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#HF11: With The School for Scandal, Deborah Warner gives a gleeful kick to an arch-conservative theatre tradition. The British are not amused.

by Daniel Bertina
2 June 201113 February 2019
6 min read
Holland Festival, SPECIALS

The School for Scandal_8 © Neil Libbert — Photo: Neil Libbert

That was a bit of a grind for British theatre critics. The celebrated director Deborah Warner (1959) recently pulled Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The School for Scandal out of the closet. A play from 1777, and an untouchable part of the British theatre canon. Building on the style of her earlier production Mother Courage (2009) Warner also indicated The School for Scandal - goddamn - a quirky, contemporary twist.

"With many video, light, music and noise - like a rock concert, " grins Warner in the office of the Barbican Theatre In London. "Mother Courage had an incredibly populist, exciting atmosphere. I love that arrogant theatricality immensely, and I wanted to continue that style in The School for Scandal. For me, the big challenge was to explore the Brechtian theatre style of Weimar - which I got through Mother Courage had discovered again - to collide with an eighteenth-century theatre text."

Deeper layers far in vague project 'The Long Count' by twin brothers Dessner

by one of our members
2 June 201130 March 2022
3 min read
For members only, SPECIALS

The Long Count — The Long Count - photo Julieta Cervantes

Two boys beat a guitar with a baseball bat, which was hanging on a rope in the air. Moments before, they also battered the instrument in a strange game of tug-of-war, during which the guitar regularly hit the ground. Both times, shrill, nasty sounds fill the room. The games are played with a deadly serious face, so they seem to be telling something to the visitors. But what actually? That question keeps spinning through your head with almost every theatrical moment in The Long Count. The project by twin brothers Bryce and Aaron Dessner of indie rock band The National sounds rather exciting. For instance, the announcement calls it a multimedia concert, with a song cycle that is supposed to focus on the time before our world began. The musicians created it with video artist Matthew Ritchie and used the Popol Vuh, a historical-mythological text by a Mayan people from Guatemala about those early days, as inspiration. In the show, they aim to make connections between Mayan myth and their own lives.

Die Jahreszeiten, in OT's version, fits perfectly into the Flemish-Dutch Opera Days

by one of our members
31 May 201130 March 2022
4 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

In the Netherlands, the view of opera is mainly guided by concert practice. As such, the Dutch approach to this genre differs considerably from what is common in the rest of Euroa. This is evident from the fact that over the past century, investments have been made in concert halls that are among the best in the world: the Amsterdam...

De Dodo herleeft voor Holland Festival editie 2011 #HF11

by one of our members
30 May 201130 March 2022
2 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, Holland Festival, SPECIALS

Deze week barst het Holland Festival los en wij zijn erbij. We maken met een flink team professionele journalisten een Dodo Festivaldagkrant, zoals we dat eerder ook deden voor bijvoorbeeld Springdance en De Internationale Keuze van de Rotterdamse Schouwburg. We volgen het festival op de voet om nieuws te brengen wanneer het zich voordoet. We gaan voorstellingen zien waar anderen…

Via Intolleranza II is an irresistibly witty theatrical chaos about the construction of an opera village.

by Daniel Bertina
27 May 201130 March 2022
5 min read
For members only, SPECIALS

VIA INTOLLERANZA II — photo: Aino Laberenz

The lung cancer survivor who died last year Künstler Christoph Schlingensief - all-rounder, provocateur, director, life artist - gets on the Holland Festival an extended tribute: the opening performance Mea Culpa, a programme of seven feature films, and Schlingensief's swan song Via Intolleranza II.

Deathly ill caught Christoph Schlingensief up the wild plan to move into Burkina Faso an opera village from the ground up, Remdoogo. A self-sufficient sanctuary where people from different cultures could meet, and to make art together there for an extended period of time. This follows similar initiatives such as the Avenida Theatre in Mozambique, set up by author Henning Mankell. Schlingensief sought to merge art and life. Driven by a long-standing fascination with the rich African culture, and inspired by the ideals of his great hero Joseph Beuys.

Via Intolleranza II is Schlingensief's attempt to capture, in a maelstrom of documentary, music, visual art, film, performance art, lecture, opera and theatre, the early process of becoming Remdoogo. A performance about a process. At the same time, Schlingensief also seems to question his own motives. Via Intolleranza II was his swan song - he died three months after the premiere. The show will have its Dutch premiere on Saturday 4 June.

Playing with the Wooster Group: 'a totally new way of being on stage, of dealing with signals and the material of the show'

by Wijbrand Schaap
25 May 201130 March 2022
5 min read
For members only, SPECIALS

'Your audience will love it.' That was the last thing Liz Lecompte of the Wooster Group heard from the heirs of playwright Tennessee Williams shortly before the premiere of Vieux Carré. Since then, the trustees of the estate of this American monument have been keeping quiet about the performance Lecompte created. It was the end of a long period in which...

