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THEATER

With text, movement, actors, sets.

Milo Rau at opening Theatre Festival: 'Maybe we should deliver a little less and listen a little more'

Things need time and distance to become a story. Good, then, that in his 'State of Theatre,' the traditional opening of the theatre season, Rau did not take the floor himself, but handed it over to people who are now in the midst of the confusing time of austerity, coronasteun and political turmoil. Because the 100 international makers he asked for a book entitled "Why Theatre?" could not come because of the pandemic, six Dutch makers were invited. 

'Sender Boulevard': Intimate and grand. A successful exercise in getting closer.

Under the banner 'Sender Boulevard', the organisers of Theatre Festival Boulevard signed up for six weeks of live encounters in 's-Hertogenbosch. More than 40 different projects delivered an extraordinary variety of performances, performances and installations. Based on the theme 'Nader de ander' (Closer to the other), Boulevard more than ever entered into dialogue with makers and audience, which led to an intense dialogue with results.

Romana Vrede, Photo: Bas de Brouwer

The three-quarters empty hall gives more intimacy than a full hall. HNT always plays; warming and confusing

What impressions, what images stick? Why am I enjoying this so much? The performances during the corona crisis deliver great gratitude: that I get to experience this, that actors, writers, directors and collaborators are faithful to perform for me for weeks or even months on end. The declaration of love is mutual.

Chosen to enjoy magisterial Hans Kesting

The restless head in front of the torso, fists nervously searching for grip under the pale blue jumper. His life a relentless affliction of generations of oppression under factory labour, alcoholism and domestic violence. And deep love nonetheless, between this tormented father and son. Until almost the end of the monologue "Who killed my father?", the high bed remains untouched. Only then do they learn... 

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... 

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

Boukje Schweigman is an artist this country desperately needs. My deep admiration for her arose with 'Klep', the performance with which she graduated from the Amsterdam mime school long ago. With eight others in a trolley, looking around through very small flaps in a world where sweet creatures are equally curious about you, after which a minimal touch has the impact of... 

Greg Nottrot offers vision of a new future for theatre at the time of Corona with 'Graves'

Ok, the Mauerpark in the real Berlin is more grubby, but what they call the Berlinplein in Utrecht's new Leidsche Rijn centre has something in common with it. Of course, a frayed edge organised by the local government is a bit suspicious, with a megabios as its biggest attraction, but property developers, the biggest abusers of artistic frayed edges, can't do much else on... 

Bright Richards remains combative in times of Corona: 'Why don't we use art to bring about inclusion?'

'Of course Corona has an impact on me, but the impact of Black Lives Matter is much bigger. I want to get to work activating young people. They need to feel that this is our country. I think it's important to always use every stage to make that clear.' Bright Richards is twenty years after graduating from the Arnhem... 

National Theatre plays on simply brilliantly

Thank God the theatres are reopening to more audiences and The National Theatre is still playing for a while, for instance with the infectious Every Brilliant Thing with Tamar van den Dop or Bram Suijker. At the Theater aan het Spui on Wednesday 1 July, Tamar van den Dop in the afternoon and Bram Suijker in the evening played their first Every Brilliant Thing. It is,... 

'Sender Boulevard': a small-scale summer programme of theatre and more, from the makers of Boulevard

Under the banner 'Sender Boulevard', 25 performances, performances and installations are popping up in 's-Hertogenbosch this summer, especially in the second week of August. Their shared motto is 'Approach the other'. Because after months of isolation, appropriate distance and avoidance, the desire to get [a little] closer glows. Boulevard celebrates the resilience of makers and audiences in 2020 with a programme... 

#metoo and me

In the Theatererkrant, 445 theatre makers posted an open letter addressed to Toneelgroep Oostpool, calling on creators and players to stop being afraid and report abuses to https://mores.online/. Summary of the foregoing: there were several complaints of sexual harassment by Oostpool's artistic director Marcus Azzini. An investigation ensued and Azzini... 

Beumer&Drost presents theatre thriller 'Murder on the Wega' (based on the recently discovered 1937 book by Marten Toonder)

On 24 to 28 June and 2, 3 and 4 July, at Theater Bouwkunde in Deventer, you will enjoy a unique and intimate theatre experience: While enjoying a drink, seated 1.5 metres away from each other and from the actors, Peter Drost and Paul R. Kooij perform all the roles in this classic whodunit. Peter & Paul 'young men' in front of your eyes,... 

