />

From concrete<br />

Gienke Deuten<br />

to absurd, even idiotic<br />

Gienke Deuten produces expressive shows for young and adult audiences, on location or in the<br />

theatre. In her physical productions, whereby language is never the main vehicle, she creates<br />

weird and wonderful worlds where the characters struggle with the question of how mankind<br />

relates to the world in which he lives. They touch upon issues such as powerlessness, astonishment,<br />

feeling lost and territorial behaviour.<br />

The shows are not a commentary on current events. They serve to translate universal topics into<br />

the transitory world of the individual characters. The basic principle is always concrete, clear and<br />

simple. And this can lead to absurd, sometimes even idiotic situations.<br />

Gienke Deuten’s characters are trapped in their own little worlds. On occasion, they are even<br />

literally trapped; stuck in the scenery. In Schmiere/Ham it up (Deuten & De Goeij) for example,<br />

a clown is tied to a caravan, and Korte termijn geluk/Short-term happiness features two goldfish<br />

trapped in their bowl. The characters are real people, but they are unpredictable and psychologically<br />

unrealistic. They are anxious beings, driven into a corner, trying to defend their territory.<br />

International<br />

Shows by Gienke Deuten are mainly performed in the Netherlands and Belgium. The show specially<br />

devised for toddlers, Vuurtoren Wacht/Lighthouse Guard, appeared at the IPAY in Cleveland,<br />

US, where she was awarded the prize for the best production by programmers and fellow theatre-makers.<br />

An American tour is being prepared for 2009. Gienke Deuten is currently seeking<br />

contact with Rumanian puppet theatres to organize a travelling street show for the summer<br />

of 2009. Korte termijn geluk/Short-term happiness (production house Bellevue in collaboration<br />

with the Grand Theatre, Groningen) and Schmiere/Ham it up (Festival Over het IJ in collaboration<br />

with STIP theaterproducties) are both suitable for the international stage.<br />

Vuurtoren wacht/Lighthouse Guard<br />

Photo: Annemarie Klijn<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

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Language<br />

None/English<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Ingrid Kuijpers<br />

T +31 (0)20 – 412 39 78 / +31 (0)6 – 20 61 84 70<br />

E mail@goldenpalace.nl<br />

I www.goldenpalace.nl<br />

Agency: Via Rudolphi, www.viarudolphi.nl<br />

Golden Palace<br />

From physical to fantasy<br />

Golden Palace productions are built on improvisation and revolve around subjects that lurk<br />

just below the social surface. They always have a realistic foundation, but the acting from<br />

movement produces amazing swings towards the absurd. The theatre company is renowned<br />

for its distinctly physical style of acting.<br />

Artistic director Ingrid Kuijpers is searching for a gateway to fantasy from within the realms of<br />

the physical. Improvising from movement allows the subconscious to produce its own acting<br />

material, and this is precisely what gives Golden Palace’s performances their own specific<br />

magical-realistic quality.<br />

To Kuijpers, the theatre is a place where there is still room for compassion. People are fundamentally<br />

kind, but sometimes find themselves unable to express their kindness. Despite their<br />

clumsiness, the characters in Golden Palace productions are basically trying to do the right<br />

thing. Tragic and hilarious at the same time. Kuijpers knows how to create a fascinating mix of<br />

body language, singing and live music on stage. The NRC Handelsblad newspaper referred to<br />

Golden Palace as ‘total theatre that cannot fail to move you’.<br />

International<br />

Although the physical nature of Golden Palace productions makes them highly suitable for<br />

theatres outside the Netherlands, very few have been exported. This is mainly due to the large<br />

casts of eight to twelve actors. The ‘smaller’ production De Buikspreekster/The Tummy Talker, which<br />

only needs four actors, is a good candidate for touring abroad. The show Dolores (2008) will also<br />

be part of Golden Palace’s international repertoire. It revolves around a single father who will go<br />

to any lengths to protect his daughter from the evils of the outside world.<br />

Dolores<br />

Photo: Ben van Duin<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

25


Language<br />

Dutch/English/German/French/Spanish/Italian<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Herman Helle, Arlène Hoornweg,<br />

Pauline Kalker<br />

T +31 (0)10 – 425 95 88<br />

E info@hotelmodern.nl<br />

I www.hotelmodern.nl<br />

Small, but larger<br />

Hotel Modern<br />

than life<br />

Hotel Modern welds puppet theatre, animation, expressive art, performance, mime and music<br />

together to form a single organic entity. The company believes that imagery can be directly<br />

confrontational and emotive. Although they are not afraid to use scripts, imagery is their chosen<br />

theatre language: puppets, objects, actors, sounds and music are used in a variety of combinations<br />

to create exuberant, grotesque or happy worlds. Hotel Modern’s productions cover a broad<br />

emotional spectrum: from tranquil and tragic to energetic and comic.<br />

For the last few years, De grote oorlog/The great war en Kamp/Camp have formed the mainstay<br />

of Hotel Modern’s repertoire. Both are ‘live documentaries’. The first is a reconstruction of the<br />

First World War; the Western Front on a miniature scale, using sawdust, potting soil, rusty nails<br />

and parsley as trees. Rain emanates from a plant sprinkler, and bombs from a gas-jet. A friendly<br />

field gradually mutates into a poisonous wound of mud. Small, but at the same time larger than<br />

life. Camp is played in a stage-filling scale model of Auschwitz. Overcrowded barracks, a railway<br />

track, a gateway with the words ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’. With thousands of handmade puppets and<br />

actors moving across the set like giant war reporters, Hotel Modern attempts to imagine the<br />

unimaginable.<br />

International<br />

Hotel Modern has recently toured in Spain, Singapore, Hungary, Lithuania and Germany. Canada,<br />

America, Switzerland and Portugal are also on the agenda. The company made international<br />

waves with its production De Grote Oorlog/The Great War. The Daily Post commented: ‘World War<br />

I letters and diaries are brought to life in a theatrical experience that is poignant, powerful and<br />

yet so simple that, at times, it brings tears to the eyes’. Their work has won various prizes, including<br />

the Swiss Prix de Coppet for outstanding European artists.<br />

Kamp/Camp<br />

Photo: Ralph Prins<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

27


Language<br />

None<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Jakop Ahlbom<br />

Agency: Alles voor de Kunsten,<br />

www.allesvoordekunsten.nl<br />

T +31 (0)20 – 423 58 26<br />

E wilma@allesvoordekunsten.nl<br />

I www.jakopahlbom.nl<br />

Illusion<br />

Jakop Ahlbom<br />

in optima forma<br />

Movement is the agent Jakop Ahlbom uses to blend music, acrobatics, dance, illusionism, slapstick<br />

and theatrical effect into one. Combining imagination with a sense of drama, the images<br />

he creates immerse the stage in a film-like atmosphere. As if in a surrealistic film, the audience<br />

is conveyed from dancing duets to comic acts, and from tricks to pure slapstick.<br />

Born in Sweden, Jakop Ahlbom graduated from the Amsterdam School of the Arts in 1998, specializing<br />

in physical theatre. In that same year, he was awarded the Top Naeff prize, an incentive<br />

prize for the most promising student. His first three productions received much attention, but it<br />

was his fourth production, Vielfalt, that was selected for the Theatre Festival (TF) 2007 and really<br />

put him in the spotlight. The Volkskrant newspaper wrote: ‘…pure magic. Imagination running<br />

riot, illusion and ‘make believe’ in optima forma. A magic show that casually raises the question<br />

of what theatre really is and reminds one of the hidden meaning of fairy-tales’.<br />

International<br />

Jakop Ahlbom took his first steps in international theatre during a festival in Rumania and is keen<br />

to explore this world further. Not only with the highly-acclaimed Vielfalt, but also with his new<br />

production (premiere December 2008).<br />

Vielfalt<br />

Photo: Stephan van Hesteren<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

29


Language<br />

None/on request<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Jetse Batelaan<br />

T +31 (0)6 – 42 23 06 26<br />

E jetsebatelaan@hotmail.com<br />

Agency: Frans Brood Productions<br />

I www.fransbrood.com<br />

Compact stories<br />

Jetse Batelaan<br />

with long-winded titles<br />

Jetse Batelaan hides compact stories under long-winded titles such as Pas als zaagsel krijgt een<br />

boom applaus/A tree only gets applause as sawdust, Ergens staat er nu een iglo leeg/There’s an empty<br />

igloo somewhere now and Echte vrouwen joggen in regenpak/Real women jog in waterproofs. His<br />

productions seem to be documentaries of human weaknesses. However, his encyclopaedia of<br />

powerlessness is defensive rather than judgemental. He stands up for frightened souls by explaining<br />

them. In clear, absurd scenes, where language is often unnecessary, he vindicates their<br />

powerlessness. It’s all right, we’re all in the same boat.<br />

As from 2009, Jetse Batelaan will be joining the Ro theater in Rotterdam as permanent in-house<br />

director.<br />

International<br />

Echte vrouwen joggen in regenpak/Real women jog in waterproofs and Toe vader, drink/Come on<br />

father, drink were performed at the Belluard Bollwerk festival in Fribourg, Switzerland. During the<br />

past few years, Voorstelling waarin hopelijk niets gebeurt/Performance in which hopefully nothing<br />

happens (for <strong>Theater</strong>groep Max) has been performed at various festivals in Germany, Austria,<br />

