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ACTUAL

All about politics, policy, society and how those things relate to culture and art.

House of Circus kicks off in drag and brothers Simon and Vincent Bruyninckx open Festival Circolo hanging by their teeth

After another year of dreaming and planning, the 10th edition of Festival Circolo - the largest circus festival in the Netherlands - is finally here today! Until Sunday 30 October, Tilburg's Spoorpark will transform into an oasis full of spectacle, acrobatics and humour. The opening shot was given on 20 October 2022 at 20:00h by two circus performers... 

Contemporary version L'Histoire du Soldat premieres at Festival Circolo - Unique costumes, acrobatics and live music by Kamerata Zuid in collaboration with Inez Wolters 

L'Histoire du Soldat, Stravinsky's famous work, has been performed in many performances. But never before as in this new production by Tilburg-based orchestra Kamerata Zuid i.c.w. performer Inez Wolters. Dressed in extravagant costumes, she interprets the various characters in this musical tale. Together with live music by Kamerata Zuid and input from circus performer Júlia Campistany, this... 

'My interest took on some obsessive traits.' Inge Schilperoord delved into the appeal of faith for her new novel

Seven years after her acclaimed debut novel Muidhond, Inge Schilperoord's new book is published. She delved into the experiences of a young Dutch girl attracted to the Islamic faith. When Inge Schilperoord (49) was a forensic psychologist in 2017, she spent time providing psychological examinations at the terrorist ward of a prison, where people suspected of having ties... 

Identity and diversity in circus: not hype but fascinating innovation #festivalcircolo

Nick van der Heyden, queer circus performer, garnered approving laughter from a room full of circus students in Tilburg. He just explained that he had found a new lease of life by doing his performances as an acrobat from now on as a drag queen. 'They thought something of that here at school. There, the new circus was mainly a matter of making it as simple as possible... 

Jesse Huygh balances high level with cystic fibrosis #festivalcircolo

When, at the end of his performance, he stands on top of a five-metre high pole, struggling to keep his balance, the audience holds its breath. As does Jesse himself, but he does not do so voluntarily. We watched him struggle for a performance with oxygen hoses and blood meters, pausing regularly to get air again. What if... 

Four performances in Tilburg of acrobat with cystic fibrosis

Festival Circolo presents a special performance at four special locations in Tilburg in the run-up to the largest festival for contemporary circus in the Netherlands. 'Circus is my way of dreaming and giving hope. To live fully, whatever the conditions'. Jesse Huygh is a circus performer and suffers from cystic fibrosis, or cystic fibrosis, a genetic lung disease. Despite his illness,... 

Lightness was in the genes. Dieuwertje Blok discovered her Jewish mother's war diary

Fourteen years after the death of her Jewish mother, presenter Dieuwertje Blok found her war diary. With her debut Dragging Lightness, Blok pays a warm tribute to the woman who gave her life. A profession in the spotlight - Dieuwertje Blok is no stranger to it. Her grandmother Saartje, who as the daughter of fishmongers grew up in the Joden Houttuinen... 

'When I read all these observations about myself, I was in shock.' Ariëlla Kornmehl on her new novel 'The taxman'

For her new novel The Taxman, Ariëlla Kornmehl did not have to look far for her inspiration. From one day to the next, she herself became a protagonist in a story, as it turned out that her tax consultant harboured a silent obsession for her. "When I read all those observations about myself, I was in shock," she says. After the publication 

'I Say Sorry' masterfully makes tangible what a madness our slavery past is.  

Saying sorry seems to be difficult, if the songs about it are to be believed, and if we measure the time it takes Dutch governments to do it. But sorry is also very easy, if you consider how often you are not pushed aside in the queue for something or other, after the word 'sorry' has sounded behind you, or -... 

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ILFU and Authors' Union: In prose and poetry, every word and comma is translated, but it is different in theatre and stage adaptations.

What is the difference between a translation and an adaptation? In prose and poetry, every word and comma is translated, but it is different in theatre and stage adaptations. What freedoms do director and translator dare to take when adapting Shakespeare, for instance? These questions are at the heart of the latest edition of the illustrious programme on translation and all things... 

For me, the Bijlmer disaster is a grim memory that comes back every year.

It is not an everyday topic: where were you when the Bijlmer disaster occurred? But this disaster, of 4 October 1992, is discussed every year, especially by eyewitnesses. For me, it is a grim memory that comes back every year. And now for the 30th time. 'The Bijlmer disaster is the name given to the air disaster that took place on Sunday evening, 4 October 1992. A... 

Don't confuse autonomous arts with creative industries

Since the budget cuts from 2011 onwards, policymakers have been setting the so-called 'creative industries' as a model for the arts. Industrial design, architecture, graphic design and the gaming industry: the creatives have been nuked as a 'top sector'. This, I believe, is the deeper cause of the unease expressed in this newspaper's Cultural Supplement: the increasing instrumentalisation of the arts by policymakers. The piece 'Why the... 

KMSKA

KMSKA: Antwerp's 'new' museum: 'a muscle-white spaceship descended through the roof, after which the old building closed again like an oyster.'

