{"id":134359,"date":"2026-08-21T17:23:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T15:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/?p=134359"},"modified":"2026-08-21T17:23:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T15:23:31","slug":"noorderzon-festival-opent-met-een-forse-dreun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/08\/noorderzon-festival-opent-met-een-forse-dreun\/","title":{"rendered":"Noorderzon Festival kicks off with a bang"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I had to give the opening drinks party a miss because of the last train back to Utrecht. After the performance of *Deaf Republic*, which kicked off the Noorderzon festival at the Groninger Schouwburg, everyone was ready for a break. I certainly was. In that piece, the Dead Center theatre company ruthlessly dispels the notion that art can offer a safe haven in times of need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And this despite the fact that the Groningen Summer Festival itself has been given an exceptionally promising revamp. The Noorderplantsoen, where the festival takes place, is now being utilised almost in its entirety for the first time. This gives the organisers scope to divide the park, with its characteristic water features, into different \u2018atmospheres\u2019. At its heart is Kraken, a floating stage in the central pond, which can now be enjoyed from all the banks, and which is fully committed to a more <em>urban<\/em> programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tidy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It feels open, just as everything feels very open at the moment. The number of food trucks and outdoor seating areas seems to have increased, which will have a positive effect on turnover in these difficult times, now that festivals such as Noorderzon and Boulevard have to dig deep into their pockets to ensure everything is done in accordance with the rules. Later this week, we\u2019ll take another look to see how the fresh, tidy atmosphere of the opening day has held up after the first weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So that weekend began with that play, in which quite a few people meet rather violent ends. It starts gruesomely with a bullet through the head of a small child who failed to obey the order to leave a puppet show. Because the child was deaf. In response, the inhabitants of the fictional town decide collectively to turn a deaf ear to the army. This results in a series of murders depicted in a very graphic manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sign language<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As well as offering a very realistic portrayal of things which, sadly, we are also confronted with on a daily basis through the media, the play is also a kind of ode to the poetic power of sign language. A language that was banned in the 19th century, and has only been officially recognised in the Netherlands since 2020. Thanks to Covid. This language, which enables communication through sight but is not always understood by hearing people, also took on a somewhat subversive quality as a result of that centuries-long ban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">*Deaf Republic*, performed by a cast comprising both deaf and hearing actors, is a visually striking production in which puppetry plays a major role. Here, however, the puppets offer no sense of security. Even the most oppressive regimes are still willing to tolerate insults from puppets, because they are only puppets. The army in this production, always played by one and the same <em>trigger-happy<\/em> A soldier puts dolls through the shredder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that really does hurt. It hurts to watch it, because we see puppets in the theatre as living beings, just as some people have given their robot vacuum cleaners a name. At one point it all became too much for me; despite all the special theatrical effects, I still felt as though I was watching a <em>slasher film<\/em> I was watching it. Not my favourite genre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result, however, is that for the full two hours on the train journey back, you find yourself pondering whether theatre should offer distraction in times of threat, or whether it is also allowed to confront you with that very threat. Are you turning a blind eye if you would have preferred to experience a fine piece of psychological drama, or a sharp comedy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That question must have provided plenty of talking points during the opening drinks reception in the Noorderplantsoen. And it must have boosted sales of spirits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><div class=\"su-note\"  style=\"border-color:#e5e54c;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#FFFF66;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">Attended: the opening of Noorderzon in Groningen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.noorderzon.nl\/programma\/deaf-republic\">Information<\/a>.<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>De openingsborrel heb ik moeten laten schieten vanwege de laatste trein terug naar Utrecht. Na de voorstelling Deaf Republic, waarmee het Noorderzon festival aftrapte in de Groninger Schouwburg, was iedereen er wel aan toe. In ieder geval ik wel. Het gezelschap Dead Center maakt in dat stuk hardhandig korte metten met het idee dat kunst [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":3,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"federated","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[16518,8843,4759,11687],"tags":[16583,5744,4867,58],"class_list":["post-134359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured","category-podiumkunst","category-theater-podiumkunst-2","category-donatie-gevraagd","tag-gebarentaal","tag-groningen","tag-noorderzon","tag-recensie"],"featured_image_url":[],"post_author":"Wijbrand Schaap","assigned_categories":"featured, PODIUMKUNST, THEATER, WAARDEER &amp; DONEER!","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":140332,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/09\/straks-moeten-we-nog-bewijzen-dat-we-mensen-zijn-een-dialoog-over-journalistiek-en-ai\/","url_meta":{"origin":134359,"position":0},"title":"Soon we\u2019ll have to prove we\u2019re human: a dialogue on journalism and AI","author":"Guido van Nispen","date":"25 September 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"We read a novel, appreciate an opinion piece and rely