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Wijbrand Schaap

Cultural journalist since 1996. Worked as theatre critic, columnist and reporter for Algemeen Dagblad, Utrechts Nieuwsblad, Rotterdams Dagblad, Parool and regional newspapers through Associated Press Services. Interviews for TheaterMaker, Theatererkrant Magazine, Ons Erfdeel, Boekman. Podcast maker, likes to experiment with new media. Culture Press is called the brainchild I gave birth to in 2009. Life partner of Suzanne Brink roommate of Edje, Fonzie and Rufus. Search and find me on Mastodon.

Burn letter from festivals: 'It's going wrong with the performing arts in the Netherlands'

A fire letter from the United Performing Arts Festivals. One of more than a hundred lobbying organisations in the arts, but a very important one. After all, the festivals are the place where audiences were introduced to arts and entertainment in its full breadth. That doesn't happen anywhere else. And beautiful: they stand up for all performing arts, because, as loyal readers of this site know: they are quite the hare, and become even more the hare with every half-hearted rescue.

Dutch focus on November Music 2020: Ticket sales start Thursday 10 September

This year, November Music awards 10 commissions to Dutch and two to foreign composers, including a choral work for Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. Traditionally, November Music opens with the Bosch Requiem on Friday 6 November, which of course takes on an extra charge this year. Korean-Dutch composer Seung-Won Oh draws inspiration from the YeonDo death ritual that links Korean funeral traditions with the Catholic faith. After Kate Moore and Calliope Tsoupaki, she is the third female composer of the Bosch Requiem in a row.

Milo Rau bij opening Theaterfestival: ‘Misschien moeten we wat minder leveren en wat meer luisteren.’

Dingen hebben tijd en afstand nodig om een verhaal te worden. Goed dus dat Rau in zijn ‘Staat van het Theater, de traditionele opening van het theaterseizoen, niet zelf het woord nam, maar dat uit handen gaf aan mensen die nu midden in de verwarrende tijd van bezuiniging, coronasteun en politieke onrust staan. Omdat de honderd internationale makers  die hij voor een boek onder de titel ‘Why Theatre?’ om een bijdrage vroeg, wegens de pandemie niet konden komen, waren zes Nederlandse makers uitgenodigd. 

Where did things go wrong between culture decision-makers and the region?

It could have been so beautiful. In a not so grey past, the Council for Culture, then under a different management, initiated a movement that would give more authority to the region outside the Randstad. That was three years ago. Now there is an (entirely justified) angry letter in the newspaper from the culture deputies of 9... 

Read More "Where did things go wrong between culture decision-makers and the region?

The city as we knew it is doomed. Long live rural art?

Verontrustende berichten, de afgelopen dagen, in diverse media. Eerst was daar Patrick van IJzendoorn in De Volkskrant, die constateerde dat het leven was weggetrokken uit het Londense zakenhart. Ik zag een paar verward verheugde reacties langskomen van vrienden op mijn culturele tijdlijn. Immers, in het artikel werd een duidelijke relatie gelegd tussen de sluiting van musea en theaters en de… 

Read More "The city as we knew it is doomed. Long live rural art?

Subsidy crisis: if the House comes up with a fix for region and saw line soon, we will be even further home.

That 8.6 million the fund is now minimally short of will probably be found somewhere, so the saw line will be shifted again. Then the sector can - virtually - continue for another four years. Another one and a half million may be added to shape the spread. Pleasing the art world is not that expensive, The Hague will notice.

Life has turned into a B-Movie, and no better location could be imagined than 'Sender Boulevard'

Exterior, day. A deserted street in a southern Dutch town, unusually bright daylight. No sound. A man drives up and parks at a vacant power point. He walks to the entrance of a large, empty, modernist building. He is greeted by a very very old veteran, who tells him that "the wife is in for a moment", "she asked me to go on the... 

