2011: Mark Smith (Stage editor, Time Out Amsterdam) about the Dutch Theatre Festival and the Amsterd
“From Romeo and Juliet to Gilbert and Sullivan, theatrical heavyweights often seem to come in pairs. In Amsterdam we’re very proud to be part of that tradition when, each September, two very different yet complementary world-class festivals take over the city’s performance spaces and entertainment venues to celebrate creativity in all its guises.
First, the Dutch Theatre Festival (1-11 September) is Time Out Amsterdam’s resounding recommendation for anyone wishing to experience highlights from the year in Dutch theatre over a gripping 11 days. Spanning four very different Amsterdam institutions – the classical Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam, its black-box neighbour Theater Bellevue, the slick, state-of-the- art DeLaMar Theater and the nearby De Krakeling youth theatre – it brings together the very best theatrical productions to have premiered in the Netherlands over the past season and invites its stars (such as TK, above) to return to the Amsterdam stage for a final, triumphant curtain call. If you’re hankering for a second viewing of that stand-out, or sold-out, show, this is the festival for you. Language needn’t limit your enjoyment; for three outstanding Dutch productions that have been surtitled in English.
Prefer your performances raw, raucous and in-your-face? Now in its sixth year, the accompanying Amsterdam Fringe Festival is a sequence of creative explosions held in clubs as well as conventional theatres, out on the streets and even in living rooms. In keeping with the festival’s defiant spirit, this year’s Fringe theme is ‘Creative Activism’ and there are loads of experiences suitable for non-Dutch speakers. We’re particularly excited about the shape of manic street preacher Reverend Billy (above) and those arch corporate impostors the Yes Men, who are doing a special show at Paradiso. See you at the theatre! Or the bar, for that matter… “