Excerpts from car-based interviews by the Frisian theatre company Tryater have recently been circulating on social media: in these, actor Gerwin de Vries talks to people such as actor Joop Wittermans and influencer Raptiel about their upbringing and their relationship with their parents, whilst driving them around Fryslân. From Friday 23 October, the full, sometimes poignant interviews will be available to listen to and watch as podcasts via Tryater’s channels.
Parenting on the table
The series Tryater Taxi is a project by Tryater Rûnom, which offers further exploration of the theme alongside its performances. The new production Fierder nei it Noarden, which has been staged in Frisian garages, has enjoyed its first successful run. It is currently moving from the Haaima garage in Heerenveen to a venue in Drachten. In the play, a mother and son, whose car has broken down, find themselves in a garage where they spend the night. Gabe, the son, then opens up to his mother, Sunny, about his difficult upbringing.
Herman van de Wijdeven’s script encourages real people to reflect on their own personal development. In the Tryater Taxi, presenter Gerwin de Vries takes a journey through the lives of actor Joop Wittermans, influencer Raptiel and author Henk Rigter whilst driving. This results in funny, moving and always personal conversations with ‘sons’, available from 23 October on Tryater’s podcast and social media channels.
Sons in the back seat
The first episode features a road trip with Wittermans, who is driving to his childhood home in Burgum for the first time in years. He talks about growing up in the village and his parents’ reaction when he decided to become an actor in the 1960s. There is also some introspection about his own fatherhood. A week later comes the journey with Martijn Werkhoven, who, as the content creator Raptiel, rapidly gained over 71,000 followers on social media by, amongst other things, satirising his Frisian mother. The influencer talks about the uncertainty that preceded this, the role his upbringing played in it and, of course, what his mother actually thinks of the videos now. Bringing up the rear is Henk Rigter, author of the book Across Africa. In this book full of roguish tales, Rigter recounts the three-year journey he undertook with friends across Africa in a minibus, but also how this provided some distance from his difficult relationship with his father. Sitting in the back seat next to the driver, Gerwin, he often recounts his childhood with a smile.
Maarten Spanjer
The release of the podcast/videos coincides with the death of actor and presenter Maarten Spanjer. In 1995, he appeared in the Tryater production *Abe!* at the football stadium in Heerenveen. Spanjer’s TV programme Taxi from the 1990s was a major source of inspiration for the online series Tryater Taxi which is now being published. Tryater examines this series centred on the performance Fierder nei it Noarden and so also as an unplanned tribute to a fine actor who was associated with them throughout their 61-year history.
Fierder nei it Noarden
Fierder nei it Noarden The production will be staged at the Haaima Garage in Drachten on Thursday 22 October, where it will run until 31 October. From 5 November, the production – featuring actors Tim Helderman and Tamara Schoppert and musician Mats Voshol – will be staged in Leeuwarden.
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