IVO VAN HOVE STEPS DOWN AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ITA

Even though at ITA they are not yet member, nonetheless, I would like to pass on this press release. Because of its (inter)national importance. Coming:

Ivo van Hove (1958) will end his role as artistic director of ITA from 1 September 2023. This means that he will then hand over his position as statutory director and artistic director. The Supervisory Board (BoS) intends to appoint Eline Arbo (1986) as artistic director and statutory director alongside general director Clayde Menso, and the business director for whom a recruitment process is currently underway. Eline has been with ITA since 2022 as Associate Artistic Director and currently Ibsen Artist in Residence. Ivo van Hove continues to be associated with ITA as the company's director and advisor.

Chairman of the Supervisory Board Leontine van der Goes: "Ivo has expressed his wish to have more space for his (international) directing after 22 years of intensive directorship and to relinquish the leadership of ITA. We grant him this wholeheartedly. We are very grateful to Ivo for what he has brought to ITA; our international success is largely due to him. Ivo will continue to make his artistic contribution to ITA as director and advisor. With Eline Arbo, we have a fantastic successor with vision and leadership in-house to whom we very much trust the artistic direction of ITA. She knows the organisation inside out and knows what is required in this role. Her inclusive way of making theatre is loved within and outside ITA. We are proud that with Eline we can once again connect such an innovative leading director to ITA as artistic director and look forward to working together."

Ivo van Hove on his new role: "After 22 years of working with full dedication as director, it is time for a new phase in my life and a new role at ITA. I have therefore discussed with the Supervisory Board what that new role might look like and am very happy with the agreement we have reached on this. From the autumn, I can fully focus on my artistic (director) role for this fantastic ensemble. In addition, this gives me the space to continue other work outside ITA, such as international directing and the Ruhrtriennale. In addition, of course, I will remain a passionate ambassador for ITA. My decision was partly prompted by Eline's willingness to take over my position. I am proud to hand over the artistic direction to her. Her passion for the large auditorium and the way she knows how to deal with an extensive ensemble of actors makes Eline the ideal successor. I am confident that ITA's artistic future is in good hands with her. We will use the coming months for a careful handover process."

Eline Arbo on her new role: "From my first production at ITA it immediately felt like coming home, and over the past year and a half I have enjoyed and been inspired to get to know the company better in my position as Associate Artistic Director. It is a house where artistic innovation and love for the craft can be felt in every department and where a diverse range of theatre and dance continues to inspire and challenge. Over the past 22 years, Ivo has built a fantastic company with an internationally renowned ensemble of actors and an incredibly strong team around it that has put Dutch theatre on the world map. I am honoured that the Supervisory Board has the confidence in me to build on his work. I am immensely looking forward to working with the management team to further shape ITA's future."

The SB will finalise the process of the new appointment in the coming weeks.

About Eline Arbo 

Eline Arbo (1986) has been with ITA since 2022 as Associate Artistic Director and currently Ibsen Artist in Residence. Eline hails from Tromsø in Norway. After studying Theatre Studies at the University of Oslo, Arbo moved to Amsterdam to study at the Regieopleiding of the Theaterschool Amsterdam, which she successfully completed in 2016.

Her debut at Toneelschuur Productions was with Goethe's classic The suffering of the young Werther. It earned her the BNG Bank Theaterprijs 2018 and the Toneelkijkersprijs 2018 in The Hague. Following this, she directed the much-discussed The Revolutionaries, about the thought of Albert Camus. In 2020, she directed the successful novel Down with Eddy Bellegueule by Édouard Louis (winner of the 2020 Directing Award). A performance that was widely acclaimed as the best show of season 2019/2020, for which it also received the 2020 Tonekijkers Prize in The Hague. The four actors were collectively nominated for the Louis d'Or. Her last performance at Toneelschuur Productions was Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov. She also directed several performances with the Noord Nederlands Toneel, including the successful Black Water by Roland Schimmelpfennig, which toured the country in 2019.

In addition to her work in the Netherlands, Arbo has also directed several performances in Norway, including Hærmennene på Helgeland by Henrik Ibsen, which premiered at the Nationaltheatret in Oslo during the 2018 Ibsen Festival. She also directed the 2019 large venue production Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen, which was acclaimed by press and audiences. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë in its own adaptation, premiered at the Nationaltheatret in September 2021. In January 2021, Arbo won the prestigious Mary Dresselhuys Prize for her work in recent years. In spring 2021, her directorial The hours by Michael Cunningham premiered at ITA. Her performance The years was nominated by the Netherlands Theatre Festival as one of the most talked-about performances of the 2022/2023 theatre season. In June 2023, ITA Arbo's direction of Penthesilea premiere with the ITA ensemble, followed in season 2023/2024 by her directing of Prima Facie (Suzie Miller) and The laws (Connie Palmen).

Eline Arbo often creates her own adaptations of existing repertoire, always seeking a social and political perspective in them. Her work is characterised by a musical and theatrical entrance, where she manages to combine the personal with the political.