Great-Britain, Canada and the United States. Broeders/Brothers was taken to Chalons and next<br />

year, this production and Toe vader, drink/Come on father, drink are scheduled to appear at the<br />

Wiener FestWochen. Jetse Batelaan has already received a number of prestigious awards for<br />

his shows in the Netherlands, such as a VSCD prize for Toe vader, drink/Come on father, drink and<br />

the Gouden Krekel (best production) for Voorstelling waarin hopelijk niets gebeurt/Performance<br />

in which hopefully nothing happens.<br />

Broeders/Brothers<br />

Photo: Sanne Peper<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

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Language<br />

English<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Liesbeth Gritter (director) and<br />

Mette van der Sijs (dramaturge)<br />

T +31 (0)20-6949933<br />

E info@kassys.nl<br />

I www.kassys.nl<br />

Agency: for the United States: Multi Arts Projects<br />

Productions, NY, www.multiartsprojects.com<br />

Disenchanting<br />

Kassys<br />

‘leering theatre’<br />

Kassys was founded in 1999 by Liesbeth Gritter and Mette van der Sijs. Their differing backgrounds<br />

in expressive art and dance have allowed them to develop a perceptive, detailed,<br />

familiar and confrontational pictography. Most of their productions combine theatre and film<br />

and can best be described as ‘leering theatre’.<br />

The shows produced by Kassys are about human (group) behaviour and manipulation. Kassys<br />

uses the conventions of the theatre to confront a group of good-natured people (the audience)<br />

with themselves, or with their species at the very least. The company deliberately plays with<br />

mood and expectations of the people watching. Kassys sees the audience as a character, who<br />

wilfully lets himself be directed.<br />

With a large dose of self-mockery, the company exposes the hidden messages in human<br />

communication. Disenchanting and sometimes hilariously recognizable, the beauty of human<br />

success and failure is revealed for all to see. This is accomplished with a minimum of words and<br />

using distinctive body language, but without distractions and superfluous extras like storylines,<br />

fictional figures and caricatural acting. The performances do not work towards an (expected)<br />

dramatic climax, but provide a profusion of drama shrouded in subdued excitement.<br />

International<br />

Kassys took Kommer to Belgium, Germany, France and the United States. Liga and Good<br />

cop bad cop will also go on international tour. The productions received good reviews in the<br />

international press. The San Francisco Chronicle wrote: ‘Art doesn’t just mirror life in Kommer.<br />

Each refracts and reflects upon the other in facets that continue to engage the mind and make<br />

one hope that this won’t be the last we’ll see of Kassys’.<br />

Liga<br />

Photo: AX710<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

33


Language<br />

English<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic direction: Nicole Beutler, Hester van Hasselt,<br />

Ivana Müller, Paz Rojo and David Weber-Krebs<br />

T +31 (0)6 – 12 93 54 32<br />

E info@associationlisa.com<br />

I www.associationlisa.com<br />

Platform for reflection<br />

LISA<br />

and exchange<br />

Lisa is an Amsterdam-based maker’s initiative and production facility belonging to the independent<br />

dance and performance makers Nicole Beutler, Hester van Hasselt, Ivana Müller, Paz Rojo<br />

and David Weber-Krebs. Lisa also serves as a platform for reflection and artistic exchange.<br />

Ever since it was founded, lisa’s aim has been to initiate discussion. The company does this<br />

on the basis of its conviction that reflecting upon one’s own work and that of others, as well<br />

as upon developments in the world of art as a whole, is both necessary and productive.<br />

It is difficult to translate lisa’s work into words. It sometimes features dance, sometimes video.<br />

It is sometimes light-hearted, sometimes funny, and sometimes philosophical. Although all the<br />

various lisas have their own specific, well-defined theatre language, their work also displays similarities.<br />

For example, lisa productions always leave as much room as possible for the audience’s<br />

imagination. And they always pose questions, about perceived reality, for example,<br />

or the effects of theatricality.<br />

International<br />

Lisa focuses as much on the Dutch theatre world as on foreign audiences. During the last<br />

few years, lisa has performed in almost every country in Europe (England, Belgium, Germany,<br />

Spain, Scandinavia, etc). This is how things stand at the moment and little is expected to change.<br />

On request, David Weber-Krebs will for example tour Brazil with various projects. Ivana Müller<br />

is taking While We Were Holding It Together from Finland to Hungary and from Switzerland to<br />

Singapore. Nearly all lisa shows are made in co-production with foreign theatres/organizations.<br />

Ivana Müller was recently presented with the Charlotte Köhler prize, and lisa regularly receives<br />

favourable reviews at home and abroad.<br />

Enter Ghost, Nicole Beutler<br />

Photo: Anja Beutler<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

35


Language<br />

None/on request<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic direction: Lotte van den Berg<br />

Via Toneelhuis, Belgium<br />

T +32 3 224 88 821<br />

E info@toneelhuis.be<br />

I www.toneelhuis.be<br />

Looking and feeling,<br />

Lotte van den Berg<br />

not understanding<br />

Lotte van den Berg makes sober, muted productions that focus on looking and feeling, and not<br />

usually on understanding. And if she does lift a tiny corner of the veil, it’s because she wants her<br />

audience to look from a different angle, allowing them to see other things or to see the same<br />

things differently. Lotte van den Berg makes sharp observations, with a keen eye for telling<br />

details and apparently unconscious gestures. From a searching viewpoint, right through the<br />

surface of the accepted conceptualization. Genuinely conscious innocence.<br />

Lotte van den Berg creates much of her work on location, such as Het blauwe uur/The blue hour,<br />

Braakland/Fallow grounds and Gerucht/Rumour. She does this for children and adults, choosing<br />

not only to work with professional actors, but also with young people and amateurs. The<br />

production Begijnenstraat 42, for example, was performed in a prison and the prisoners finally<br />

ended up on stage together with the wardens and professional actors. She describes her own<br />

reaction: ‘The reactions were so intense, it really stirred people up. ‘This is how it should be! This<br />

is worthwhile!’ was what went through me’.<br />

International<br />

International programmers are watching Lotte van den Berg’s work with growing interest.<br />

In 2007, Het blauwe uur/The blue hour appeared in Wiener Festwochen (Vienna). Braakland/<br />

Fallow grounds toured Brazil, Germany, France and Spain. Stillen/Sate had an Italian during<br />

the Drodesera festival and was the opening number for the Off Limits festival in Dortmund.<br />

In 2008, Winterverblijf/Winter residence will be performed in Hamburg. The internationally<br />

acclaimed Stillen/Sate will be travelling to Norway and France amongst other countries, and<br />

Gerucht will probably tour from Turkey to the Ukraine.<br />

‘She accentuates insignificant gestures and events that would usually go unnoticed. This is her<br />

way of creating space to allow the audience to see beyond the confines of their imagination’,<br />

wrote De Standaard newspaper (Belgium).<br />

Gerucht/Rumour<br />

Photo: Koen Broos<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

37


Language<br />

Dutch/Hungarian/German/Italian/English<br />

(and on request)<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Petra Ardai<br />

T +31 (0)20 – 423 58 26 / +31 (0)20 – 422 59 86<br />

E post@spaceworld.nl<br />

I www.spaceworld.nl<br />

Agency: Alles voor de kunsten,<br />

www.allesvoordekunsten.nl<br />

Social issues<br />

Space<br />

under the knife<br />

Space is the theatre company belonging to Petra Ardai and Luc van Loo. Since the 2007/2008<br />

season, the company’s numbers have been boosted by Nienke Rooijakkers and Wilma Kuite.<br />

Space performs ‘keyhole surgery’: they make interdisciplinary theatre documentaries in which<br />

social issues come under the knife and politics are made personal. On the subject of new<br />

Europe, for example, Space asks the question: who am I in relation to where I live? Space<br />

removes taboos from their singular context, thereby exposing the world behind the facts.<br />

The company tries to find theatrical ways of overstepping documentaries.<br />

Space designs events in which the boundary between spectator and actor are erased; the<br />

makers, actors and audience together form a community undergoing research. Space always<br />

adapts the concept to suit the location and the occasion, thereby allowing several different<br />

versions of the same idea to emerge. Many of Space’s shows are performed out of doors.<br />

International<br />

Space is a Dutch theatre company with roots in two cultures: Hungarian and Dutch.<br />

The company initiates projects in both countries and develops (adaptations of ) productions<br />

together with local artists. This intercultural, yet local, approach is typical of Space’s work.<br />

Holland Tsunami, a Hungarian-Dutch joint project, will have its in Budapest in 2008.<br />

Space took The Place Where We Belong to Germany; in 2008 it will tour Hungary. Design God<br />

will be performed in 2007 in Budapest and Berlin, before going to Italy. Just like the worldwideheroshow,<br />

both productions can in principle be performed world-wide. As from 2009, Space<br />

will be working on FutureCity, a multi-annual inter-local joint project between the Netherlands,<br />

Hungary, Germany, Turkey and Serbia.<br />

The place where we belong<br />

Photo: Marc Pohl<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

39


Language<br />

English<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Neville Tranter<br />

T +31 (0)20 645 7568<br />

E info@stuffedpuppet.nl<br />

I www.stuffedpuppet.nl<br />

Stuffed Puppet<br />

Theatre /<br />

Visual and emotional<br />

Neville Tranter<br />

adult puppet theatre<br />

Neville Tranter moved to the Netherlands after Stuffed Puppet had taken part in the Festival of<br />