Two museums for the price of one. With a Mona Lisa in the making. 20 km from the Dutch border. Which is more beautiful? The building or the collection? Last weekend, Antwerp's Royal Museum of Fine Arts reopened after no less than 11 years. And that resonates far beyond the port city. I walk inside with a Danish art historian,... 

'Sprouting dance on a bed of grass and sedum' - Carefull Art puts Utrecht artists on a very special map

“De afgelopen tweeënhalf jaar ben ik keuzes gaan maken. Waar ik tien jaar geleden bedacht om als dansdocent het leven in te gaan, is het nu de vraag: wil ik dat eigenlijk wel? Waar word ik blij van, wat wil ik graag delen met de mensen om mij heen?” Voor Lotte Willemsma waren de eerste twee jaar van de Corona-pandemie… 

I was in Sander Schimmelpenninck's country and didn't just see fascists

Almelo has been on the map for a few years now thanks to theatre. I went to see Van Katoen en Water on Thursday, an open-air spectacle with well-timed downpour and a full-moon rise like you can only experience in the almost gentrified old-industrial heart of Twente's poorest city. Mashed potatoes were served beforehand, with a johmas salad. Wine flowed profusely. In... 

Gold from the Golden Coach originating in Suriname; Unknown provenance investigated by Amsterdam Museum, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and NICAS

The Amsterdam Museum has teamed up with VU University Amsterdam, Netherlands Institute for Conservation+Art+Science+ (NICAS) and Naturalis Biodiversity Centre to research the origins of the gold of the Golden Coach. For a long time, it was unknown where the gold leaf used to gild the carriage came from. An extensive study compared the composition of the gold with samples from Suriname and South Africa.... 

This bizarre labour dispute in Zeeland is just the tip of the iceberg

Alex Mallems, the artistic director who put Zeeland on the map in this century (since 2001), has left both the Zeeland Nazomer festival and its associated production house Zeelandia. This is the outcome of a protracted conflict with the business director appointed since last year, Sylvie Dees. According to a report in Theaterkrant, according to Dees, he would 'without permission make commitments... 

Walgelijk beeld of boomerpaniek? Amsterdam Fringe Festival baart opzien met campagnebeeld

Sommige dingen die vroeger leuk waren, kunnen nu niet meer. Dingen als roken in de klas, posters van David Hamilton op de studentenkamer, vrouwen onderbetalen, autorijden met een fles jenever achter de kiezen,  you name it. Deze week kwam daar een interessant relletje bij. Het Amsterdam Fringe Festival, het ondeugende zusje van het Nederlands Theaterfestival, koos een campagnebeeld dat, naar… 

'I say sorry anyway' theatre production by Theatre Group Alum and Raymi Sambo Makes about Keti Koti and slavery past on tour from the end of September

Ik zeg toch sorry a theatre performance by Theatre Group Aluin and Raymi Sambo Makes about Keti Koti, the day celebrating the (official) abolition of slavery, will be shown in Dutch theatres from the end of September. At a time when more and more municipalities and organisations are openly apologising for the slavery past or letting their own role in this period be... 

What I learned from Alida Dors and the Dutch Playwriting Prize

Of the 122 stage texts read by the jury of the Dutch Toneelschrijfprijs, just under 30 were written by female authors. In a field where the number of female workers is huge, this is striking. Because, the jury rightly stated, in written Dutch theatre, the male gaze is still dominant. While the theatre audience percentage-wise more women... 

Lessons from Weimar (2): how in Germany politics and art celebrate an uneasy marriage.

"The government is demanding that we only show artists from our own region. That would be a huge drain for us, because we are an international art space. But we have found a way around it. We now invite top international artists who live here, or we offer them a residency, so they live in the city temporarily. That way, ... 

Een klimaatcode voor de kunsten? De vinkjes hebben het al moeilijk genoeg!

“Wij geloven stellig dat een goed ontwikkelde en breed geïmplementeerde Code Cultuur, Klimaat & Milieu de werelden van kunst, cultuur en creatie helpt om hun rol te pakken binnen het urgentste vraagstuk van deze tijd. Die rol is er een van sociale innovatie en creativiteit in dienst van de kunsten, maar ook in dienst van de maatschappij en een leefbare… 

Square Theatre loses facebook page over nipple in poster image

Social Media censureert op vrouwentepel en Plein Theater verliest facebookpagina om tepel in posterbeeld van de voorstelling Nouveau Fuck van Cat Smits Company. Deze digitale preutsheid en seksistische ongelijkheid gaat veel te ver, vinden Berith Danse en Cat Smits. Facebook staat bekend om een strikt ‘geen naakt’-beleid, tenminste niet voor mannen, want naakte mannentorso’s zijn geen enkel probleem. Foto’s die… 

Kunstfest Weimar opens with commemoration of Buchenwald concentration camp. Why this is important for us too

“Dat we de huidige herinneringscultuur ongemakkelijk vinden, vindt zijn oorzaak al in het begrip ‘herinneren’. In de strikte zin van het woord kunnen we ons immers alleen iets herinneren wat we zelf hebben meegemaakt. Maar wat moeten zestienjarige scholieren zich herinneren wanneer ze de gedenkplaats van Buchenwald bezoeken? Op hen komt de oproep om zich iets te herinneren wat zelfs… 

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