{"id":96973,"date":"2025-04-02T13:56:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T11:56:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/?p=96973"},"modified":"2025-04-02T14:33:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T12:33:23","slug":"een-acteur-een-tekst-een-overtuiging-meer-heb-je-niet-nodig-laat-aluin-zien","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2025\/04\/een-acteur-een-tekst-een-overtuiging-meer-heb-je-niet-nodig-laat-aluin-zien\/","title":{"rendered":"An actor, a text, a conviction. That's all you need, shows Alum"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There is nothing wrong with just being really good at what you do. Nothing better than a single artist on an empty floor with nothing but their music, body and voice. The top three of my legendary art moments:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>David Bowie sings <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/MysbGHUN-sY?si=PGRKJiAZKL9PfGpV\">Heroes<\/a> on an empty stage at Rotterdam's Kuip stadium (1983).\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Frieda Pittoors in almost every role from 'Kras' onwards at Discordia (1987).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jacob Derwig as Dostoevsky's Gentleman in the Cutting Room of 't Barre Land (2000).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>All old-school stuff, I admit, but that's it with top moments: once established, it's hard to knock them off the throne. Yet that is not impossible. Indeed, just below that top are two related moments: Ad de Bont's 'Mirad, a Boy from Bosnia' in a Zeeland schoolroom, spoken by Rob Vriens and Marieke van Weelden of Wederzijds. That was sometime in 1994, so also a long time ago, but last Friday I saw Victorine Plante and Rochelle Deekman playing Antigone in a rather desolate schoolroom for 50 sixth-graders of the Marnix Gymnasium.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transformation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There I saw again the miracle that also struck me decades ago: it is precisely in that empty space, where all decoration is missing, where no fancy lighting and dazzling d\u00e9cor distracts attention, that you experience the magic of art best. Someone changes into something else without anything really changing. Transformation in its purest form, as fascinating as it is horrifying (for people who get pimples from everything 'trans' stands for).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That Antigone by Alum is rather laudatory <a href=\"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/2024\/12\/aluin-maakt-eindexamen-grieks-een-feest-dankzij-antigone\/\">reviewed<\/a>, but I wanted to go and see how such a thing worked outside the safe context of a theatre hall with a festive theatre audience. In the former auditorium of the Marnix Gymnasium on Rotterdam's Henegouwerplein, the situation was desolate enough. The hall in the monumental building had not improved since I went to school there myself in the 1970s. Funnily enough, the sixth-graders did not seem to have changed either, but that may have been due to my nostalgic state of mind. It was Friday afternoon half past two, not the time when concentration is highest. Nothing in the room helped bring in exciting theatre.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Deeply sympathised<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet in the end I experienced a performance in which everything fell so into place, creating a common atmosphere between the two actors and the 50 students that lingered long after. Nothing awkward teenagers in the contramine, which is in itself the subject of the 2,500-year-old play. Here was intense sympathy, every turn of the text followed and the subtlest acting movement noticed. I was touched again, and harder, by a text I had seen performed dozens of times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Opportunism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Theatre group Aluin has been around since the early 1990s and has occasionally been subsidised by the Fonds Podiumkunsten, and occasionally not. On one of those occasions when they lost their subsidy, Victorine Plante told me in the car back to Utrecht, the company stayed afloat on performances sold to upper secondary schools. Director and writer\/editor Erik Snel is devoted to the ancient Greeks, which makes his work ideally suited to schools where classical language and culture is taught. That Aluin aligns the repertoire with the compulsory final exam translations is then a convenient choice.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But opportunism alone will not get the club there. They can only keep a Medea version from 2013 in the repertoire if it is rock solid, and gets the best professional performance. As happened now with Antigone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Persuasion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>All fifty-one of us in that chilly Rotterdam hall suddenly understood again why a text can still be alive and kicking after 2,500 years. We understand that Sophocles wrote just as much about Trump, Putin and Marjolein Faber as about forgotten mayors of Athens. Precisely because it is about a mythical regent of a city long since reduced to ruins.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just reading or reciting will not get you there. As an actor, you have to master the art of transformation to perfection. So well that you need nothing but your body, your voice, your conviction to bring the world in with 50 adolescents in a chilly room.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I see such bare and pure theatre too rarely in our real theatres.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Er is niks mis met gewoon heel erg goed zijn in wat je doet. Niets mooier dan een enkele artiest op een lege vloer met niets anders dan diens muziek, lijf en stem. De top drie van mijn legendarische kunstmomenten:&nbsp; Allemaal dingen uit de oude doos, dat geef ik toe, maar dat is het met [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":96974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_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","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8843,4759,11687],"tags":[694,513,58,16377],"class_list":["post-96973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podiumkunst","category-theater-podiumkunst-2","category-donatie-gevraagd","tag-aluin","tag-jeugdtheater","tag-recensie","tag-schoolvoorstelling"],"views":230,"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IMG_20250328_134609-scaled.