Fools in Amsterdam in 1978. In his new homeland his visual and emotional adult puppet theatre<br />

developed to assume its present form. In his own brutal, ruthless but poetic way, he confronts<br />

the audience with their fears and dreams, urges and desires, personified by what are often<br />

life-size talking puppets. A minimal decor, solo on stage, with nothing but his puppets, Neville<br />

Tranter is capable of evoking images that the audience will not forget for a long time. His combination<br />

of down-to-earth humour, deadly seriousness and virtuoso puppetry has already made<br />

permanent converts of many who had presumed that for them, puppetry had nothing to offer.<br />

International<br />

Neville Tranter has performed throughout Europe, from Portugal to Norway and from Poland to<br />

Ireland. But he was also well received in Japan, the United States, Canada, Brazil and Israel, with<br />

productions such as Molière, Schicklgruber alias Adolf Hitler and Vampyr. He has been awarded<br />

prizes in various countries, including the FigurentheaterFestival Erlangen prize in Germany, the<br />

Best performance at the World Festival of Puppet Art in the Czech Republic, the Sirene d’oro in<br />

Italy and the Grand prix of the PIF in Croatia.<br />

Schicklgruber, alias Adolf Hitler<br />

Photo: Wim Sitvast<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

41


Language<br />

On request<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Judith Nab<br />

T +31 (0)20 – 427 24 09 / +31 (0)6 – 22 58 84 18<br />

E judith@theatreespace.nl<br />

I www.theatreespace.nl<br />

Spectators as<br />

Théâtre Espace<br />

the centre point<br />

Although the installations and expressive productions put on by Judith Nab/Théâtre Espace<br />

sometimes feature actors, mostly they do not. The spectators are often the centre point.<br />

They may follow a course or find themselves literally surrounded by the performance. Mankind<br />

and his surroundings form the basis.<br />

In much the same way as in real life, many elements play a role in the process of observing<br />

and experiencing the environment in productions by Théâtre Espace. Judith Nab uses a wide<br />

range of resources to intensify the confusion with reality: new and old media, mirrors and lenses,<br />

noise samples, all kinds of manual and electronic animated objects and figures and most of all...<br />

darkness.<br />

Judith Nab works on the performances together with other artists, including composers,<br />

inventors/technicians, a draftsman, painter or choreographer. In the main role, and almost<br />

forming a duo with her, is Han de Jonge, inventor and technical help and stay.<br />

The Belgian newspaper De Standaard made the following comment about Violetstraat 35<br />

(a production in a deserted house): ‘In Violetstraat 35, you come to realize that Judith Nab and<br />

her team know exactly how to stir your imagination (...) Anyone not going in here is missing a<br />

real gem’.<br />

International<br />

Théâtre Espace was founded in Paris and moved to the Netherlands in 2000. Judith Nab’s<br />

productions and installations are performed everywhere, often arising from a commission<br />

on location. For example, the installation Black Box, which was inspired by the architecture<br />

and history of a specific building. Tailor-made projects came into being in various European<br />

countries, particularly in France. She sometimes creates pieces suitable for ‘black box’ theatres<br />

or for an exhibition context, such as Nightshot, a non-stop installation for one person,<br />

in partnership with the composer David De Buyser.<br />

The new project All the people I didn’t meet (release summer 2008) is a non-stop installation<br />

for forty people at a time in large halls, and will be taken to Italy, France, Belgium and Scotland.<br />

Black Box<br />

Photo: Christophe L’Oiseau<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

43


Language<br />

None<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Koos Hogeweg<br />

T +31 (0)6 - 55 14 59 87<br />

E info@lunatics.nl<br />

I www.lunatics.nl<br />

The Lunatics<br />

Poetic spectacle theatre<br />

For the last fifteen years, the Lunatics have been producing raw yet poetic expressive spectacle<br />

theatre in unusual locations throughout Europe and beyond. Always packed with stunts and<br />

special effects. Humour, fantasy and the elements water, fire, air and earth battle for supremacy,<br />

often in the literal sense. A mixture of absurdity and realism creates an outlandish reality in<br />

which nothing is what it seems. Their productions, which have no text, provide an inspiring<br />

platform for social issues such as nature and human emotions. Realistic situations meet the<br />

unexplainable, logic meets mystery.<br />

The Lunatics’ higher aspiration is to breathe new life into ‘the art of fantasy’. They want to force<br />

people into allowing their imagination to take them beyond the bounds of reality. In the wild<br />

hope that fantasy will run away with reality, making it more hopeful, exciting, better and richer.<br />

Because today’s reality is so excruciatingly boring, frighteningly small-minded and increasingly<br />

devoid of imagination.<br />

International<br />

The Lunatics perform across the world. From 2000, Sandman was performed in Venezuela, Brazil,<br />

Mexico, France, Germany, Belgium, Austria and Poland. Other productions were performed in<br />

countries including South-Africa, Poland and Germany. Some of them even had their across<br />

the national borders: Black Moon in Indonesia, Lunagua in Mexico. Black Moon was produced<br />

and presented in partnership with an Indonesian company, and Ku-Do together with a Korean<br />

group. The Lunatics also boast a number of prestigious awards. Joint first prize for Sandman at<br />

the International Straßentheater Festival in Holzminden, Germany. This honour was also bestowed<br />

on Sputnik at the International Straßentheater Festival in Detmold, Germany. Quote from<br />

the jury report: ‘Even before the performance has begun, no-one can mistake a Lunatics set for<br />

the work of any other company, and the audience is filled with curiosity about the comical/<br />

poetical events which will unfold’.<br />

Lunagua<br />

Photo: B. Moyron<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

45


Language<br />

English/German<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Ulrike Quade<br />

Agency: Bureau Berbee,<br />

www.bureauberbee.nl<br />

T +31 (0)20 – 627 04 55<br />

E info@ulrikequade.nl / info@bureauberbee.nl<br />

I www.ulrikequade.nl<br />

Ulrike Quade<br />

Intense, innocent, open<br />

Productions by Ulrike Quade are directly engaging thanks to their intensity and innocence, their<br />

open character and the astonishing way she brings objects and characters to life. It is expressive<br />

theatre with powerful musical elements, which makes optimum use of the eloquence of effect<br />

and body language.<br />

Quade considers it important to merge form and content to create to single entity. This corresponds<br />

with a contemporary worldview whereby boundaries are fading and people and the<br />

world itself are constantly on the move. By assigning the terms content and form an equal status<br />

on the main issue, she is embracing a dynamism that becomes both inspirational and questioning<br />

due to the very absence of this distinction. She searches for creative room and inspiration<br />

from a whole range of angles. By keeping personal control of the direction, scenography and<br />

the acting, she allows these individual components to flow into each other unchecked.<br />

As Quade & Paiva (2003-2005), she and the dancer Duda Paiva created the successful<br />

productions Dead Orange Walk, (based on the diaries of the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo),<br />

Two Old Ladies and the double programme Nude Volume/Angel.<br />

International<br />

Ulrike Quade has spent a lot of time touring abroad during the past few years. She has put<br />

on shows in countries including Great Britain, Canada, US, Germany, Switzerland, France,<br />

Scandinavia, Bolivia and Brazil. In 2004, she was the first Dutch director to receive a Directors<br />

Lab stipend from the Lincoln Center in New York. In June 2007, she was made artist in residence<br />

at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts in the United States, where she devised her<br />

production The Wall (2008). She produced the show The Second Goodbye (2007) together with<br />

the Taiyuan Puppet Theatre Company in Taipei, Taiwan under the direction of Jos van Kan.<br />

Me Too – a sideshow<br />

Photo: Sergio Gridelli<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

47


Language<br />

On request<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Arjen Anker<br />

T +31 (0)294 – 41 15 86<br />

E info@visavis.nl<br />

I www.visavis.nl<br />

Petty bourgeois style<br />

Vis à Vis<br />

of humour<br />

The Vis à Vis theatre company mainly produces large-scale, ingenious summer shows and<br />

projects on location. Visual, dynamic and often just plain spectacular productions, in which<br />

effect and action are more important than the dialogue.<br />

The visual comedy produced by Vis à Vis represents a poetic but chiefly funny commentary on<br />

modern-day man. The company puts the unruly everyday reality of life into an enlightening perspective.<br />

Their approach is indebted to the ‘language’ of film and the rich vocabulary of slapstick.<br />

The company is renowned for its use of special effects and stunning scenery, which often<br />

undergo awesome metamorphoses during the performance. Their technical ingenuity is mainly<br />

intended to underline the message contained in their productions and to supplement their<br />

subtle, petty bourgeois style of humour.<br />

Since it was founded in 1990, the company’s nine productions have attracted a faithful following<br />

of diverse audiences, and they have performed at large-scale festivals in fourteen countries from<br />

Scandinavia to New Zealand. Vis à Vis has acquired valuable experience of outdoor theatre in<br />

very differing conditions.<br />

International<br />

Vis à Vis’ last foreign tour was in 2002, when they performed Picnic in Wellington, New Zealand<br />

(International Festival of the Arts). The company had previously toured in England, Austria and<br />

