From 24 to 27 October, you will find the Meisner Theatre Festival in 's-Hertogenbosch. Over four days, you can enjoy 17 acts at the theatre on Lucas van Leydenstraat. The performers come from the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada and Taiwan. Better-known names include Flemish Boris-Johannes De Keyser, who previously participated in the Cameretten festival, and Iris Heusschen and Ksenia Marasanova, both of whom have been performing their own shows in the Netherlands for years.
The Meisner Theatre Festival is a response to the nationwide loss of festivals where creators can try out new work or experiment in different settings. Martijn Hullegie: "Many actors we have trained have been active on stages and/or television for years. They use festivals to work on new productions or try out new directions. Due to covid measures and subsequent budget cuts, many festivals have been forced to shut down, resulting in the loss of many playing opportunities. With this first Meisner festival, we are giving space to show new work to audiences."
One notable new production, for example, is "The Drag Factor" in which Sam announces to his father that he is gay. Also of a high standard is the performance by Taiwanese Truly Lin. This extraordinary creator is very inspiring just because of the quirkiness and quality of her work. The comedy "Bald trees don't rustle" is a hilarious yet painful contemplation of the world. The English-language "STOKED!" by 14-year-old Sofia van Veen combines acting and circus with original songs. This young creator won prizes with her previous performance at the major talent show Circus got Talent. You will find more original music by Elja Verheij in "It is not a drama". And in "I, Ulrike, cry it out" we discover whether we do live in a clean and orderly country. Canadian Steve Jarand presents an improv performance in which he takes guest actors on a journey of discovery into their universal truth. These are some of the 17 performances you can watch at the Meisner Theatre Festival between 24 and 27 October.
The theatre festival is an initiative of the Meisner Drama Academy and privately funded. The academy was founded in 1995 and has been based in 's-Hertogenbosch since 2009. Students come from all over the Netherlands and Flanders and occasionally from further afield. Founder Paul Dekker trained in the United States with William Esper. Dekker, fellow student of, among others, Oscar winner Sam Rockwell: "People think it's very logical that a carpenter needs an education. And no one is surprised that a pianist needs daily practice. But of an actor, most think talent is enough. Nothing could be further from the truth, because an actor also needs to train and get flying hours. That is what this Meisner Theatre Festival is for."
Visit the website for more information on performances and opening hours, as well as tickets: https://meisneracademie.nl/theaterfestival2024
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