Speaking of diversity, within the dominantly white theatre audience, it is also full of bubbles. Over the past two weeks, for instance, I have just let it dawn on me how little overlap there is between the audiences of the two art theatres in my city, Utrecht. At least: for a while I sort of immersed myself in the world of Theater Kikker, and came across bitterly few people there that I would describe as 'theatre audiences'. While the offerings don't actually differ much.
Indeed, I saw a number of performances by mature and green artists and actually had a good evening every time. With the advantage that I could sit much closer than in a theatre and that afterwards it was also cosy in the foyer.
Bubble mates
I once wrote for performing arts trade magazine Theatermaker spectators interviewed, and that small series already showed what many people suspect: as an art lover, you are more attached to buildings than to artists. If you regularly visit shows in a large theatre, the chances are very small that you also visit the small theatre in the same city. The same applies vice versa, by the way.
So when it comes to buildings, is it just the seats, the legroom, the treatment by staff? I know from experience that Stadsschouwburg and Kikker are not inferior to each other in this. So is it the feeling of being among each other? That you attach yourself to that building because you are sure you will meet like-minded bubble companions there?
I suspect the latter. It's really just like with restaurants and bars: the décor and location attract a certain audience, and that audience in turn attracts peers. This could be important info for people who want to make the theatre scene in the Netherlands more diverse. Perhaps age and social class are much more important differentiating factors than skin colour or origin.
Flikken Maastricht
After all, it really can't be down to the on offer. Of course, there is always a chance that in that small theatre you might accidentally witness a somewhat laboriously developing talent. As exciting as that may be, it won't please everyone. You can also wait for it to develop, and be overwhelmed by a perfect performance of Volpone by Dood Paard and a legendary role, on video, of Helmert Woudenberg as the go-to psychiatrist of an ever-loving Marien Jongerwaard. You can also bump into a Troy Trilogy there. As happened to me last week in Kikker.
An outright hit, with many characteristics of big-screen drama in the right way. Just mention an actress like Oda Spelbos. Many people will know this flaming red-haired power woman mainly from Flikken Maastricht, so what's to stop you, as a fan, from watching the extremely accessible classic soap opera Troy Trilogy? You'll experience a lot more than in an evening of TV, and there are more deaths too.
Bambie Zero
Much worse is when you missed the comeback of mime duo Bambie. Jochem Stavenuiter and Paul van der Laan parted ways four years ago after 17 unique productions. Last year, for the first time, they explored again whether they couldn't still work together and the result was stunning. Has only been seen in a few places in very small venues. They called it Bambie Zero. Never before have I seen theatre in which two top artists so vulnerably made their rediscovered friendship their theme.
"This could go straight to the theatre!" I wanted to shout afterwards, but I didn't. Of course it's true, and they just proved it on a tour of some big theatres in China. But why deny theatre audiences the chance to go on an adventure to such a tiny venue? The Bambie experience there really is a hundred times better. For me at least, absolutely unforgettable.
One-off
That many people don't take in this art because the building doesn't suit them, or they don't feel at home among the regular audience, is infinitely unfortunate. Still, there must be opportunities. Just last Wednesday, I saw a performance by Firma Mes, Rishi. Poignant and disturbing courtroom drama about the true-life death by police bullets of a 17-year-old antillean boy on Hollands Spoor. The show played in a temporary fray in the north of the city, The Snorfabriek. it was only shown once and few adventurers had found their way to Tweede Daalsedijk. Which was a pity, because this too was top theatre.
For now, I can only imagine one way to make the audiences of theatres more diverse: plays should be shown in one place for much longer. Not even a week, but just two, or three weeks. Then that theatre audience will automatically come to that small theatre, then that talent development peep will automatically go to that plush box once. After all, before you leave your comfort zone, heading to unfamiliar places, you want to be very, very sure that what you are going to make with it somewhat fits your street. And who better to tell you that than your street mates who went before? Word of mouth is still the best marketing tool for art. But then it has to make sense.
So let's stop treating theatre as a necessary traveling one-off. A miracle that's gone before you can talk about it at home. It's not fast food. It's michelin-star level cooking. It's worth the trip. Not from the chef, but from the guests.
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