Being different: Theatre Sonnevanck's house brand on #tfboulevard

The hero who does not know his own strength (Wildman); a mad scientist going too fast for everyone (Galileo); a dream empress who gives thanks for the fairy-tale wedding and steps out of her role (Sisi); guinea pigs rebelling against the popularity contest they are caught up in (Guinea pig!) and an ugly duckling who accepts chaos but doubts that chaos accepts her (Ugly 1dje): Theatre Sonnevanck has made it its speciality.

Of course, such misfits with their maladjusted, headstrong behaviour are grateful main characters for many youth theatre companies. They question the norm that - in education, care, everyday life - is mostly set alongside children. What sets Artemis apart from the rest is the major role that artistic director Flora Verbrugge assigns to music, and special team members.

Ugly 1dje

From classical to punk, from Neue Deutsche Welle to klezmer, from pseudo-country to Bach - in Sonnevanck performances you can encounter it all. And not infrequently in one performance. Ugly 1dje, to be seen in Den Bosch this weekend, is no exception.

In this performance, it all comes together. And more. And more. There are moments of calm, but often the stage scenery looks as chaotic as the brain of Antje, the ugly duckling. She drives her mother to despair, is not like all her sisters and certainly not like her brother Raven. The latter pretends to be a good little boy, but is a first-class jerk and blames Antje that their father left simply because he could not bear the sight of Antje's ugly egg.

Outsiders

Antje, meanwhile, mostly bounces around, wanting to happily participate in everything, but constantly flying off course and not understanding why everyone thinks she is different or weird. She wants to be just like everyone else, but she doesn't succeed. She flees from home, meets many strange 'birds', but finds her voice at the end. Just like Sisi, Galileo, Wildeman and the guinea pigs. We are all misfits and find each other there. That is exactly what Verbrugge showed in We go on a bear hunt, the children's show in which 'We are not afraid' became mantra and slogan in one. Because sleep? That's so boring!