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The Black Piece. De voorpremière. De nabespreking.

Bij sommige voorstellingen kerm je binnensmonds of het allemaal wel goed komt. Bij andere voorstellingen slaak je een kreun dat het zo goed uitpakt. The Black Piece is dat laatste. De nieuwste productie van Ann Van den Broek is met input van dansers en testpubliek tot stand gekomen. Dan kan het bijna niet mis gaan. De voorvertoning laat een indringende mix zien van versies van het begrip zwart. Alsof je als publiek gedwongen wordt voor een beslagen spiegel te staan waar de wasem langzaam optrekt en iemand zegt: kijk! De choreografe legt na afloop verantwoording af.

Amy Tan en de zweep

Amy Tan – te gast bij het John Adams Institute in Amsterdam – introduceerde deze week zelf haar nieuwe boek bij het Nederlandse publiek: Vallei van verwondering. Ze hield in de Amstelkerk een zeer persoonlijke lezing over het moeilijke leven van haar moeder en grootmoeder in het antieke China van voor de grote roerganger Mao. Het decor: begin twintigste eeuw… 

Anna Korsun wins Gaudeamus Music Prize

Last night, Ukrainian composer Anna Korsun (1986, Donetsk) won the coveted Gaudeamus Music Prize in TivoliVredenburg. This consists of a cash prize of €4550, which serves as an honorarium for a new composition that will have its world premiere in a subsequent instalment. The international jury, consisting of composers Vanessa Lann (Netherlands), Oscar Bianchi (Switzerland) and Wim Hendericx (Belgium) unanimously chose her... 

Proven: theatre-goers seek intellectual satisfaction and hardly ever read reviews

Drama reviews mainly fill a need among artists and journalists. Newspaper readers hardly use them. In London, this has been studied. Only 36 per cent of theatre-goers say they read reviews. Much more value fans place on tips from friends and family. Last Saturday at Amsterdam's De Balie debate centre, there was a discussion between theatre-makers,... 

'Grandiose' opening Theatre Festival doesn't quite take away the pain

"Grand opening, right?" Jeffrey Meulman, the man who as director of the ailing Theatre Festival gave the word "inspired" a new dimension, was delighted. It was Thursday night, September 4, 2014. Shortly before, I had seriously considered jumping from the 1st balcony of the Stadsschouwburg, rather than applauding Tauerbach, the opening performance of The Theatre Festival. It is... 

The future is not fixed. 7 solutions to the arts crisis.

By Melle Daamen 'What do you want then?' was a question I received quite often in response to my articles last year in NRC, in which I expressed my concerns about the state of the arts in the Netherlands and especially its future. I argued for a fundamental debate from within the arts sector itself, focusing on the future, including... 

Melle Daamen on @culturepress: 6 reasons why the arts debate in the Netherlands is so laborious.

I published two articles in NRC Handelsblad last year. The first (6 July 2013) was critical of government policy. There was little reaction to this. The second article (7 December 2013) was critical of the arts sector: it needs to make its own sharp choices. That did cause a stir, although I am convinced that many colleagues largely agree with the content... 

8 essential lessons Dutch theatres can learn from festivals - and vice versa

Declining visitor numbers, shrinking subsidies, impoverished programming: most Dutch theatres are struggling, research by NRC Handelsblad recently showed. Theatres welcomed 12 million visitors in 2012, according to NRC figures, a quarter less than in 2008. Festivals, on the other hand, are on the rise. More and more are being organised, and they are attracting more and more people - in total... 

8 million for talent development, but 4 tough problems remain

Culture minister Jet Bussemaker can again make up for the cultural devastation caused by her predecessor Halbe Zijlstra. As promised earlier, money will be freed up for talent development. This was a demand of the chamber and a wish of the country. Are we happy? Of course. Although happy, there are also a few things that remain troublesome. [Tweet "1 Develop... 

Symphony orchestra seeks name. All suggestions are welcome.

Suddenly they are gone: the Dutch Symphony Orchestra's twitter account and facebook page. Searching for the new ***** name also yields nothing. Must have something to do with all sorts of lawsuits. But if you type in nederlandssymfonieorkest.nl, you happily end up at symfonieorkest.nl. Incidentally, if you type in orkestvanhetoosten.nl, that's also where you end up.

Joop van den Ende sets high bar for Dutch Billy's

In various studios around the country, for almost a year, many boys took dance classes at the Billy Elliot sCOOL to qualify for one of the most coveted roles on the dance stage: Billy Elliot. Eventually, these participants were brought together for lessons at Stage Entertainment's beautiful new building at Zuidas in Amsterdam. Under the watchful eye of admirer Joop van den Ende, six young dancers were eventually selected by professionals from England, among others. Vanafrom 4 November in Scheveningen in the compelling ballet musical Billy Elliot with music by Elton John.

Main lesson from Benjamin Zander: enjoyment of the game is the key to success.