You'd be interested to know what Spalding Gray and Christoph Schlingensief would have had to say to each other.

by Leo Bankersen
24 May 20118 July 2016
4 min read
FILM, SPECIALS

Cover of Spalding Gray At the Holland Festival, two minds wander. The loudest is that of Christoph Schlingensief, Germany's most independent filmmaker, theatre-maker, activist and enfant terrible, always good for controversy. After being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008, he processed his anger and fear in Eine Kirche der Angst vor dem Fremden in mir, presented in 2009 at...

'They want to put everything on the line. In Western Europe, that desire is stupidly lacking': Algerian B-Boyz vulnerable and unyielding in Nya

by Fransien van der Putt
24 May 201130 March 2022
6 min read
For members only, SPECIALS

This year, the Holland Festival brings the extraordinary French-Algerian co-production Nya, which combines achievements of modern and classical dance with hip-hop and, in addition, Ravel's Bolero sounds alongside Houria Aïchi's Algerian evergreens.

Rascals and heroes battle for power at Utrecht Festival a/d Werf

by one of our members
23 May 201130 March 2022
4 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

There is no such thing as the perfect human being. We are all crooks. Or is there a way to get it right? Ilay den Boer and the actors of De Utrechtse Spelen / De Warme Winkel each explore in their own way at the 26th edition of Festival aan de Werf. Wasn't my grandfather just an asshole? That...

Ministry of OCW cuts a little more to truth than we already proved on Friday

by one of our members
22 May 201130 March 2022
4 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Case in point: more people are against cuts than the ministry would have us believe. On page 32 of the now heavily controversial brochure 'Cultuur in Beeld', the ministry writes: "In the CDE, carried out at the end of 2010, citizens were asked to indicate from 17 policy fields whether they think the central government should spend (much) less or (much) more money on...

Ten theatre performances you should not have missed according to the jury of the Dutch Theatre Festival. Agree?

by one of our members
14 May 201130 March 2022
2 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Of course, you were all lining up for that legendary Richard III by Orkater with music by Tom Waits. Or you had locked yourself in for Oostpool's small-room gem 'Till the fat lady sings', or you just didn't want to miss an episode of O O Cherso and The Voice of Holland. Anyway: now you know what you...

Dutch ministry of OC&W bases vision 'renewal' cultural funding system on British example

by one of our members
13 May 201130 March 2022
2 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

There is an interesting 'drone' underneath, and that may strike someone as menacing. In any case, the video at the end of this article has more meaning than many culture lovers might think. The fact is that the sweeping cuts made by the UK government through their 'Arts Council' have met with hardly any protests in retrospect, while the disproportionality in the cut...

Utrechts Beeldende Kunstcentrum krijgt in Ventië bezoek van Salman Rushdie, George Soros en Johnny Depp

by one of our members
11 May 201130 March 2022
2 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Je fietst er als Utrechter makkelijk aan voorbij, de Basis voor Actuele Kunst (BAK) in de Lange Nieuwstraat, maar internationaal kunnen maar weinig mensen eromheen. BAK is big. Het centrum is onder leiding van de even onuitsprekelijke als sympatieke artistiek directeur Maria Hlavajova uitgegroeid tot een toonaangevend centrum in de wereld van de actuele kunst. Een paar jaar geleden mocht…

Tomoko Mukaiyama sprinkles nuts and high heels

by one of our members
8 May 201129 March 2022
3 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Although the announcement of 'sonic tapestry: Shoes, part V' by Tomoko Mukaiyama can be read as a variant of Sex and the City on classical music, Sarah Jessica Parker would forever look at her Manolo Blahniks differently after seeing Mukaiyama's performance. This very special piano recital was Saturday 7 May at LP2 (Room 2 of the Rotterdam...

'Our' New York dodo reviewers saw the Wooster Group's Le Vieux Carré and were thrilled

by one of our members
5 May 20118 July 2016
2 min read
SPECIALS

Admittedly, our method of reviewing (see our contributions on Springdance and De Internationale Keuze) is new to the Netherlands, but in the States a few were already doing it. For example, the two hot guys Andrew and Andrew are doing well with their iPhones, doing the same as the Dodo with the Kodak Zi8 (no shares, though we would love to be sponsored...

Twitter reacts to bad news for culture sector

by one of our members
30 April 201129 March 2022
1 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Our overview of Twitter responses to the Council for Culture's advice, released on 29 April. [View the story "Twitter reacts to Council for Culture advice" on Storify]

Op de nieuwe webservice Storify brengen we het verhaal van De Dodo op Springdance 2011

by one of our members
28 April 201130 March 2022
1 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Opnieuw maken we gebruik van een nieuwe webservice. Om eens te kijken hoe dat werkt. Laat het ons gerust (in de comments) weten als je ons te geeky vindt. Gaan we er wat aan doen. [View the story “Springdance 2011” on Storify]

Boekverkopers beginnen schoorvoetend het digitale tijdperk te omarmen

by one of our members
27 April 201129 March 2022
1 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Op woensdag 27 april 2011 deden we verslag van het jaarlijkse symposium van de Koninklijke Vereiging van Boekverkopers. Interessante bi9jeenkomst, kunnen we stellen, maar natuurlijk was niet iedere spreker even briljant als Eppo van Nispen tot Sevenaar, de directeur van de stichting Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek, die we vanaf nu de Johannes en Jezus van de verhalenbranche zullen…

Fascinating canon with 24 dancers by Boris Charmatz as bouncer and finale of Springdance 2011

by Fransien van der Putt
25 April 201130 March 2022
4 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Springdance 9 — Boris Charmatz's dancers in ''Levée des conflits'' Photo Caroline Ablain.