Read More "Life has turned into a B-Movie, and no better location could be imagined than 'Sender Boulevard'

Taking off and landing softly. That's what Schweigman& offers during Sender Boulevard, and we need it

Boukje Schweigman is een kunstenaar die dit land hard nodig heeft. Mijn diepe bewondering voor haar ontstond bij ‘Klep’, de voorstelling waarmee ze lang geleden afstudeerde aan de Amsterdamse mime-opleiding. Met acht anderen in een karretje, door hele kleine klepjes rondkijken in een wereld waarin lieve wezentjes  al even nieuwsgierig zijn naar jou, waarna een minimale aanraking de impact van… 

Read More "Taking off and landing softly. That's what Schweigman& offers during Sender Boulevard, and we need it

Sender Boulevard pauses to remember the Dutch East Indies

'For Indonesian Dutch, 15 August is definitely not liberation day,' explains playwright Bo Tarenskeen. The last day of the alternative Festival Boulevard in Den Bosch, Sender Boulevard, coincides with the commemoration of Japan's surrender on 15 May 1945. The Dutch East Indies, the colony exploited by our country for centuries, had also been liberated from the Japanese, but the end... 

Read More "Sender Boulevard pauses to remember the Dutch East Indies

Greg Nottrot biedt met ‘Graven’ zicht op een nieuwe toekomst voor theater ten tijde van Corona

Ok, het Mauerpark in het echte Berlijn is groezeliger, maar wat ze in het nieuwe centrum van Utrecht Leidsche Rijn het Berlijnplein noemen heeft er wel iets van weg. Een door de lokale overheid georganiseerde rafelrand is natuurlijk wel een beetje verdacht, met een megabios als grootste attractie, maar projectontwikkelaars, de grootste misbruikers van kunstzinnige rafelranden, kunnen verder weinig op… 

Read More "Greg Nottrot biedt met ‘Graven’ zicht op een nieuwe toekomst voor theater ten tijde van Corona

And what about those codes of conduct? 'The Fund sees the tick marks as a baseline measurement.'

According to the minister, when applying for your grant this year, the Fair Practice Code, the Diversity and Inclusion Code and the Governance Code of Culture would be decisive. In several reviews by the Culture Council in the BIS and also locally, artists have been rejected on the basis of poor substantiation of their following the code of conduct. If not at... 

Read More "And what about those codes of conduct? 'The Fund sees the tick marks as a baseline measurement.'

'It's important for Shai to make something again.' Ka Yan Tang and Shailesh Bahoran on Illusionary Rockaz Company in times of Corona

Illusionary Rockaz Company was due to release a new work by Shailesh Bahoran this spring. A new production for the first time in two years, after a time in which the Utrecht-based choreographer was constantly winning awards. And then Corona broke out. For Shai, reason to pause for a while: 'For Shakti, the performance that is coming up now, we have to... 

Read More "'It's important for Shai to make something again.' Ka Yan Tang and Shailesh Bahoran on Illusionary Rockaz Company in times of Corona

Raad voor Cultuur past advies marginaal aan, maar blijft bij omstreden besluiten

De Nationale Opera had een foutje gemaakt bij de opstelling van zijn aanvraag. Het met vele miljoenen gedoteerde nationale instituut had volgens de Raad voor Cultuur nagelaten de prestatiegegevens uit te splitsen over dans en muziek. Daardoor moest het gezelschap al voor 1 november met een geheel nieuwe aanvraag komen. Nu blijkt dat mee te vallen. Wat blijkt, de gegevens… 

Read More "Raad voor Cultuur past advies marginaal aan, maar blijft bij omstreden besluiten

Bright Richards blijft strijdbaar in tijden van Corona: ‘Waarom zetten wij kunst niet in om inclusie tot stand te brengen?’

‘Natuurlijk heeft Corona impact op mij, maar de impact van Black Lives Matter is veel groter. Ik wil aan het werk gaan om jongeren te activeren. Zij moeten voelen dat dit ons land is. Ik vind het belangrijk om steeds elk podium te gebruiken om dat duidelijk te maken.’ Bright Richards is twintig jaar na zijn afstuderen aan de Arnhemse… 

Read More "Bright Richards blijft strijdbaar in tijden van Corona: ‘Waarom zetten wij kunst niet in om inclusie tot stand te brengen?’

In Engeland dreigt een geweldige uitstroom van zzp’ers uit de cultuursector. Hoe zit dat hier?

