Dutch Practice-Based Theatre Experiences

Abstract

From the early seventies on, we were in fact living the transition from a Dutch canonical theatre tradition (hierarchical structured companies, dominance of traditional textual repertoire, connections with changing society were few) towards an international performing arts practice (more or less emancipated, more and more diverse, dominance of traditional theatre ensembles is gone, emerging importance of collectives, changing training programs for actors and performers, reflective studying). We would like to share our experiences with the public of the conference in a duo-presentation. We will be on stage together and we will interview each other about our track through recent Dutch and Flemish theatre history as far as the above mentioned transition is concerned.  We have in mind to explain some dots on a timeline. It will be a track, our track in fact, that is well known and generally accepted as an established part of recent Dutch history. We will interview each other on the basis of a few marking points, we both experienced as game changing in the direction of a more open, a more equivalent, performing arts field.