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

Language
English/on request
Contact
Artistic direction: Jan-Willem van Kruyssen,
Rick Nanne, Ben Harrison
T +31 (0)75 – 771 57 70
E info@muztheater.nl
I www.muz.nu
MUZtheater
Anarchistic, bold, witty
The MUZtheater has been around for 23 years. From its own breeding ground in Zaandam,
the company produces contemporary shows that fire the imagination. The MUZtheater,
which was originally founded by Theo Fransz and Jan-Willem van Kruyssen, started out as one
of the professional theatre companies that focused specifically on 12 to 18-year-old audiences.
Nowadays, adults are also huge fans of MUZ productions.
The MUZtheater performs in secondary schools and various theatres in the Netherlands and
Flanders, but can sometimes be found in less likely (outdoor) locations, such as the river-side
village Zaanse Schans and airports.
Since its foundation, the MUZ has put on 41 anarchistic, bold, witty, tragic, confrontational
productions, varying from new (Dutch) repertoire to adaptations of well-known classics.
The shows are a theatrical reflection of modern-day reality. Raw and passionate, but moving
with a sprinkle of humour. The combination of physical acting, sound compositions and
multimedia has become a permanent feature in MUZ productions.
International
The MUZtheater regularly performs abroad, putting on its own productions as well as working
with fellow companies throughout Europe. The company is a member of EUnetART (European
Network of Art Organisations for Children and Young People), and therefore takes an active part
in various European exchange projects. Since 2001, the MUZtheater has also been involved in
Magic-Net, an artistic cross-border cooperative of thirteen theatres from twelve countries that
aims to create and stage co-productions in various European countries. Most of them are
English-spoken and therefore also suitable for countries outside Europe. The show Kop Vol
Spijkers/Head of nails is the product of collaboration between the Netherlands, Russia and
Portugal, and the English version could be performed in many other countries.
The Dutch newspaper Trouw wrote: ‘A European Odyssey is a brilliantly staged heroic epic in
which the dialect, which varies from Spanish and German to Greek or Russian, shows how all
corners of the earth unite within this universal story’.
A European Odyssey
Photo: Jan-Willem van Kruyssen
The Dutch on tour Youth theatre
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