ZID Theatre presents the tenth edition of the Explorez Festival in Amsterdam!

From 28 May to 7 June 2026, Amsterdam will transform into a vibrant stage full of performances, workshops, and interactive activities.

The annual ExploreZ Festival stands for diversity, inclusion, international collaboration and surprising crossovers between disciplines and local communities. ZID Theatre is proud to announce the tenth edition of this multi-day festival in Amsterdam, highlighting the richness of diverse art forms and creating together with new creators, international artists, city residents and professionals. Following the festival in Amsterdam, ExploreZ will travel on to other Dutch cities including Haarlem and Den Bosch.

The theme Need as Compass is the thread running through the festival programme, which has served as inspiration for many creators. Both those on stage and the audience are invited to explore together the social, cultural, environmental and technological urgency we face as a society or individual.

Opening of the festival: Best of ExploreZ & IN BRAND

The multidisciplinary, international ExploreZ festival 2026 opens with Best of ExploreZ 2026 & the premiere of ZID's latest production IN FIRE at Podium Mozaïek in Amsterdam.

The first part of the evening consists of the short previews of performances to be seen at various locations around the city over the next 10 days during the festival. A diverse group of new makers, dancers and musicians will present a programme of surprising, short performances in various genres.

Premiers

IN FIRE - by ZID Theatre
IN BRAND is an explosive, interdisciplinary and immersive performance by ZID Theatre, directed by Karolina Spaić, in which music, dance and theatre come together in an intense live experience.

With powerful visuals, rousing music and intense acting, it takes IN FIRE takes you into a ritual of anger and hope. A performance for anyone who feels things should be different, and who wants to experience what happens when we keep moving together, even when everything is on fire.

Credits
Concept & Direction: Karolina Spaić | Co-creation, text & acting: Sebo Bakker, Nivin Baranbo, Daan Bosch, Dora Draghi, Issam Zemmouri | Costumes: MAB - Marija Teodosijevic | Scenography: MAB Studio| Soundscape: Jera Topolovec | Photography: Maria Morales | Production & PR: ZID Theatre

• Premiere: 28 May, 20.00, Podium Mozaïek
• 6 June 2026, 16.00, Van Eesteren Museum, Amsterdam
• 7 June 2026, 16.00, ZID Theatre, Amsterdam

Fade Out - by Issam Zemmouri (Powered by ZID)
What if you don't see art, but feel it? What if darkness is another way of seeing?

At Fade Out dancer, choreographer and creator Issam Zemmouri invites you into his personal world of experience. Using contemporary dance, physical play and strong visual language, he tells the poignant story of gradually losing his sight, until the moment when everything goes dark. Fade Out touches, chafes and connects, offering both people with and without visual challenges the chance to experience each other's perspectives.

• Try-Out: 29 May, 8pm, ZID Theatre
• Premiere: 4 June, 20.00, Square Theatre

Heritage - by DAH Teatar (Serbia), Dutch premiere
Heritage is an urgent and poignant performance that exposes the invisible legacies of generations of women. Through a powerful mix of text, acting and physical performance, the performance explores the myth of female helplessness and the entrenched social structures of patriarchy. Actresses Ivana Milenović and Milica Popović, regular members of the well-known DAH Teatar from Belgrade, Serbia, bring a unique style of acting that weaves text and movement into an associative whole.

Performances, presentations & more

We play and create in beautiful locations such as Podium Mozaïek, Plein Theater and our own ZID Theater as well as in unconventional places such as parks and squares like Tolhuistuin, Erasmuspark and outside at the Van Eesteren Museum. In this way, we create a stage for all Amsterdam residents and everyone is welcome to join in. Highlights include programmes such as Explodium and international guest programmes such as those by Perypezye Urbane from Milan, Italy.

Explodium Outdoors & Explodium Family Day

Explodium offers young creators the chance to develop their work and present short solos or duets. This year, there are two open-air editions, each with its own theme.

Within the theme of cultural identity and culinary stories, makers share personal stories about migration, traditions and community, among others, where art and food connect. During the Explodium Family Day, there will be an ongoing programme of workshops and short performances around connection and friendship, open to the whole family.

Both editions are free to attend.

AI as a Brainstorming Partner, AI as a Muse - presentation by Perypezye UrbaneHow can artificial intelligence become a creative partner in dance? In this special presentation, discover how the Italian company Perypezye Urbane explores the boundaries between body, technology and imagination. An interactive journey through the company's history, from the beginning of their existence to their current investigations in co-creation between humans and AI in dance and the performing arts.

After each performance, there is an after-show discussion between the makers and the audience. The full ExploreZ Festival 2026 programme and more information about the performances can be found at www.explorez.nl

About ExploreZ & international cooperation

ExploreZ provides an international context in which artistic exchange, dialogue and knowledge sharing are central. The festival encourages makers, participants and visitors to actively and sustainably engage in positive change through art and culture, as well as to gather new perspectives and meet people outside everyone's own bubble.

ExploreZ Festival is an international festival that brings together artists and cultural organisations from Europe and beyond. Through workshops, performances and exchanges, it explores the power of collaboration and creativity across borders. 2025 will collaborate with partners Perypezye Urbane and Teatro Pedali (Italy), and Dah Teatar (Serbia).

ExploreZ receives support from the Cultural Participation Fund, Amsterdam City Council, Erasmus +, and the Vaillant Fund, among others.

About ZID Theatre
ZID Theatre is a cultural organisation, producer and stage in Amsterdam. ZID produces multidisciplinary performances and the recurring international ExploreZ Festival, as well as providing training for makers and performers. Talent development and creating opportunities for up-and-coming talent with a refugee past and migration background are essential to ZID's work.
ZID consists of an international company of theatre-makers, actors, dancers, musicians and visual artists working together on performances, workshops and cultural projects. With a strong focus on inclusivity, topicality and co-creation, ZID Theatre has in recent years positioned itself as a theatre company focused on fostering cultural dialogues and connecting communities of diverse backgrounds. ZID's work is deeply rooted in metropolitan dynamics and issues. The performances are created through co-creation, are associative and consist of authentic concepts by the creators.