Dat ze in Groot Brittannië vorige maand met een steunpakket van anderhalf miljard voor de kunsten kwamen, leek even heel goed nieuws. Voor een land met bijna 67 miljoen inwoners is zo’n reddingspakket, dat ook nog eens voor driekwart uit leningen en voorschotten bestaat, verhoudingsgewijs veel kleiner dan wat er in Nederland aan steun voor de kunsten is. Hoe graag… 

Read More "In Engeland dreigt een geweldige uitstroom van zzp’ers uit de cultuursector. Hoe zit dat hier?

Halima El Ghamarti begon vlak voor Corona aan haar nieuwe baan: ‘Het nieuwe normaal? Dat is hier mijn gewone normaal.’ (Podcast en video)

Krap drie weken was ze aan de slag toen de coronapandemie en de lockdown kwamen. Voor Halima el Ghamarti, die medio februari begon als directeur van het Jongeren Cultuurhuis Kanaleneiland en Overvecht, is er dus geen ander normaal dan het nieuwe normaal: werken vanuit huis, en dat met een organisatie die vooral bedoeld is om jongeren in Utrecht met elkaar… 

Read More "Halima El Ghamarti begon vlak voor Corona aan haar nieuwe baan: ‘Het nieuwe normaal? Dat is hier mijn gewone normaal.’ (Podcast en video)

NPO brings a debate about a debate. Let that sink in.

I have long put myself on the 'listen first, talk later' mode when it came to how we all deal with the festering sore of racism in the Netherlands. There's so much we don't know about each other, and there's especially so much I can't know about my fellow Black people, because for a long time I didn't care enough to... 

Read More "NPO brings a debate about a debate. Let that sink in.

Council calls minister's plan to let Museum Association audit itself 'questionable' and contrary to 'good governance'

Just over a year ago, Culture Press carried the story that Wim Hupperetz, director of the capital's Allard Pierson, had resigned from his post as chairman of the museums and heritage advisory committee to the Culture Council. The reason was Minister Ingrid van Engelshoven's decision to hand over control of the policy of the national museums to... 

Read More "Council calls minister's plan to let Museum Association audit itself 'questionable' and contrary to 'good governance'

Vincent Wijlhuizen is working on a coronaproof What You See Festival: 'a very large group of people are now much less visible.' 

Immediately after the lockdown was declared in March 2020, Vincent Wijlhuizen, co-founder (along with Annette van Zwol and Ieme Soes) and director of the What you See Festival, set to work to come up with alternatives for the festival, which takes place in the autumn. 'We made several plans. We already had an ordinary plan, which went to all the funds... 

Read More "Vincent Wijlhuizen is working on a coronaproof What You See Festival: 'a very large group of people are now much less visible.' 

Eurosonic/Noorderslag and Scapino possibly saved. But at the expense of new art acquisitions. #tkculture

Creativity expresses itself in Dutch politics mainly in bookkeeping. On 29 June, just before the start of the three-month summer recess, the Lower House actually found money to save pop festival Noorderslag and dance company Scapino from collapse. That demise would become a reality in the new arts plan, which takes effect in 2021, as the Council for Culture... 

Read More "Eurosonic/Noorderslag and Scapino possibly saved. But at the expense of new art acquisitions. #tkculture

The Lower House will only make the disaster for culture worse. (Unless it chooses to change.)

On Monday 29 June, the Lower House will discuss the advice of the Council for Culture. An advice that, as the Volkskrant rightly noted on Friday 26 June, receives much more criticism than previous advice. In doing so, the newspaper reaffirms what we already wrote down immediately after its release on 4 June: there is a total lack of transparency, a... 

Read More "The Lower House will only make the disaster for culture worse. (Unless it chooses to change.)

With local rooting of subsidised art, you take the wind out of populism's sails

In recent days, tentative proposals for a new system to fund the arts in the Netherlands have appeared in various places. Tricky pieces, and so far not attesting to very much incisiveness. In Het Parool, a number of prominent figures, including Tinkebel and advertising man Kessels, think that we should think less in pigeonholes, and that, besides quality, we should also... 

Read More "With local rooting of subsidised art, you take the wind out of populism's sails

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