Switzerland. More recent Vis à Vis productions are also entirely well-suited to foreign tours; there<br />

is little text and they rely heavily on effects. Groenland/Greenland is a bitter visual comedy about<br />

the issue of climate change; Kooiboys is a traditional Dutch drama about two peasant sons vainly<br />

attempting to escape their tyrannical father.<br />

Groenland/Greenland<br />

Photo: Bob Eshuis<br />

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49


Language<br />

None<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Warner van Wely<br />

T +31 (0)75 – 631 19 80<br />

E info@warnerenconsorten.nl<br />

I www.warnerenconsorten.nl<br />

Abstract collages<br />

Warner & Consorten<br />

of everyday elements<br />

Warner & Consorten is a theatre company that consists of artists, musicians, dancers and designers.<br />

They perform in places that are not normally intended for theatre. Their work is the fusion of<br />

working methods and processes from visual art, music and physical theatre. Abstract collages<br />

based on recognizable everyday elements. Their performances are without dialogue, but<br />

communicate in an original visual language, thereby appealing to the spectator’s imagination.<br />

An adventure of the senses. Simple and transparent; provocative and surprising.<br />

Warner & Consorten was founded in 1993 by Warner van Wely, who was the artistic director of<br />

the internationally acclaimed performance theatre company Dogtroep from 1975 until 1990.<br />

Right from the start of Warner & Consorten, he has worked with (wild) young artists from a<br />

variety of backgrounds, as a laboratory company researching new methods for performance<br />

art and street theatre.<br />

This approach has resulted in a wide and varied range of productions: street theatre productions;<br />

location-based productions for a walking audience; international workshop productions<br />

with local artists: international co-productions. The newest development in the work of Warner<br />

& Consorten is a shift towards improvisational object theatre and choreographic theatre.<br />

International<br />

Warner & Consorten has performed throughout Europe, in Africa, South America and Asia.<br />

From important festivals in France, China and Columbia to co-productions in Kenya, England<br />

and Germany. All their productions have been performed abroad, apart from the location-based<br />

performances. The ‘work in progress’ street theatre production Bokkesprongen/Jumping of the<br />

Goat previewed in Erlangen, Germany in spring 2007 and is highly suitable for travelling further<br />

abroad. Warner & Consorten’s Straatstaal was awarded the ‘prix de la critique’ at the MIMOS<br />

festival in Perigueux, France.<br />

Guerilla<br />

Photo: Jeroen Daniël Leonhard<br />

The Dutch on tour Physical, site-specific and object theatre<br />

51


Dutch youth theatre<br />

is far from childish<br />

Youth theatre in the Netherlands has grown up in recent years. Youth theatre groups make artistically<br />

valuable plays, combining different genres and sources of inspiration, for audiences ranging from<br />

toddlers to teenagers.<br />

With drama, dance, music, mime, cabaret, puppetry and opera, the doors of the theatres in the<br />

Netherlands are wide open to a multicultural public, ranging from toddlers to teenagers. The<br />

diversity of the work on offer and the age range provided for are becoming increasingly wider.<br />

At one end of the growth curve, the repertoire for age 15 and up merges with that for the adult<br />

theatregoer. At the other end, the repertoire for age 3 and up is on the increase, providing<br />

theatre for an audience that is barely out of nappies yet.<br />

Art for a young audience has undergone enormous expansion, partly because of the influence<br />

of government policy. Since the inception of the government project Cultuur en School<br />

(Culture and School), looking at art has formed part of the national curriculum in schools, and<br />

cultural institutions work in close collaboration with educators. In this way, children from all<br />

levels of the population can develop an eye for art. Secondary school pupils even visit museums,<br />

concert halls and theatres with culture coupons provided by the government for their final<br />

exam in Cultural and Artistic Education.<br />

As a consequence of this development, every theatre company for adults regularly stages<br />

performances for a young audience. Established companies such as the Onafhankelijk Toneel<br />

and the ro theater put on family performances. The established youth theatre companies are<br />

spread throughout the country and, in principle, every province has at least one company of its<br />

own that specialises in a young audience. They receive structural subsidy from the government<br />

for four-year periods to make performances for the school circuit and theatres. The largest workplace<br />

for youth theatre, Het Lab, ensures the rise of new talent and offers space for experiments,<br />

as do a lot of of other companies on a (slightly) smaller scale. In total, subsidised youth theatre<br />

in the Netherlands embraces some thirty youth theatre companies and work places besides the<br />

performing arts for a young audience created by companies from the adult circuit.<br />

The Dutch on tour Youth theatre<br />

53


With drama, dance, music, mime,<br />

cabaret, puppetry and opera, the<br />

doors of the theatres are wide open<br />

to a multicultural public, ranging<br />

from toddlers to teenagers<br />

Questions of life<br />

A bird’s-eye-view of the artistic landscape reveals a mixture of theatre, dance, music and new<br />

media and all the possible hybrids between them. Though it may be possible to differentiate<br />

between individual theatre companies and music-theatre companies, many performances are<br />

multi-disciplinary. Speeltheater Holland, for instance, makes performances with puppets,<br />

actors, dancers, musicians and film images. And <strong>Theater</strong> Sonnevanck gives voice to primal fears<br />

in the scary forest of fairytales, such as Hansel and Gretel, with a combination of physical performance<br />

and modern music. But there are also theatre companies that specialise in a specific<br />

genre, such as textual theatre. The subject matter in the performances is equally varied and may<br />

deal with anything from the colourful imagination of a toddler or a young person’s questions<br />

about life to the dark realities of the world news. The work of the theatre company Huis aan<br />

de Amstel, for instance, ranges from the marvellous winter fairytale Wolf! or the production<br />

Storm*Gek about the experiences of a girl with divorced parents, to the life of homeless children,<br />

shoe-cleaners and film stars in a show about the hectic city of Bombay. Youth theatre is a place<br />

where children and adults are confronted with both the large and small questions of life.<br />

International and intercultural<br />

Dutch youth theatre is often known abroad for breaking new ground. International exchanges<br />

extend from Europe to America and even to Russia and Korea. Companies such as Huis aan de<br />

Amstel, Het Waterhuis, <strong>Theater</strong>groep Wederzijds, <strong>Theater</strong> Artemis, Stella Den Haag, <strong>Theater</strong>groep<br />

Max., Speeltheater Holland, <strong>Theater</strong> Terra and Het Filiaal are guests that are welcomed abroad<br />

with open arms.<br />

For example, in the 2006-2007 season Het Filiaal took the theatrical family concert Baron<br />

Rabinovitsj to Broadway, New York. And in St. Louis, a remake of De Oceaanvlucht van Kapitein<br />

Lindberg/Captain Lindbergh’s Ocean Flight attracted a staggering 60,000 visitors. The company<br />

is not alone in enjoying this American success. Artistic director Onny Huisink of Speeltheater<br />

Holland is a regular guest director with The Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis and his<br />

colleague Moniek Merkx, from <strong>Theater</strong>groep Max., also directed a performance in Minneapolis.<br />

Dutch youth theatre makers regard working in the technically well-equipped American youth<br />

theatres as a challenge, and the subject matter of Dutch youth theatre is likewise a challenge<br />

for the Americans. Individual tours by a company usually take place because of the specific aura<br />

of the performances. Stella Den Haag appeals to the imagination of international audiences<br />

by creating musical theatre packed with weird and wonderful effects. And <strong>Theater</strong>groep Max.<br />

can always count on a warm welcome abroad thanks to the astonishing way the company approaches<br />

its productions.<br />

This international collaboration covers international workshops, foreign tours and exchanges<br />

between guest directors and other theatre makers, and it regularly results in groundbreaking<br />

co-productions between companies.<br />

Experimental theatre<br />

Youth theatre makers in the Netherlands love to cross existing boundaries. In the last thirty years,<br />

youth theatre developed from the traditional fairytale theatre to engaged, less didactic, and<br />

artistically valuable work. Such writers as Pauline Mol, Ad de Bont, Hans van den Boom, Heleen<br />

Verburg and children’s author Imme Dros developed a repertoire for a young public, and later,<br />

young writers such as Esther Gerritsen and Benny Lindelauf followed in their footsteps.<br />

The tendency to tailor classic texts from the world repertoire to suit children is still popular.<br />

Theatre makers who adapt texts for children from the Ancient Greeks to Shakespeare, or the<br />

absurdist Ionesco, assume that children are well able to understand the underlying meaning.<br />

In daily life, the young public is also confronted with classical themes such as power, death or<br />

sexuality, and just like adults they recognise themselves in great emotions such as love, hate, fear<br />

54 The Dutch on tour Youth theatre<br />

The Dutch on tour Youth theatre<br />

55


Youth theatre is a place where<br />

children and adults are confronted<br />

with both the large and small<br />

questions of life<br />

or aggression. The reinterpretation of classic scripts represented a prelude to a personal style of<br />

writing for youth theatre. Within the framework defined by these stories, the actors were able<br />

to experiment with the dramaturgy, the narrative style and the use of language for young audiences.<br />

The range is now as extensive as in youth literature, which was in turn also a huge source<br />

of inspiration.<br />

A relatively new instrument in this respect is the use of scripts that reflect children’s lives in a<br />

contemporary family setting. Lives that include biological parents, step-parents, and brothers<br />

and sisters that can also be half-brothers and sisters or step-brothers and sisters.<br />

The habit of telling logical and linear stories to children has largely been abandoned in youth<br />

theatre. Children appear to be very susceptible to performances that, like dreams, are full of<br />

imaginative and leaping associations. In recent times, the repertoire has been set in a picturesque<br />

and daring way. Theatre makers allow themselves to be inspired by literature, poetry,<br />

music, dance, cabaret and puppetry, and they experiment with all sorts of performance styles.<br />

