Actors have ambivalent feelings about 'awards circus', or Gala of Dutch Theatre #tf2010

A red carpet, lots of champagne and more hugging. It is a warm reunion for theatre country, the Gala van het Nederlands Theater in Amsterdam's Stadsschouwburg. An exciting reunion too, as the most important Dutch stage awards will be awarded tonight.

The nominees stride to their seats at the front of the hall in beautiful evening attire. The nerves are palpable and the atmosphere is somewhat solemn. Until hostess Clairy Polak enters the stage with the words: 'Standing here in front of you like this, I am bloody nervous.' A big applause follows. 'I don't understand at all why that deserves applause.' The wanton tone is set. 'A total of eight VSCD prizes will be awarded tonight - so you could do with a little less.' Fortunately, the endless speeches and thank-you speeches turn out not to be so bad. Most winners are announced with a simple 'The winner is...'.

Susanne Kennedy kicks off the evening by receiving the Erik Vos Prize for exceptional talent among the new crop of theatre-makers. 'I met Erik Vos once, when I was rehearsing in the same building as him. He asked me if there were any soup bowls. He thought I was the canteen lady.' Following Kennedy is the winner of the Arlecchino, Stefan de Walle. He wins this award for the most impressive male contributing role for his role of Lopachin in The Cherry Garden at the National Theatre. The Colombina, prize for the most impressive female contributing role, goes to Nanette Edens for her role in Amora at the Zuidelijk Toneel. The first extended speech comes from theatre collective Wunderbaum, which wins the Proscenium award. According to the jury, these young theatre-makers have made a substantial contribution to the theatre climate with their daring, boldness and talent. 'The surprise is complete for us, yet we have prepared something.' The collective appears to be in favour of non-hierarchical forms of collaboration and against a proliferation of MBO theatre schools, and suggests putting less money into healthcare and more into theatre. 'You're going to die anyway.'

The evening ends - as it should - with the three main awards. The AVRO Toneel Publieksprijs is won by the production Oog om Oog with Linda van Dyck and Victor Löw, among others. The Louis d'Or, for the most impressive male supporting role, is for Kees Hulst for his role of Jörgen Hofmeester in Tirza at the Nationale Toneel. The Theo d'Or, for the most impressive female supporting role, goes to Maria Kraakman for her role Orlando in Toneelgroep Oostpool's production Orlando. This prize is presented by none other than the 'grande dame' of Dutch theatre, Ellen Vogel. The audience gives her a standing ovation. Kraakman beams and continues to beam. 'It still doesn't really get through to me,' she says afterwards. 'I am very proud to have received the award for Orlando. Once in a while you coincide with your role, which was the case now. It took no effort at all for me to play. I got to put my own imagination to work. That was a treat. I like to invent my characters myself.' Victor Löw and Kees Hulst also feel very honoured. At the same time, they are somewhat ambivalent about the big 'prize circus'. Hulst: 'The more people care, the more important it is. I don't work to win prizes. This business is far removed from the essence of making theatre. Of course, it is important for the theatre world to be taken seriously, though. We are not a hobby club. That's why I think this evening is a good initiative. But it says nothing to me that I got this award specifically for this role. I play every role at the top of my game.' Löw fully agrees: 'Everything you do is equally important. An award like this says: 'This is it'. But then the rest isn't it, then? Every actor has his own bar in his head. You have to stick to that. Winning looks good on your CV, it's convenient and the public loves it. That's why this award ceremony is important. Besides, winning is of course just good for your ego. As an insecure actor with assertiveness - we all suffer from that - it is a nice confirmation.'

Gala of Dutch Theatre. Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam, Sunday 12 September.

For all prizes and winners, please visit www.tf.nl.