Author: micah

Homerostheater chose the medieval text Mariken van Niemeghen to be performed in the old Middle Dutch language. We have a long history of performing theater classics in their original languages (Homer, Molière, Brecht, and Pinter). This play was our first production of a medieval theater classic from Dutch history that was performed entirely in Middle Dutch.

Why sell your soul to evil? What is evil these days? Choosing evil makes you guilty, but if you have no other choice than evil, are you still guilty? And is pure remorse enough to receive forgiveness?

Mariken van Niemeghen is a text that does not get performed often anymore, and certainly not in Middle Dutch. The story of a young girl, that goes shopping for her uncle in Nijmegen, ends up on the street due to awful treatment at the hands of her aunt and subsequently sells her soul to the devil, doesn’t seem to inspire many contemporary theater makers. Homerostheater however does see inspiring themes that even now, maybe especially now, will appeal to a diverse audience.

The Mariken as it has been given to us, is based on an old medieval Maria story, meaning the a dramatised version of a miracle tale in which the Mother of God sets about the salvation of our main character. As such it can be seen as a mirror to the religious life in the Netherlands in around 1500 AD. In the christian faith of the middle ages the temporary was seen in the frame of the eternal. Life on earth was the principle factor in what would come after: heavenly bliss or eternal damnation.
This does not mean that the Mariken is a singularly pious text; the story is not only set in a city, against typical tapestries of life such as an inn, the market square, a monastery, but also during the weekly market. The exchanges are peppered with daily expressions, at times razor sharp, fast and funny, with a unique tone for every character. So one can speak of real people. The inn scene features ravenous drinking and flirting. Medieval audiences loved such scenes and why would today’s audiences be any different? All these aspects of the Mariken were done justice in this version by homerostheater.

We kept closely to the original text, using the scientific text edition by Bart Ramakers (Prometheus/Bert Bakker, 1998). The meter and rhyme are an enrichment to the language, and we treated the rhetorical poetry with the utmost care; the precise use of the text strengthened the understanding as also the dramatic aspect.
The choice in style was driven by the medieval text and the “visual character of the spirit of the late middle ages” (Johan Huizenga, Herfstij der Middeleeuwen, 1919). By all means we did aspired to find passion and a childlike nature; there should be no doubts about the motives of a character, for then the model function of a character would collapse.

To stay as close as possible to the ambiance and feeling of the middle ages setting, we performed the piece as much as possible in churches in the Netherlands. Schools were also open to invite us to perform, in auditoriums or theaters.

The Mariken was performed in churches in The Hague, Utrecht, Groningen, and Nijmegen, and at schools in Zeist, Hilversum, and Almelo.

Cast

Julia Lintelo as Mariken
Sebo Boerma as Moenen
Corné Versteegh as Uncle Ghijsbrecht
Manon Waterreus as Moeye, Ons Lieve Vrouwe
Ruud van der Zalm as Devil, God, Percussion
Jan Kees in ‘t Veld as Masscheroen
Niels Klok as Borgher, Pope
Mels Kroon as Deen Gheselle
Rianne Hartemink as Dander Gheselle
Herman Duchenne as White Angel
Coca Román van Dongen as Narrator-Angel, Harp

The only way to live is to trust in other people.
A man and a woman have a child. Simple?
Not if you consider that Neoptolemos and Andromache were once sworn enemies. That Neoptolemos is Greek, and Andromache a Trojan. That Andromache, once a princess, wife, and mother, is now his slave. That Neoptolemos had a hand in the death of her first child. That Neoptolemons is going to take another bride – Hermione – and he’s going to travel, leaving Andromache behind with the new bride. Or that Hermione’s father is Menelaos. Greek, father, and war hero?

“I hope you realise I could kill you.“

With De Troje Trilogie Koos Terpstra gave his perspective on the aftermath of the Trojan war. But honestly? It could have been any other war. Because the questions are always the same: How do you go on after a war? What is an enemy? How do you put aside all the horrors you have witnessed? Why would you pick yourself back up and go on living after witnessing all that misery?
Homerostheater looked to Andromache & Neoptolemos for the answers.