on our own judgement, until an AI detector attaches a suspicious percentage to it. The work hasn\u2019t changed, but our perspective has. What will happen when the machine ultimately determines what we, as humans, still trust?","rel":"","context":"In &quot;LITERAIR&quot;","block_context":{"text":"LITERAIR","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/literatuur-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":137595,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/09\/na-het-paradisodebat-we-moeten-anders-gaan-denken-over-auteursrecht\/","url_meta":{"origin":134359,"position":1},"title":"Following the #Paradiso debate: We need to start thinking differently about copyright","author":"Nan van Houte","date":"6 September 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve just left Paradiso, where this year\u2019s annual Kunsten\u201992 debate was devoted to AI. What struck me was that, apart from the question or comment from the balcony at Paradiso \u2013 which, unfortunately, was impossible to hear without amplification \u2013 no attention was paid to the extremely interesting observations and recommendations made by Payal Arora, Professor of Inclusive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ACTUEEL&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ACTUEEL","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/nieuws\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":137614,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/09\/mijn-hart-in-vijftig-stukken-el-corazon-de-ester\/","url_meta":{"origin":134359,"position":2},"title":"My Heart in Fifty Pieces: El coraz\u00f3n de Ester","author":"Alessia De Santis","date":"7 September 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"In *El coraz\u00f3n de Ester*, which had its Italian national premiere at the Teatro Vittoria as part of Short Theatre 2026, the Spanish artist Alberto Cort\u00e9s takes on the role of Ester, a 19th-century woman who slowly fades away as she surrenders herself to her lovers. There are only fifty performances\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;FAITS DIVERS&quot;","block_context":{"text":"FAITS DIVERS","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/faits-divers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":90844,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2023\/06\/streamingdiensten-gaan-5-omzet-investeren-in-nederlandse-producties\/","url_meta":{"origin":134359,"position":3},"title":"Streaming services to invest 5% turnover in Dutch productions","author":"een van onze leden","date":"6 June 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Major streaming services operating in the Netherlands will start investing 5% of their Dutch annual turnover in Dutch productions. The House of Representatives has agreed to a bill by state secretary Gunay Uslu (Culture and Media). Thanks to this investment, more money will be available for making Dutch offerings. With...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;beleid&quot;","block_context":{"text":"beleid","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/beleid\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Logo van het ministerie van OCW","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Logo_ministerie_OCW.svg_.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Logo_ministerie_OCW.svg_.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Logo_ministerie_OCW.svg_.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Logo_ministerie_OCW.svg_.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Logo_ministerie_OCW.svg_.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":90533,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2023\/04\/stairway-to-music-scala-for-ernestine-zaterdag-27-mei\/","url_meta":{"origin":134359,"position":4},"title":"Stairway to Music - Scala for Ernestine - Saturday 27 May","author":"een van onze leden","date":"26 April 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Stairway to Music, a programme by Asko|Sch\u00f6nberg and the Muziekgebouw, is an intimate listening experience of about 45 minutes on the steps of the Muziekgebouw. This time the program also has a personal touch. Harpist Ernestine Stoop says goodbye to Asko|Sch\u00f6nberg after more than 40 years and has put together...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;MUZIEK&quot;","block_context":{"text":"MUZIEK","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/podiumkunst\/muziek-podiumkunst-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ernestine Stoop - beeld geleverd door Asko|Sch\u00f6nberg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image002.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image002.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image002.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image002.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9283,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2012\/06\/shara-worden-speaks-about-all-things-will-unwind-and-sings-a-new-song-hf12\/","url_meta":{"origin":134359,"position":5},"title":"#hf12 Shara Worden speaks about All Things Will Unwind. And sings a new song","author":"Dani\u00ebl Bertina","date":"16 June 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Shara Worden - also known as My Brightest Diamond - is waiting for me, armed with her ukulele. Just before the interview, she wrote a new song. Worden laughs: \"There are way too many videos on the internet of me playing the same songs over and over. I...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Alleen voor leden&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Alleen voor leden","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/service\/members-only\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Shara-Worden_3-%C2%A9-Denny-Renshaw.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Shara-Worden_3-%C2%A9-Denny-Renshaw.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Shara-Worden_3-%C2%A9-Denny-Renshaw.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Shara-Worden_3-%C2%A9-Denny-Renshaw.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Shara-Worden_3-%C2%A9-Denny-Renshaw.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Shara-Worden_3-%C2%A9-Denny-Renshaw.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3yKke-yX5","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134359"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134360,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134359\/revisions\/134360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}