Nothing is more uplifting than singing a canon together. French choreographer Boris Charmatz's Frère Jacques, seen as the bouncer on the final night of Springdance, is a special case, though. 'Levée des conflits' has no recurring refrain, but has no fewer than 25 stanzas, which are danced by each of the 24 dancers. The insane polyphony that rises from this monster canon of dancing bodies slowly rattles the viewer apart over 1 hour and 40 minutes, at least if they keep following the multitude of movements and manipulations. 'Levée des conflits' presents the audience with a dilemma: does it surrender to the inimitability of interlocking phases and versions of a composition that it cannot possibly oversee? Or does it frantically search for structure, something to hold on to, something to orientate itself in this hall of mirrors of repetition and multiplication?

Boris Charmatz met laatste voorstelling van Springdance

by one of our members
24 April 201129 March 2022
1 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Springdance Utrecht is beëindigd. Boris Charmatz gaf gisteravond met ”Levée des conflits” de laatste voorstelling van het Utrecht dansfestival. De critici Fransien van der Putt en Daniël Bertina laten hun mening al blijken in onderstaande film. Ook hebben zij een gesprek met Boris Charmatz. Lees meer over deze voorstelling.

Eugénie Rebetez shows the alienating contrast of a woman who wants to be more and is also at peace with who she is

by Daniel Bertina
23 April 201130 March 2022
3 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Eugénie Rebetez in 'Gina'. Foto: Augustin Rebetez.

Haar volle dijen kletsen tegen elkaar. Ze schudt met haar ontblote armen en kijkt grijnzend naar de trillende huid op haar bovenarmen. Ze stampt woest over de speelvloer van Theater Kikker, terwijl haar forse lijf – gekleed in een klein nietsverhullend zwart jurkje – nadrukkelijk aan alle kanten vrolijk meestuitert. Je moet maar durven. In haar one woman show ‘Gina’ gaat de Zwitserse theatermaker Eugénie Rebetez aan alle gêne voorbij. In de huid van Gina toont Rebetez haar eigen hunkering naar het sterrendom, met veel zelfspot en absurdistische humor. Een eigenzinnige mengelmoes van mime, stand up comedy, kleinkunst en hedendaagse dans.

But what about the goat?

by Wijbrand Schaap
23 April 201130 March 2022
1 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Waren we van pure schrik helemaal vergeten hoe dat nou zat met die geit. Enfin. Die geit, of althans het volgens de Nederlandse wetgeving geheel ontvelde karkas ervan, speelt een rol in de finale van de voorstelling Them van Ishmael Houston-Jones. We zagen na afloop het publiek tamelijk aangedaan naar buiten komen.

'In talking about art, you always reach a point where it all becomes too abstract.' - Clara García Fraile on 'Europe in Motion'

by Wijbrand Schaap
21 April 201130 March 2022
1 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Clara García Fraile vertegenwoordigt Engeland in het internationale programma Europe in Motion. Jonge choreografen hebben tijdens het festival met elkaar gepraat en presenteren aan het eind van deze editie een eigen werk. Clara heeft niets te laten zien, vertelt ze, maar dat komt ook omdat zij als videokunstenares met andere dingen dan dans bezig is. En die andere dingen zijn…

Pure contact improvisation and martial arts in confrontational performance by Japanese dance group contact Gonzo

by one of our members
21 April 201129 March 2022
3 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

1_Contact_Gonzo_2,_480 — Contact Gonzo

Met hun naam verwijzen de vijf Japanners van contact Gonzo naar de gonzo-journalisitiek van wijlen Hunter S. Thompson. Rauw, hard en subjectief. Thomspon liet in zijn stukken ook zien hoe hij werkte. Contact Gonzo warmt op tijdens de voorstelling, maakt met wegwerpcamera’s kiekjes van elkaar en geeft de waterfles door. Gonzo-style: wat je ziet, is wat je krijgt.

Contact Gonzo houdt zich aan eenvoudige regels. Bijvoorbeeld zwaartekracht: springen en neerkomen. Of aantrekken en afstoten: duwen, trekken, zoals een rugbyscrum. Daarmee raken ze aan minimal art die zich hield aan een set parameters; men denke aan Sol LeWitt.

Aerial cycling elevated to art: Sylvain Prunenec 'dances' Nos Solitudes by Julie Nioche

by Wijbrand Schaap
20 April 201130 March 2022
1 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

It could be a circus number, but the stillness in this technical dance installation ensures that it rises above the level of a pretty trick. Hanging from pulleys supported by counterweights, Sylvain floats in the Academy Theatre. Here, he briefly explains how it works. Spoiler alert. And in French.

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