Thibaud Delpeut, up-and-coming talent in theatre land, has been appointed artistic director of The Utrecht Games. Jacques van Veen has been appointed as managing director to exude sufficient confidence in the business field as well. He previously won his spurs at the Holland Festival and Groningen City Theatre.
The Utrecht-based company, which this time last year fell on hard times by overenthusiastic cultural entrepreneurship led by Jos Thie, thus regaining the artistic face that has been sorely missed since the departure of enfant terrible and sky-stealer Dirk Tanghe. His 'Paardenkathedraal' cleared the minds of the theatre world, and among a loyal and initiated audience, for years, keep moving, until his character and alcohol consumption made him unable to work.
Delpeut is idiosyncratic and strongly focused on quality, more than on mass. He will not easily buckle down for quick success, but has also shown he does not shy away from grandiose and compelling theatre. His relative youth also allows him to grow, and for that the warm bath of his own theatre and a regular company is indispensable.
Delpeut earned his spurs in the small venues circuit in and around Amsterdam. A circuit that came under strong pressure from the extreme culture cuts of the Rutte I (and II) government. A year ago, he therefore submitted a grant application to the Utrecht municipality, which was, however, rejected. In the large number of applications from new Utrecht groups, the choice then did fall on de Warme Winkel, a company that has since had its first Utrecht premiere yet to play.
Incidentally, we 'gambled' on this choice back in November 2012.
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