Eline Arbo Big favorite in choosing the best theater of last season through the theater jury

The Dutch Theater Jury has selected eleven performances as the most impressive of last season. Two performances that Eline Arbo made were chosen at International Theater Amsterdam, in addition to work by Daria Bukvic at Oostpool and Guy Weizman at Nite. With a Czechov in Sign Language of the Toneelhuis, there is one Flemish production in the jury selection.

The nine -member theater jury, consisting of theater directors, programmers, a costume designer and a playwright, led by writer and theater maker Abdelkader Benali, says to make her choice on the basis of « the craftsmanship, the expressiveness and the impact » of the performances. Almost all selected performances will be shown at the Nederlands Theater Festival at the beginning of September.

This selection of the theater jury is a turning after last year. At that time, the large Dutch, nationally subsidized theater companies that now dominate the choice were under -represented. Manu van Kersbergen and Troupe Courage are now the only young and independent makers in the selection. Apparently it was not a good year for new votes.

Every jury choice knows its snubs (Insults), as they say in film circles, from passed, but highly appreciated work. This now applies to Hard choir from Theater Utrecht/ Naomi Velissariou, Wendy Pan from Circus Treurdier, Hamlet from Theater Rotterdam/ Erik Whien and F*CK Lolita from the southern theater/ Silke van Kamp. Dries Verhoeven was asked for the Venice Biennale, but his Everything has to go The theater jury did not do enough. The National Theater and Orkater made the selection, but had just as well with Antigone (direction Nina Schippers) and Stepping stones (Director Geert Lageveen) can be selected.

Bookworking, no classics

What is striking: Never before was the book processing at a jury so popular. Book operations, a phenomenon in the theater for years, cover half of the choice: Giovannis Room and The wall (Ita), The Almighty Sometimes (Oostpool), Guilty (The National Theater) and Boys’ hours (Toneelschuur Productions).

The jury choice also marks how few classics matter. Only (seagull) From Chekhov, although radically edited, is classic. No other, existing stage text was chosen, because the other five performances in the selection seats on new, original texts. Rik van den Bos wrote Night watch (Nite), sister and brother Ashgan and Shady El-Hamus wrote together The death of Benny SimonsAlaa Shehada wrote the text of his own Onemanshow, the English speaking The Horse of Jenin (Troupe Courage) and Manu van Kerbergen are own ghost Word-Poems and songs in The rediscovery of heaven. Elien van den Hoek directed and wrote Before they disappear (The wooden house).

Looking back on last season, the theater jury praises « the richness » of performances that the theater offers and signals as the main theme « mental and physical health. » In addition, she sees a ‘search for new forms’, in which ‘classic forms are released’ and ‘the mixing with dance, music and performance’ is sought.

The chosen performances all relate to ‘the urgent questions of our time, including: ecology, inclusion, identity, care, masculinity’. Yet there is also a loss, because it is striking the jury that « prevailing wars only penetrate our stages. » As a possible answer, the jury suggests that « the newspapers are full of it and the European powerlessness seems to be great, so that we are more likely to long for escapism in our halls. » At the same time, she states that the theater art is only to devote themselves to social criticism ‘a narrowing’ of her possibilities and scope.

The cabaret collection was determined together with the theater selection, part of the Nederlands Theater Festival for several years. In addition to the VSCD nominations for the Poelifinarios, the collection exists, which still count like the official cabaret prices.

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