I had promised to check out a session with Benjamin Zander. Me as a non-expert, together with someone who finds classical music downright soporific. To see if Zander works, as he promises to work: "Everyone loves classical music, they just don't know it yet". The man is in the Netherlands and that doesn't happen very often. Not for very long... 

Sparkling Candide at Canal Festival

The 300-strong audience stood up as one after Leonard Bernstein's infectious performance of Candide at the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam last night. The performance of this 'pocket version' of Bernstein's cheerful musical/opera about the incorrigible optimist Candide, produced by the Nationale Reisopera, took place indoors, in the hotel's ballroom, due to the weather conditions. After all, the Grachtenfestival has to be... 

Robin Williams, loved yet misunderstood

Geliefd was de Amerikaanse acteur Robin Williams zeker. Dat blijkt wel uit de overvloedige reacties na zijn onverwachte overlijden. Extra tragisch dat het vermoedelijk zelfmoord betreft, na geworsteld te hebben met depressie en drank- en drugsproblemen. Maar het is ook wrang dat de zo geliefde Williams sinds 2002 niet meer de kans kreeg om te schitteren in een gedenkwaardige hoofdrol.… 

A performance that really makes you feel the futility of war. Demarrage by Charlotte Caeckaert on @tfboulevard

Flemish actors can speak. Flemish actors usually don't need microphones to make themselves understood over a storm, or from 100 metres away in the open air. Charlotte Caeckaert is one such actress who can do all that, and such technique is a joy to witness. She also writes lyrics, and that's where things go a little wrong.... 

Hearing stories of loss. And cry about it. But then? Separate from the Southern Theatre on @tfboulevard.

Two actors who, together with their director, want to create a performance about loss. Or rather: our fear of losing things, or people. The makers are not quite there yet, it turns out at Theatre Festival Boulevard. From numerous conversations with thinkers and (experiential) experts, they have distilled characters while improvising, which they - separated by a thick... 

8 enticing words about Festival Boulevard.

It is the most ambitious summer festival in the Netherlands: Festival Boulevard in Den Bosch aims to showcase not only the finest theatre theatre theatre in the low countries, but also the fattest shows, and youngest new creators and the merriest bus drivers. And all that in 10 days, in once tad where the local newspaper does its best to promote culture as scary as possible to make. We briefly summarise it for you in eight enticing words.

What you can learn from Culture Press. Already 4 unique offers for art lovers and culture writers.

Being able to write nicely is fine, but the journalists at Culture Press can do more. They have studied to be art experts, spent thousands of hours in rooms and halls that even you didn't know existed, and possess enormous drive. How else could this website exist?

Who are the finalists of the 50th Organ Festival?

Last night marked the 50th edition of the Organ Festival in Haarlem was graced with a concert in the Grote or St Bavo church by organists Ton Koopman and Olivier Latry. The voluminous book The Haarlem Essays gepresented, detailing the Werdegang of the improvisation competition founded in 1951. The atmosphere in the sold-out church was supreme.

Journalism has changed. Countless reasons why you as an arts journalist can be at the forefront.

Ooit hadden mensen een krant. Op de redactie wisten een paar mensen waarom mensen een krant hadden. Maar het was een fact of life. Mensen hadden een krant. Wie geen krant had was geen mens. Tegenwoordig hebben mensen geen krant meer. Ze hebben internet. Wie geen internet heeft, is achterlijk.

Working for free has become commonplace in the arts. 4 bare facts by festival director Meulman

'The practice of payment by book voucher does not belong to a professional sector with substantial economic importance.' Jeffrey Meulman, director of the Dutch theatre festival, has learned to live with it. Against his will. As host of the annual Gala of Dutch Theatre, he has managed to organise that party again. Without money.

Aufführung der Komposition " Delusion of the fury " von Harry Partch in der Musiktheater Inszenierung von Heiner Goebbels mit dem Ensemble musikFabrik in der Jahrhunderthalle Bochum im Rahmen der Ruhrtriennale 2012-14 am Mittwoch, 21.08.2013

Seeing music (and not hearing it?)

Because of my fascination with the complex relationship between listening and watching, I decided to visit three performances at the recent Holland Festival and experience what happened when I tried to pay equal attention to ears and eyes. The first was "Delusion of the Fury" (1966) by American composer Harry Partch, the second a concert performance of Philip Glass's opera "The CIVIL warS" (1983), the third a performance of Franz Schubert's "Die Winterreise" (1827) in which twenty-four short films by South African artist William Kentridge were shown.

Four opera myths shattered @Oerol festival

Is a performance opera if not a note is sung? If the audience sits on a stand in a car park with headphones on their heads? Or if a man cries out like a dog with a tongue out of his mouth throughout the performance? The definitions of opera are stretched quite a bit at five Oerol performances. Interestingly, hardly anyone calls the performance opera. By necessity, musical theatre is often used, but that term does not really fall into a warm bath.

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