The design is exuberant and mirrors the styles in the visual arts.<br />

The development of the national Jeugdtheaterfestival (Youth Theatre Festival) into the children’s<br />

arts festival Tweetakt is exemplary for the recent history of youth theatre. It began in 1984 as a<br />

festival of drama, music-theatre and puppetry. Later, it grew into an experimental arts festival<br />

which, in addition to theatre, presented dance, music and film for children. In 2007 it had grown<br />

into a festival covering the entire gamut of arts disciplines for the young, ranging from interactive<br />

multi-media theatre to a ‘Little Biennale’ with visual art for children.<br />

A look at the future<br />

The future of youth theatre is looking good. For many years, people worried about where the<br />

next generation of youth theatre-makers would come from, but the tide has now turned and we<br />

are seeing a growing group of new and exciting theatre-makers. These youthful producers are<br />

not simply following in the footsteps of their predecessors; they are following their own hearts.<br />

They are paving a wonderful, theatrical path out through a city or creating a show full<br />

of water-creatures in a spherical, floating theatre. They design a Mensenmuseum/People Museum<br />

or produce a Voorstelling waarin hopelijk niets gebeurt/Performance in which hopefully. And they<br />

do not envisage a future dominated by an eternal bond with young audiences. To them, it is<br />

only natural to switch between adults and children. This concept is in line with that of numerous<br />

experienced theatre-makers who have been making this cross-over for many years. More and<br />

more companies catering to both types of audience are starting to emerge. Huis aan de Amstel<br />

is now producing shows for adults as well as youth theatre. Wederzijds, which specialises in<br />

shows for the classroom and the gym, also produces target group theatre about civil servants,<br />

the army or healthcare institutions. And in much the same way, het Onafhankelijk Toneel or<br />

Toneelgroep Amsterdam also creates youth theatre productions.<br />

The boundaries between theatre for children and theatre for adults are blurring. Youth theatre<br />

performances are no less enjoyable for parents than for children, and alternatively, young people<br />

readily go to see adult theatre. In the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, theatrical concerts for<br />

children and youngsters are performed. The large festivals reflect this trend and they often have<br />

a ‘children’s department’ in addition to their regular repertoire.<br />

Companies, theatres, concert halls and festivals increasingly programme for the young, the old<br />

and the entire family and some youth theatre makers even entertain the idea of making performances<br />

for an adult audience about the life and experience of children. A child’s outlook is, after<br />

all, an inspiration for young and old alike.<br />

Anita Twaalfhoven<br />

56 The Dutch on tour Youth theatre<br />

The Dutch on tour Youth theatre<br />

57


Language<br />

On request<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic directors: Loek Beumer and Peter Drost<br />

T +31 (0)6 – 23 97 89 94<br />

E info@beumerendrost.nl<br />

I www.beumerendrost.nl<br />

Agency: Hummelinck Stuurman, for Belgium:<br />

Thassos<br />

Beumer & Drost<br />

Scintillating originality<br />

Toneelschap Beumer & Drost is a company of theatre makers that allows the opportunity to<br />

escape from reality by offering boundless fantasy and infectious onstage pleasure. Since 1997,<br />

the company has been producing family shows for wide audiences of 8 years and above for<br />

theatres in the Netherlands and Belgium. The Beumer & Drost signature is apparent in everything<br />

they produce; in their approach to acting, in fantasy, in mime and in song. They devise,<br />

develop, write and compose all their own work. Toneelschap Beumer & Drost has declared a<br />

never-ending quest for scintillating originality.<br />

International<br />

During the last few years, Beumer & Drost has performed in England, Austria, France, US, Canada,<br />

Switzerland and Germany. In 2008, Beumer & Drost will be performing Hobbit de voorstelling/<br />

Hobbit the play at the IPAY festival in Tampa Bay, Florida. In Hobbit, two men make a miraculous<br />

journey on and under the stage of their imagination; they become entwined in a comedy film<br />

in which everything makes a noise and sound is given a colour. The shows Ingeblikt/Canned and<br />

Gasten/Guests are also highly suitable for touring. Ingeblikt/Canned is a complicated embroilment<br />

about a rusty old can containing a few film fragments that have stuck together, but which are<br />

otherwise unconnected. At least ... this is how it seems. The Gasten/Guests build one last changing-room<br />

alongside the 205,212 that already exist in the Netherlands. A light-hearted, bouncy,<br />

strange, bizarre, and yet poetic show about sporting affairs.<br />

Gasten<br />

Photo: Anne Boeschoten<br />

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59


Language<br />

English<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic direction: Monique Corvers<br />

T 31 (0)30 – 273 49 56<br />

E info@het-filiaal.nl<br />

I www.het-filiaal.nl<br />

Agency: <strong>Theater</strong>bureau Slot, www.totslot.nl<br />

Lively and full<br />

Het Filiaal<br />

of loving precision<br />

Het Filiaal produces youth and music theatre for wide audiences, for young and old, for families<br />

and schools, at home and abroad. Het Filiaal’s work varies from spectacular music theatre for audiences<br />

of a thousand people, to well-considered art projects on a much smaller scale, designed<br />

to give children an intensive introduction to every facet of theatre. Music, theatre and expressive<br />

art are all taken equally seriously as disciplines.<br />

The working relationship between director Monique Corvers and the Hungarian-Canadian<br />

composer Gábor Tarján is a characteristic feature of Het Filiaal productions. The loving precision<br />

and sense of humour with which they integrate text, music, acting and image has become Het<br />

Filiaal’s trademark. In their productions, Corvers and Tarján clearly enjoy their close encounters<br />

with small stage art, world music, musicals or classical concerts. But the rhythm and musicality<br />

of their shows make even their minor excursions into stage plays unmistakeably Het Filiaal<br />

productions. In other words: sometimes very funny, occasionally serious, but always lively.<br />

International<br />

The first theatrical family concert produced by Het Filiaal, Baron Rabinovitsj, was a huge hit at<br />

IPAY 2005 (US) and went on to become very popular. Het Filiaal opted for serial performances in<br />

large auditoriums, including on Broadway. Their relationship with the US started when they took<br />

part in the TIN’s US/Netherlands Touring and Exchange Program, after which Het Filiaal made<br />

regular flights across the ocean. Monique Corvers has meanwhile been approached as a guest<br />

director by two of America’s largest companies (Seattle and Minneapolis); Het Filiaal will be presenting<br />

a large-scale production in Minneapolis in the 2009/2010 season. The new production<br />

entitled Zo plat als de wereld/As flat as the world, which was inspired by paintings by Magritte,<br />

films by Tati and the chaos of Monty Python, is also suitable for touring abroad.<br />

Baron Rabinovitsj<br />

Photo: Joris van Bennekom<br />

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61


Language<br />

On request<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Roel Twijnstra<br />

T 31 (0)10-2409846<br />

E info@hetwaterhuis.nl<br />

I www.hetwaterhuis.nl<br />

Setting sail<br />

Het Waterhuis<br />

across the world<br />

Het Waterhuis has been producing theatre for children and young people since 1995. Rotterdam<br />

is both the home base and the point of departure for this professional youth theatre company.<br />

The dynamics of the city do not only inspire Het Waterhuis to explore the depths of contemporary<br />

issues in the Netherlands, but also to set sail for other parts of the world. Under the artistic<br />

direction of Roel Twijnstra and his young, professional actors from all corners of the earth, Het<br />

Waterhuis puts on productions that range from moving and confrontational to exciting and<br />

funny. Talent, technology, video, music and dance are combined to create innovative theatre<br />

productions. International interest and involvement have encouraged Het Waterhuis to sail<br />

abroad to devise productions with local theatre companies in other countries. The productions<br />

are initially performed at the location where they are created, before being brought back to the<br />

Netherlands and Belgium.<br />

International<br />

Indaba is an annual gathering of actors, directors and choreographers from the Netherlands<br />

and South-Africa, which is organized by Het Waterhuis and Pim Broere Promotions. Aim: to swap<br />

experiences and promote expertise amongst local amateur dramatic groups and professional<br />

theatre companies aiming to inform and educate people about AIDS by using music and drama.<br />

The results are incorporated into productions which are performed in the townships, in rural<br />

areas and sometimes also in the Netherlands. In 2007, Het Waterhuis toured South-Africa with<br />

the show Kruik/Jar. The company now wants to expand its international activities in South-Africa,<br />

Morocco and Suriname. Up until now the production No kidding, featuring two female dancers<br />

from two very different worlds, has only been performed in the Netherlands and Belgium,<br />

but the company is keen to take it further across the national borders.<br />

Kruik/Jar<br />

Photo: John Hogg<br />

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63


Language<br />

German/English on request<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Liesbeth Coltof<br />

T +31(0)20 – 622 93 28<br />

E info@huisaandeamstel.nl<br />

I www.huisaandeamstel.nl<br />

Agency: Via Rudolphi, www.viarudolphi.nl<br />

Adventurous, frivolous<br />

Huis aan de Amstel<br />

and complex<br />

Huis aan de Amstel is one of the few Dutch companies that makes theatre productions aimed<br />

at both adults and young people. Director Liesbeth Coltof has the artistic lead. Her productions<br />

are characterized by a profound involvement with the modern world. Productions full of hope<br />

because they offer resistance to post-modern uncertainty.<br />

Theatre that uses the power of imagination and humour to pose questions, and to shine a light<br />

on the major and minor events affecting the lives of individuals. Theatre that shows reality in an<br />

unexpected perspective and which is poetic, frivolous and complex. Theatre in which the actors<br />

clearly enjoy their work and which exudes healthy and accurate collaboration between makers<br />

from various artistic disciplines such as film, puppet theatre and music.<br />

Huis aan de Amstel works together with experienced and young writers to devise new scripts<br />

and come up with ingenious and unusual interpretations of classic repertoire. Alongside work<br />

by Liesbeth Coltof, Huis aan de Amstel introduces a new generation of directors. The basic aim<br />

is to acquaint audiences with adventurous theatre that is both personal and universal.<br />