'Only now do I have a fairly comforting life.' Frank conversation with Hans Dorrestijn

Cabaret artist Hans Dorrestijn is known as a gloom and professional grumbler. But in recent years, Holland's blackest joker has less and less to complain about: he has had great success with his nature books and his cabaret shows, and won several awards. This week he turns 80, but he does not want to stop - his new book Wensvogels has just been published. In nine candid questions 

Sound designer Richard Jansen created a very special soundtrack for hallucinatory German Three Sisters

'We did get quite a kick out of spectators at the beginning: "How dare you treat the actors like that? First you put a mask on them, then you steal their voices and make them playback!'' Richard Jansen couldn't care less. He is part of the creative team as sound designer 

MAAS makes performance at Keti Koti

On Tuesday 30 June and Wednesday 1 July 2020, Aan tafel can be seen at the Maaspodium, Rotterdam, a performance on the history of slavery as part of Keti Koti. It is the third year in a row that Maas is trying to make this painful part of history palpable through theatre. The performance will be made (coronaproof) and performed by Sue-Ann... 

'I want to leave my children something substantial'. The eventful life of creative jack-of-all-trades Marc de Hond (1977-2020)

It still came as a shock, the sad news that comedian, presenter and theatre-maker Marc de Hond died yesterday. Around the beginning of corona, we were still in touch briefly about his theatre tour Voortrijdend inzicht, which he made as a legacy for his children. How unfortunate it was that most of the performances now had to be postponed indefinitely. His health situation... 

HOLLAND FESTIVAL ONLINE PROGRAMME 2.0-2.0

From 11 to 21 June, the Holland Festival will present an online programme as close as possible to the core and essence of the original programme, which was cancelled due to the corona crisis. Together with artists from around the world who were due to perform in the 2020 festival, an alternative online programme has been put together. The festival theme, suggested by... 

Why the art world, subsidised and commercial, must stop campaigning NOW

A few months ago, I reported via this site that Eurovision Song Contest wanted an orchestra to perform, for less than no money. The post, including follow-ups, was read just under a hundred thousand times, so can be assumed somewhat familiar. Yesterday, I received a press release from a rather expensive public relations agency, which the culture world took action on... 

The sneaky demolition of the National Theatre in Tirana during Corona is just the beginning

The sneaky demolition of the National Theatre during Corona: This is just the beginning.

Albania's National Theatre, recently declared a protected monument by Europa Nostra, was unexpectedly destroyed on Sunday, 17 May, after two years of protests. Early in the morning, when it was still dark, the bulldozers came. A sudden wave of policemen wearing mouth caps chased activists and artists out of the theatre and formed a cordon around the audience.... 

Greg Nottrot is energised by the corona crisis: 'Let's enjoy the fact that there is finally room for experimentation again.'

'I did get startled at first by being so laconic under the lockdown. I thought: don't I care enough to step over it so lightly? I also fully understand that people are very sad that it's all off, but apparently I'm a bit more fatalistic about that.' Greg Nottrot, playwright and enigma maker,... 

'Artists have a special sensitivity to what is possible and what awaits in the future.' Rainer Hofmann prepares for SPRING's future in solitude.

'I have only met one person for more than 3 minutes in five weeks. I live alone, I see people at the groceries, I take walks and bike rides, but apart from that I don't see anyone live.' Rainer Hofmann, artistic director of Spring, is experiencing a very different spring than intended, thanks to Corona. This month, the major Utrecht festival of innovative art was supposed to... 

The Encounter, Complicit / Simon McBurney, photo: Alex Aitchison

Why you should listen to Simon McBurney with headphones on between 15 and 22 May

We are fairly bombarded to death with online theatre experiences. Frankly, I avoid them. I always thought theatre was something to be experienced live. Bobbing shoes are terrible, visible consumption when speaking is something I can't stand at the moment and the sound is always mediocre. I want live theatre, and nothing else. Leave TV to the TV makers, they have studied for that. Still... 

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