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":100163,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2025\/12\/met-samson-en-een-beetje-delilah-zoekt-theatergroep-aluin-nuance-in-een-beladen-actualiteit\/","url_meta":{"origin":96973,"position":0},"title":"With Samson and (a little bit of) Delilah, Theatre Group Aluin seeks nuance in a charged current event.","author":"Wijbrand Schaap","date":"22 December 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Laten we het even niet over de oorlog hebben. Altijd welkom in tijden dat het er elke minuut over gaat. Maar dat Theatergroep Aluin dit gevleugelde \u2018Don\u2019t mention the war\u2019 tot zulke absurde proporties weet op te rekken met Samson en (een beetje) Delilah, levert best wat breinkramp op. Ik\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;PODIUMKUNST&quot;","block_context":{"text":"PODIUMKUNST","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/podiumkunst\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4223,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2011\/01\/ifigeneia-moest-dood-zo-blijkt-uit-de-reconstructie-door-de-jubilerende-theatergroep-aluin\/","url_meta":{"origin":96973,"position":1},"title":"Ifigeneia had to die, according to the reconstruction by the jubilee Theatre Group Alum","author":"Wijbrand Schaap","date":"29 January 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"\"That looks like a book series!\" my wife spoke with some horror upon seeing the cover of 'The Revenge of Iphigenia'. And yes, it has to be said: in book format, the poster of Theatre Group Alum's latest theatre production is a bit too much of a stretch. From the A0 poster, you could have...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ACTUEEL&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ACTUEEL","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/nieuws\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/affichealuin.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/affichealuin.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/affichealuin.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/affichealuin.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":98343,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2025\/08\/theatergroep-aluin-breekt-met-de-traditie-en-zet-het-vrouwelijke-perspectief-voorop-in-de-odyssee-en-samson-een-beetje-delilah\/","url_meta":{"origin":96973,"position":2},"title":"Theatre group Alum breaks with tradition and puts the female perspective first in The Odyssey and Samson &amp; (a little) Delilah","author":"een van onze leden","date":"27 August 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Theatre company Alum is known for its quirky adaptations of classic stories and likes to choose a different perspective from the dominant one. In the old stories, women are often good if they are subservient and bad if they have traits that we traditionally find more fitting for men as combative, brave,...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;PERSBERICHTEN&quot;","block_context":{"text":"PERSBERICHTEN","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/service\/persberichten\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/test4-1cd62c5ca216e9af.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/test4-1cd62c5ca216e9af.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/test4-1cd62c5ca216e9af.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/test4-1cd62c5ca216e9af.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":90829,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2023\/06\/reinout-bussemaker-vertolkt-de-controversiele-j-p-coen-in-de-nieuwe-aluin-voorstelling-dit-is-van-ons\/","url_meta":{"origin":96973,"position":3},"title":"Reinout Bussemaker portrays the controversial J.P. Coen in new Alum performance \"This is Ours\"","author":"een van onze leden","date":"6 June 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Utrecht - Actor Reinout Bussemaker will portray the role of J.P. Coen in theatre group Aluin's new proposition \"Dit is van Ons\" from December. This zeitgeist comedy takes a critical look at the legacy of J.P. Coen, a historical figure that evokes both admiration and condemnation. Reinout Bussemaker is...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ERFGOED&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ERFGOED","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/erfgoed\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"PR beeld Dit is van ons door Aluin","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ALUIN118_ditisvanons_socials_websiteheader.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ALUIN118_ditisvanons_socials_websiteheader.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ALUIN118_ditisvanons_socials_websiteheader.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ALUIN118_ditisvanons_socials_websiteheader.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ALUIN118_ditisvanons_socials_websiteheader.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ALUIN118_ditisvanons_socials_websiteheader.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":95886,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2024\/12\/aluin-maakt-eindexamen-grieks-een-feest-dankzij-antigone\/","url_meta":{"origin":96973,"position":4},"title":"Alum makes final Greek exam a celebration, thanks to Antigone","author":"Wijbrand Schaap","date":"8 December 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Theatre has everything to do with language. And nothing, of course, but thanks to Aluin's version of Antigone, I want to make a case for the 'everything'. Because language is far more defining for image than the other way around. Confusing? Yep. Thankfully so.  Aluin's Antigone, or rather, Erik Snel's adaptation of the translation...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;PODIUMKUNST&quot;","block_context":{"text":"PODIUMKUNST","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/podiumkunst\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ALUIN135_antigone_socials_fb3_1200x630-9900000000079e3c.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ALUIN135_antigone_socials_fb3_1200x630-9900000000079e3c.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ALUIN135_antigone_socials_fb3_1200x630-9900000000079e3c.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ALUIN135_antigone_socials_fb3_1200x630-9900000000079e3c.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":92973,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2023\/12\/theatergroep-aluin-maakt-voorstelling-over-de-erfenis-van-jan-pieterszoon-coen\/","url_meta":{"origin":96973,"position":5},"title":"Theatre group Alum creates show about Jan Pieterszoon Coen's legacy","author":"een van onze leden","date":"12 December 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Premiere: 23 December 2023, Theater Kikker in Utrecht Utrecht Utrecht - After the success of 'Ik zeg toch Sorry' (selected for the Dutch Theatre Festival), Aluin is coming this Christmas with a zeitgeist comedy. In Theatre Group Alum's new show This is Ours, the deeds of J.P. Coen and all his...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ERFGOED&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ERFGOED","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/erfgoed\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3yKke-pe5","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96973","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=96973"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96973\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96981,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96973\/revisions\/96981"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}