International<br />

Wolf!, Vernon God Little and Storm*Gek are Huis aan de Amstel productions that have recently<br />

been performed in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the US. The company has been awarded<br />

prizes including the international Victor Award for Wolf! The German press made the following<br />

comment about Brandkoorts: ‘Feuergesicht is not intended for softy child psychologists. Liesbeth<br />

Coltof makes no secret of this. The director and her Huis aan de Amstel from Amsterdam<br />

successfully conveyed this disruptive, amoral sketch about the puberty of a young German<br />

playwright […] Every word spoken by the adolescent, highly inflammable main character leaves<br />

an explosive impression. Right from the very start’.<br />

Most Huis aan de Amstel productions, for example Aan de overkant/On the other Side and Huisvuil/Household<br />

rubbish, are suitable for performances abroad.<br />

Aan de overkant/On the other side<br />

Photo: Sanne Peper<br />

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Language<br />

On request<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Flora Verbrugge<br />

T +31 (0)53 – 431 54 00<br />

E trapman@sonnevanck.nl<br />

I www.sonnevanck.nl<br />

Jeugdtheater<br />

A plea for staying<br />

Sonnevanck<br />

soft inside<br />

Sonnevanck produces expressive and physical music theatre for young audiences between<br />

4 and 12 years old. The style of acting is designed to generate empathy for the emotional line<br />

of all the characters, by means of script, music, effect (costumes) and movement. The music<br />

is performed live by musicians and singers, who also play a role in the dramatic proceedings.<br />

Themes such as ‘individualization’, or ‘fear in a culture that has over-estimated itself’ are put into<br />

a context that is recognizable to children via traditional fairytales or new, magical metaphors.<br />

Flora Verbrugge, artistic director of the company: ‘I produce theatre that makes a plea for staying<br />

soft inside. A plea to resist the hardening process, despite the pressure from the outside world’.<br />

International<br />

Sonnevanck’s attachment to good, sensitive language means that the company does not often<br />

perform abroad, apart from at festivals. They mainly focus on co-productions or reproductions<br />

of performances. The company looks for partners in Europe, as well as in Asia. Sonnevanck<br />

shows are often reproduced in Germany. The productions Oroek, of: zout in je snuit/Oroek, or:<br />

salt in your muzzle, Schaap/Sheep, Kommer en Courage/Sorrow and Courage and Roodkapje/Little<br />

Red Riding Hood are suitable for translation and performance at foreign festivals. There are<br />

also smaller-scale productions for the classroom or small theatres, such as Ontsnapping uit het<br />

sprookje/Escape from the fairytale in German, Assepoes/Cinderella in English and Het lelijke kleine<br />

eendje/The Ugly Duckling in French. In the ’08-’09 season, Sonnevanck will be presenting a largescale<br />

Dutch-German co-production of Sneeuwwitje/Snow White with two casts.<br />

Roodkapje/Little Red Riding Hood<br />

Photo: Marc-Jan Trapman<br />

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Language<br />

English/Papiamento<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Wijnand Stomp<br />

T +31 (0)23 – 527 82 79<br />

E kalebas@kalebas.nl<br />

I www.kalebas.nl<br />

Theatre of<br />

Kalebas Produkties<br />

world folktales<br />

Kalebas Produkties turns world folktales into theatre for all young and old. Artistic direction is in<br />

the hands of Wijnand Stomp, alias Mister Anansi, who creates narrative performances in which<br />

his colourful origins play an important role. He derives much of his inspiration from the Antilles,<br />

his mother country. His theatrical, physical style of acting and narrating brings the characters<br />

from his stories to life, encouraging the children to use their imagination. Together with other<br />

makers and narrators, age-old maxims and folktales are given a modern twist and related to<br />

our everyday lives.<br />

Shows put on by Kalebas Produkties stand out for the personal character of the narratives.<br />

The story-teller asks himself and his audience the same question: who am I? Hearing stories<br />

from the past or from other worlds can help to define your own self-image. The more you<br />

know about a culture, the richer you are.<br />

The stories narrated by Kalebas are cheerful, mischievous and compelling. Themes can<br />

range from cunning and deception to vulnerability and identity, but regardless of the mood,<br />

performances are always both comical and moving.<br />

International<br />

Wijnand Stomp has made various tours of the Dutch Antilles and Great Britain. Productions<br />

such as Zus & Mathilde/Sister & Matilda, Tante Jewel’s Talentenshow/Aunt Jewel’s Talent Show, Mister<br />

Anansi and Lisa & de Gestolen Winter/Lisa & the Stolen Winter were also performed in Suriname, on<br />

Aruba and the Dutch Antilles. Stomp has given a number of narrative workshops abroad.<br />

Together with Stichting Vista, he made a documentary about Anansi story-tellers in Ghana,<br />

where he also performed in front of the Dutch Embassy. Heimwee/Homesick, a show in which<br />

Soula Notos (Greece) tells her own story about being homesick, and Tussen Water en Wind/<br />

Between Water and Wind, with authentic African instruments, are also suitable for foreign tours.<br />

Tante Jewel’s Talentenshow/Aunt Jewel’s Talent Show<br />

Photo: Roelina Holtrop,<br />

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Language<br />

English/on request<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic direction: Jan-Willem van Kruyssen,<br />

Rick Nanne, Ben Harrison<br />

T +31 (0)75 – 771 57 70<br />

E info@muztheater.nl<br />

I www.muz.nu<br />

MUZtheater<br />

Anarchistic, bold, witty<br />

The MUZtheater has been around for 23 years. From its own breeding ground in Zaandam,<br />

the company produces contemporary shows that fire the imagination. The MUZtheater,<br />

which was originally founded by Theo Fransz and Jan-Willem van Kruyssen, started out as one<br />

of the professional theatre companies that focused specifically on 12 to 18-year-old audiences.<br />

Nowadays, adults are also huge fans of MUZ productions.<br />

The MUZtheater performs in secondary schools and various theatres in the Netherlands and<br />

Flanders, but can sometimes be found in less likely (outdoor) locations, such as the river-side<br />

village Zaanse Schans and airports.<br />

Since its foundation, the MUZ has put on 41 anarchistic, bold, witty, tragic, confrontational<br />

productions, varying from new (Dutch) repertoire to adaptations of well-known classics.<br />

The shows are a theatrical reflection of modern-day reality. Raw and passionate, but moving<br />

with a sprinkle of humour. The combination of physical acting, sound compositions and<br />

multimedia has become a permanent feature in MUZ productions.<br />

International<br />

The MUZtheater regularly performs abroad, putting on its own productions as well as working<br />

with fellow companies throughout Europe. The company is a member of EUnetART (European<br />

Network of Art Organisations for Children and Young People), and therefore takes an active part<br />

in various European exchange projects. Since 2001, the MUZtheater has also been involved in<br />

Magic-Net, an artistic cross-border cooperative of thirteen theatres from twelve countries that<br />

aims to create and stage co-productions in various European countries. Most of them are<br />

English-spoken and therefore also suitable for countries outside Europe. The show Kop Vol<br />

Spijkers/Head of nails is the product of collaboration between the Netherlands, Russia and<br />

Portugal, and the English version could be performed in many other countries.<br />

The Dutch newspaper Trouw wrote: ‘A European Odyssey is a brilliantly staged heroic epic in<br />

which the dialect, which varies from Spanish and German to Greek or Russian, shows how all<br />

corners of the earth unite within this universal story’.<br />

A European Odyssey<br />

Photo: Jan-Willem van Kruyssen<br />

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Language<br />

Dutch,/German,/English<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic direction: Onny Huisink, Saskia Janse<br />

T +31 (0)299 – 37 22 95<br />

E info@speeltheater.nl<br />

I www.speeltheater.nl<br />

Breeding ground for<br />

Speeltheater Holland<br />

young theatre makers<br />

Speeltheater Holland was founded in 1976 by Saskia Janse and Onny Huisink. Since then<br />

it has developed into a touring theater company with a core of ten permanent members.<br />

It is based in Edam.<br />

Highly important in the creation of plays for (mainly) children are artistic quality and the<br />

development of a personal style. The productions include the use of puppets combined<br />

with theatre and/or other theatrical disciplines. For each production Speeltheater Holland<br />

uses different (puppet) techniques and other theatrical means. However all performances<br />

share a strong visual sense.<br />

For each production Speeltheater Holland engages new actors, puppeteers and sometimes<br />

guest directors, and, depending on the nature of the performance, other experts such as<br />

composers, musicians, authors, choreographers etc. In addition to developing and presenting<br />

performances Speeltheater Holland also aspires to being a breeding ground for young (puppet)<br />

theater makers and a place where new forms of co-operation can be experimented with.<br />