Neoptolemos

“You are no longer a woman. You are no longer human. You can be forgiven for having nothing left, but that you are nothing is unforgivable.“

Cast

Martje Zwierstra as Andromache
Niels Klok as Neoptolemos

Andromache

“Bad things don’t happen to innocent people!”

Cast

Ilse Crooy as Andromache
Judith Amsenga as Hermione
Ruud van der Zalm as Neoptolemos and Slave
Jan Kees in ‘t Veld as Menelaos and Peleus

Performing for the first time in English in 2003, homerostheater chose an early work by the future Nobel prizewinner Harold Pinter.

Between ourselves, man to man, you’re not by any chance taking the old wee-wee out of me, are you?

Roote, The Hothouse

Pinter is considered one of the premier representatives of modern English theater. Although he was strongly influenced by absurdism (most notably Beckett) he does have a style of his own. Where absurdism revolves around the existential fears of humanity on an abstract level, Pinter concerns himself more with every day situations in which the fear suddenly becomes the major driving force. He is mostly interested in how people intimidate each other and how they exert power over one another. That the integrity of the individual takes a back seat in these situations is something he illustrates with extreme clarity.

The Hothouse (1958) is one of Pinter’s earlier works, and certainly by any understanding a very humorous piece.
The play is set in an institution known only as the rest house, whose nature is subject to interpretation, during Christmas. Long, hollow sounding hallways. Snow… The heating set to full blast and no one seems to be able to turn it down.
Roote, the director, is confronted by the death of a patient and another patient is in labor. In his search to find the guilty parties the boss finds his position of authority slipping away like sand through his fingers. Panic ensues, even bureaucrats are wildlings when push comes to shove.

Cast

Steve Searcy as Mutter Roote
Niels Klok as Gibbs
Ruud van der Zalm as Lamb
Manon Waterreus as Miss Cutts
Thomas Gerkrath as Lush
Jaap Parqui as Tubb
Victorija Ceginskas as Lobb

Performed in: The Hague, Leiden, Utrecht, Groningen, and Dordrecht.

A show performed half in Dutch and half in old Greek. Unfortunately there is no photographic material available.

Brecht’s classic play, performed in German, with decor by Ben Stolk, and music composed by Floris van Bergeijk. Performed in theaters throughout the Netherlands, and with great success at a number of schools.

“Was eine Aufführung von ‘Mutter Courage’ hauptsächlich zeigen sollte: Daß die großen Geschäfte in den Kriegen nicht von den kleinen Leuten gemacht werden. Daß der Krieg, der eine Fortführung der Geschäfte mit anderen Mitteln ist, die menschlichen Tugenden tödlich macht, auch für ihre Besitzer. Daß er darum bekämpft werden muß”

Bertold Brecht

Brecht wrote his anti-war piece Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder in 1939 in Denmark, after fleeing there from the nazi-regime. He criticized the attitude of the Scandinavian countries, who stood to profit a great deal from the iron trade with Germany, and in doing so were digging their own grave. The clever Mutter Courage, trading as she follows armies and profiting off war, loses her children one by one to that same war. The morality of the story, one that is very clear today, was mostly missed by the premiere-audience in Zürich: Instead of leaving the theater in dismay, shaking their heads at the stupidity and misplaced mother love, it seemed that the people saw in Mutter Courage a heroine.

Cast

Hennie Spronk as Mutter Courage
Coca Román van Dongen as Kattrin
Jacob van Mourik as Eilif
Armin de Kooning as Schweizerkas and Der Bauer
Jaap Parqui as Feldwebel, Feldhauptmann, Der mit der Binde, and Fähnrich
Willemijn Ages as Weberin, Schreiberin and Die Bäuerin
Corné Versteegh as Koch
Coen van Onselen as Feldprediger
Anke Teunis as Yvette Pottier
Rob de Vries as Obrist
Manon Waterneus as Soldat

Floris van Bergeijk composition and Piano
Ester Kurtz Hobo and Saxophone
Jaap Parqui Accordeon

Les Misanthrope by Moliére was performed in the original French language. Unfortunately there is no photographic material available from this show.