Jeffrey Meulman from Theatre Festival to Verkadefabriek: 'We need to develop an alternative circuit again'

When Jeffrey Meulman (52) took office as director of the Theatre Festival in 2005, it needed to become more audience-friendly. Instead of a presentation of 'the most important theatre', the board that appointed him wanted to make a celebration of the most beautiful theatre. Meulman went to work, successfully, but the most important thing he did was to establish a 'fringe': an alternative festival alongside that big festival. He talks about it in this podcast: 'Many makers did not start from their own strengths enough. I found that when I became director of the Theatre Festival. In 2008, makers followed the traditional path from workshop to production house, to fund. What I wanted to push was an independent circuit of my own. I did not foresee that the whole system of production houses would be cut. That's when the fringe suddenly became a necessity.'

Meulman worries about the future of theatre. According to him, the system is creaking: 'The number of flying hours you can make as a maker has decreased enormously. The whole "third circuit", of small venues, has disappeared. You are going to notice that in the quality of what is made, because you need a minimum number of flying hours to mature. The tours are getting shorter and shorter. You rehearse for six weeks and then you can play the piece 10 times. That's pretty dramatic for building experience. In music, it's even more dramatic. Halls like Het Kruithuis and the Papenstraattheater no longer exist. So we have to develop a fringe circuit again.'

The buildings also need to change, says the man who will start work as director of the Bossche Verkadefabriek from 1 July. This combination of film theatre, business centre and theatre offers opportunities: 'I have always had trouble with the severity of theatres. There is magic in the theatre, but the strictness, I find that difficult.'

But then there must be opportunities to survive. 'Meanwhile, 70 per cent freelancers are keeping our industry afloat. That is very worrying. When I hear actor families, i.e. where both parents act, into what poverty they have fallen: that is really shocking.'