International<br />

Amongst other prizes, in 2007 Speeltheater Holland was awarded a prize for their long and<br />

outstanding contribution to children’s theatre in the Netherlands. They also received three<br />

awards for the performance of Perô or the mysteries of the night.<br />

Since 1997 Speeltheater Holland has worked closely with the Seattle Children’s theatre. This<br />

alliance has resulted in many international productions like Stellaluna, Apple to grandma and<br />

Nicky Somewhere Else. In 2008, Speeltheater Holland will be performing the play Niels Holgersson,<br />

based on the famous book and has an international tour planned for Perô or the mysteries<br />

of the night. The formerly successful production Prince Cowlick, a forgotten fairytale also has the<br />

potential to interest international audiences. Speeltheater Holland has toured in the US, Austria,<br />

the UK, Belgium, Croatia, Bonaire, Germany and South Africa.<br />

Perô or the mysteries of the night<br />

Photo: Dirk Buwalda<br />

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Language<br />

French/German/English<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Hans van den Boom<br />

T +31 (0)70 – 330 70 70<br />

E management@stella.nl<br />

I www.stella.nl<br />

Innovative<br />

Stella Den Haag<br />

cross-pollination<br />

Stella Den Haag has been producing youth theatre productions for young and old since 1990.<br />

They vary from small experimental projects to shows for large audiences, many of which are<br />

made in co-production with major organizations mainly from The Hague. Stella Den Haag<br />

encourages budding talent and trains up-and-coming theatre makers, working closely with<br />

various organizations and performing the productions at prominent festivals. Alongside this,<br />

Stella Den Haag initiates innovative cross-pollination between different art disciplines and<br />

devises high-profile art education projects, thereby exceeding the boundaries of theatrical<br />

art. Stella Den Haag performs in the Netherlands and abroad. Home performances are given<br />

throughout the entire building and on the square outside.<br />

International<br />

Stella Den Haag regularly performs on stage and at festivals across the national borders.<br />

Foreign programmers are keen on work by Hans van den Boom, translated into and performed<br />

in French, German and English. Stella Den Haag has worked with companies including Centro<br />

Cultural de Belèm in Lisbon, Les Coups de Théâtre in Montreal, Zona Franca/Teatro delle Briciole<br />

in Parma and Festival Blickfelder in Zurich. German and French versions of Het Jaar van de Haas/<br />

The Year of the Hare (9+) toured Europe and Canada. In 2007, Stella Den Haag performed No Milk<br />

Today in Paramaribo.<br />

In the 2008-2009 season, Vuil Kind/Dirty Child (9+) is scheduled to tour in the Netherlands and<br />

abroad. This musical theatre production features Lieve, the daughter of a shipmaster, who<br />

struggles to find her way in her stormy existence. In 2009, Hans van den Boom will be producing<br />

the musical theatre show Het Lelijke Kleine Eendje/The Ugly Duckling (6+), specially made for<br />

international festivals and the international stage. All these productions are perfectly suited to<br />

international audiences of children and adults alike.<br />

Vuil Kind/Dirty Child<br />

Photo: Michel Wielick<br />

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Language<br />

German/English<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic direction: Peter Zegveld<br />

Agency: Frontaal <strong>Theater</strong>bureau<br />

T +31 (0)20 – 692 96 03<br />

E mirjam@frontaal.com<br />

I www.frontaal.com<br />

Stichting Caspar<br />

Interaction between<br />

Rapak/Peter Zegveld<br />

image and sound<br />

Stichting Caspar Rapak/Peter Zegveld makes theatre productions, performances, audiovisual<br />

productions and works of art for as wide an audience as possible.<br />

Peter Zegveld has been producing youth theatre shows for eleven years using home-made<br />

instruments and two and three-dimensional images. The interaction between image and sound<br />

forms the basis of all his productions. His work relies heavily on effect and film. In his shows,<br />

he communicates by means of an extensive sound idiom without the need for much script.<br />

Zegveld’s visual developments share common ground with the developments in multimedia,<br />

where the boundaries between the various disciplines are being eroded to achieve a total<br />

experience. He deploys the principles of physics, such as the effects of light, air, sound and<br />

gravity. They are manipulated, so that everyday situations are turned into remarkable happenings.<br />

His shows typically stir the audience’s senses at various levels. He encourages spectators<br />

to experience and discover absurdities, and go through sensory experiences that defy logic.<br />

For the past five years, Zegveld has been working together with the artistically like-minded<br />

Mark Whitelaw.<br />

International<br />

Peter Zegveld took Koken met Zegveld/Cooking with Zegveld to Canada in 2006; he had previously<br />

toured Germany, Lithuania and Israel with various other shows. His productions Klein Duimpje<br />

in de goot/Tom Thumb in the gutter (6+) and Binnenpret/Private joke (4+) are also suitable for the<br />

international stage. Klein Duimpje in de goot/Tom Thumb in the gutter uses a combination of<br />

animation, sound and acting to relate the adventures of Tom Thumb, while simultaneously<br />

telling the story of father and son Strohuis who operate a travelling film theatre for silent<br />

movies. Binnenpret/Private joke is a comical children’s show about the difference between<br />

inner and outer, directed by Mark Whitelaw and Dick Hauser and performed by Peter Zegveld.<br />

Binnenpret/Private joke<br />

Illustration: Peter Zegveld<br />

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Language<br />

None (on request English/German/French)<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic direction: Gérard Schiphorst and<br />

Marije van der Sande<br />

T +31 (0)570 – 59 14 49 / +31 (0)6 – 23 02 27 64<br />

E office@tamtamtheater.nl<br />

I www.tamtamtheater.nl<br />

TAMTAM<br />

Visual theatre featuring<br />

Objektentheater<br />

items of lost property<br />

Tamtam has been producing visual theatre shows without text or with very few words since<br />

1979. Inventive theatre featuring items of lost property. Live animation with specially composed<br />

soundtracks. Small-scale performances giving the audience a personal experience to remember.<br />

For adults, for children, in theatres, on location, in their own Objectomania theatre or in schools.<br />

Most performances are technically autonomous so they can be performed almost anywhere.<br />

The press praises the shows for their subtlety, originality, humour and powerful message.<br />

International<br />

Tamtam focuses on international audiences. They have already performed their spectacularly<br />

expressive shows in twenty countries, at festivals for various disciplines, in theatres, at summer<br />

festivals, in schools, museums and at all kinds of unusual locations. They have toured in nearly<br />

every European country as well as in Suriname, the US and South-Africa. The following tamtam<br />

productions are currently on tour: To have Or Not To Have (for adults and/or children), Objectomania<br />

(a tent offering a number of shows) and Beer/Bear, the story of a hero (successful children’s<br />

show in English, French or German).<br />

Survival, or how to survive Murphy’s law<br />

Photo: Femke Teussink<br />

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Language<br />

English/German/on request<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Floor Huygen<br />

T +31 (0)73 – 612 32 23<br />

E maurice@artemis.nl / annemiek@artemis.nl<br />

I www.artemis.nl<br />

Hopeful reflections<br />

<strong>Theater</strong> Artemis<br />

on life<br />

<strong>Theater</strong> Artemis (’s-Hertogenbosch) makes productions about subjects that people take for<br />

granted or perhaps fail to notice amidst the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life. Not gloomy<br />

deliberations, but hopeful reflections on the beauty of life. Although the shows can vary enormously,<br />

this binding factor provides food for thought for both the makers and the audience.<br />

Floor Huygen became artistic director of the company in 2005. She has worked in the theatre<br />

world for twenty years, initially as an actress but mainly as a director. Her style is amicably<br />

radical; poetically hoping to cause a short circuit. Her sense of drama is sober and cheerful<br />

at the same time.<br />

Artemis always tries to use language with different levels that will suit both children and adults.<br />

For every production, the theatre makers and actors at <strong>Theater</strong> Artemis repeatedly search the<br />

depths for new meaning. The chemistry that is generated creates powerful brews based more<br />

on our amazement than on knowing exactly how it should be done. The results vary in type and<br />

format; from small to large-scale, at home, on tour at theatres in the Netherlands and Belgium,<br />

and on location.<br />

International<br />

The production Z(w)ingende Bananen/(S(w)inging Bananas, directed in 1998 by the former<br />

artistic director Matthijs Rümke, was performed at festivals in seven European countries; the<br />

last time in 2007 at the Edinburgh International’s Children’s Theatre Festival. Priemgeval/Prime is<br />

also scheduled for an international tour. Haast of de Kokadrielje/Haste or the Cocadrille is highly<br />

suitable for the alpine countries, as the content of the show ties in well with this cultural context.<br />

Artemis focuses primarily on Western Europe, resuming some of their shows specially for foreign<br />

stages and festivals. Alongside the productions mentioned above, they have Pakman, about a<br />

gang of school children, and Simmen, a naive commentary on computer games.<br />

Priemgeval/Prime<br />

Photo: Joep Lennarts<br />

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Language<br />

English/on request<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Theo Terra<br />

T +31 (0)20 – 362 31 12<br />

E info@theaterterra.com<br />

I www.theaterterra.com<br />

Agency: <strong>Theater</strong>bureau Slot, www.totslot.nl<br />

Topics dealt with<br />

<strong>Theater</strong> Terra<br />

honestly and sensitively<br />

<strong>Theater</strong> Terra was founded in 1978 by Theo Terra (artistic director) and has since gained acclaim<br />

as a Dutch company at the very top of the international youth theatre world. Using puppets,<br />

objects and actors, <strong>Theater</strong> Terra produces visual theatre packed with humour and poetry.<br />

