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

Dutch youth theatre
is far from childish
Youth theatre in the Netherlands has grown up in recent years. Youth theatre groups make artistically
valuable plays, combining different genres and sources of inspiration, for audiences ranging from
toddlers to teenagers.
With drama, dance, music, mime, cabaret, puppetry and opera, the doors of the theatres in the
Netherlands are wide open to a multicultural public, ranging from toddlers to teenagers. The
diversity of the work on offer and the age range provided for are becoming increasingly wider.
At one end of the growth curve, the repertoire for age 15 and up merges with that for the adult
theatregoer. At the other end, the repertoire for age 3 and up is on the increase, providing
theatre for an audience that is barely out of nappies yet.
Art for a young audience has undergone enormous expansion, partly because of the influence
of government policy. Since the inception of the government project Cultuur en School
(Culture and School), looking at art has formed part of the national curriculum in schools, and
cultural institutions work in close collaboration with educators. In this way, children from all
levels of the population can develop an eye for art. Secondary school pupils even visit museums,
concert halls and theatres with culture coupons provided by the government for their final
exam in Cultural and Artistic Education.
As a consequence of this development, every theatre company for adults regularly stages
performances for a young audience. Established companies such as the Onafhankelijk Toneel
and the ro theater put on family performances. The established youth theatre companies are
spread throughout the country and, in principle, every province has at least one company of its
own that specialises in a young audience. They receive structural subsidy from the government
for four-year periods to make performances for the school circuit and theatres. The largest workplace
for youth theatre, Het Lab, ensures the rise of new talent and offers space for experiments,
as do a lot of of other companies on a (slightly) smaller scale. In total, subsidised youth theatre
in the Netherlands embraces some thirty youth theatre companies and work places besides the
performing arts for a young audience created by companies from the adult circuit.
The Dutch on tour Youth theatre
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