Universal topics such as friendship, love, life and death are dealt with honestly and sensitively<br />

in productions staged by <strong>Theater</strong> Terra. The basic premise of all their shows is to create unity<br />

between acting and puppetry. The interaction between the actors and the puppets creates an<br />

unexpected effect in comical or moving situations. The creative use of perspective and scenery<br />

is characteristic of <strong>Theater</strong> Terra’s performances.<br />

International<br />

<strong>Theater</strong> Terra has not only achieved success in the Netherlands and Belgium, but also in theatres<br />

and at festivals in the US, Canada, Japan, Russia and various European countries. In 2006, Kleine<br />

Ezel/Little Donkey toured America and Canada, even playing on Broadway. Kikker/Frog is also<br />

doing well there. On a tour of South-east Asia, the founders Theo Terra and Dick Feld acted<br />

together with the young actresses Babbe Groenhagen and Nienke van Hassel. The sequel to<br />

Kikker/Frog, namely Kikker in de wolken/Frog in the clouds, is suitable for international audiences.<br />

Kikker/Frog<br />

Photo: Joey Buddenberg<br />

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Language<br />

English<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Josee Hussaarts<br />

T +31 (0)24 - 360 05 88<br />

E info@kwatta.info<br />

I www.kwatta.info<br />

Light-hearted,<br />

<strong>Theater</strong>groep Kwatta<br />

light-footed, yet serious<br />

Based in <strong>Theater</strong> het Badhuis in Nijmegen, <strong>Theater</strong>groep Kwatta has been Gelderland’s<br />

professional youth theatre company since 2002. Under the artistic direction of writer and<br />

director Josee Hussaarts, Kwatta puts on productions that are both light-hearted and<br />

light-footed with a serious undertone.<br />

Our efficient and practical world leaves little room for amazement and admiration. Kwatta’s<br />

mission is to create this room. By asking simple questions about difficult issues and difficult<br />

questions about things that appear to be simple. By making no assumptions and always<br />

searching for the unknown and the absurd. By tilting reality to create a different perspective.<br />

Productions by Kwatta are often a combination of text and other forms of theatre such as music,<br />

song, puppetry and film. Kwatta produces two travelling shows per season. Het Badhuis hosts a<br />

home-based family show at Christmas, and in the spring it is the turn of young talent to create<br />

and put on their own production in Kwatta-lab. The Kwattaklas is a constant source of surprise<br />

and enjoyment to school children.<br />

International<br />

Kwatta scored a big hit in the US with Van drie oude mannetjes die niet dood wilden/Three old men<br />

who wanted to live forever. The production was performed at the IPAY Festival in Philadelphia. It<br />

concerns three old men who receive a letter informing them that their lives have come to the<br />

end. To their mind, they are still too busy to die. The next production Kwatta would like to take<br />

abroad is Fabian, of het Land dat niet bestond/Fabian, or the Land that wasn’t (6+), a musical hike<br />

through a magical landscape full of strange sounds, where nothing is as you would expect.<br />

Fabian, of het land dat niet bestond/Fabian, or the Land that wasn’t<br />

Photo: Edwin Deen<br />

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Language<br />

English (German)<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Moniek Merkx<br />

T +31 (0)15 – 212 29 77<br />

E rosalie@tgmax.nl<br />

I www.tgmax.nl<br />

<strong>Theater</strong>groep Max.<br />

Clear yet whimsical<br />

<strong>Theater</strong>groep Max. produces theatre for anyone who feels young; on location, in small and large<br />

auditoriums. Max. productions are close and intimate, magnificent and compelling, personal<br />

and universal, and use a maximum variety of theatrical resources. The actors at Max. act largely<br />

in character in stories that are often absurd or magical.<br />

Max. is a company that combines quality with accessibility and where experiments are playful,<br />

jolly and absurd. And where the educational basis is taken seriously as a matter of course.<br />

Max. productions display the clarity of a child’s drawing combined with the whimsicality of<br />

a child’s thought processes. A treat for both children and adults.<br />

International<br />

During the past few years, <strong>Theater</strong>groep Max. has performed Love, Voorstelling waarin hopelijk<br />

niets gebeurt/Performance in which hopefully nothing happens (8+) and Vallende meisjes/Falling<br />

Girls (6+) outside the Benelux, mainly at international theatre festivals in countries including<br />

Scotland, Canada and Russia. Soms verdwaal ik in een draak/Once upon a dragon (4+) and<br />

Dochters van Lear/Lear’s Daughters (8+) are also suitable for the international stage. Performance<br />

in which hopefully nothing happens won the Gouden Krekel 2005 as the ‘most impressive<br />

production’. The German press wrote the following comment on this production: ‘Völlig absurd,<br />

völlig witzig (...) ein absurdes, witziges und ironisches Stück - auf clevere Art anspruchsvoll.’<br />

The Scottish press on Love: ‘Without being cynical, these young actors show how laughable<br />

the whole business is. (...) A show that derives its strength from its obvious basis in the truth<br />

of improvisations drawn from their own life experience, usually hilariously so.’<br />

Dochters van Lear/Lear’s Daughters<br />

Photo: Joep Lennarts<br />

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Language<br />

Dutch/French/German/English<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic director: Ad de Bont<br />

T T +31 (0)20 – 682 48 54<br />

E info@wederzijds.nl<br />

I www.wederzijds.nl<br />

<strong>Theater</strong>groep<br />

Revolving<br />

Wederzijds<br />

around social issues<br />

Wederzijds produces theatre for children between the ages of four and twelve years old.<br />

The company has a whole range of different styles, which is why alongside artistic director<br />

Ad de Bont, guest directors are regularly invited to direct their shows. Productions by De Bont<br />

revolve around social issues. ‘Anything goes for children; we are all part of the same world.<br />

Children see it all on TV anyway. Sex. Violence. A documentary about euthanasia’, is a recent<br />

quote from Ad de Bont.<br />

International<br />

Wederzijds is a frequent visitor to Belgium and the company performs regularly in Germany,<br />

Austria and Canada. The production Wild Kind/Enfant Sauvage will be touring France in 2008.<br />

Script is often very important in Wederzijds productions, but thanks to the translations, the<br />

shows can also be performed successfully in other countries.<br />

Wild Kind/Enfant Sauvage<br />

Photo: Sanne Peper<br />

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Language<br />

German/Italian/English<br />

Contact<br />

Artistic direction: Joke Hoolboom and<br />

Niek Idelenburg<br />

T +31 (0)346 – 21 22 31<br />

E info@xynixopera.nl<br />

I www.xynixopera.nl<br />

Opera on location<br />

Xynix Opera<br />

and in the theatre<br />

Xynix Opera, abbreviated to XX, produces opera to be performed as a cinematic family show<br />

or as an opera on location. Performances are typically physical, eloquent and imaginative.<br />

Alongside ‘public’ performances, XX also puts on exclusive performances for primary and<br />

secondary schools.<br />

The company is keen to provide a musical storyline as well as drama. Shakespeare and<br />

mythology form a central theme.<br />

Artistic direction is in the hands of Joke Hoolboom (director) and Niek Idelenburg (musical<br />

direction). They work with composers including Jeff Hamburg, Chiel Meijering, Fons Merkies<br />

and Marijn Simons, and incorporate music by classical composers such as Henry Purcell,<br />

G.F. Handel and Claudio Monteverdi into their shows.<br />

The scripts for Xynix operas are devised by highly experienced scriptwriters such as Imme Dros<br />

and Jurrian van Dongen. Alongside their own compositions, XX also performs adaptations of<br />

books by Dutch children’s authors. The movement in the shows is arranged by outstanding<br />

choreographers, including names like Annabelle Lopez Ochoa in Orfeo and Dido & Aeneas and<br />

the fight choreographer Jeroen Lopes Cardozo in Cyrano and Romeo & Farida.<br />

International<br />

On every tour, Xynix Opera performs a number of shows in Belgium. Most of their operas, such<br />

as Dido & Aeneas by Purcell and Orfeo by Monteverdi, are highly suitable for touring other foreign<br />

countries. The Shakespeare adaptation entitled Romeo & Farida has now also been translated<br />

into German.<br />

Orfeo<br />

Photo: Ben van Duin<br />

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Colophon<br />

Editor and producer<br />

Moon Saris<br />

Editorial board<br />

Jennemiek Leijssen/Daniëlla Groenberg, TIN<br />

Editorials<br />

Lonneke Kok, Anita Twaalfhoven,<br />

Moon Saris<br />

English Translations<br />

Vertaalbureau Taalcentrum-VU<br />

Design<br />

T2 Ontwerp<br />

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reproduced or published by print, photocopy,<br />

microfilm or any other means (including<br />

electronic means) without the prior written<br />

permission of <strong>Theater</strong> <strong>Instituut</strong> <strong>Nederland</strong>.<br />

<strong>Theater</strong> <strong>Instituut</strong> <strong>Nederland</strong><br />

<strong>Theater</strong> <strong>Instituut</strong> <strong>Nederland</strong> provides information<br />

and advice to Dutch and foreign theatre<br />

and Dance professionals. The activities focus<br />

on promoting Dutch dance and theatre<br />

abroad and providing a programme of artistic<br />

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Herengracht 168, 1016 BP, Amsterdam, NL<br />

T +31 (0)20 – 5513300<br />

E info@tin.nl<br />

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92 The Dutch on tour Colophon

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