S Y A D S R U H T N O S E L T I T R U S H S I L G EN
12 /13
barry atsma, hans kesting, roeland fernhout | husbands | rennes | 2012
Toneelgroep Amsterdam (TA) is the largest repertory theatre company of the Netherlands. Each season TA premieres new plays of internationally acclaimed directors, such as Ivo van Hove, Thomas Ostermeier, Johan Simons, Luk Perceval and Grzegorz Jarzyna, but also provides opportunities for new directing talent. In addition, the theatre group reprises several of its most successful pieces from previous seasons. The Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam poses as TA’s home base, but the group travels throughout the Netherlands and abroad. TA operates internationally with organizations such as Brooklyn Academy of Music, Schaubühne Berlin, Barbican London and Holland Festival. Whilst reviewing a performance in the latter, Michael Coveney of The Independent exclaimed: ‘The overall scope of this wonderful project was impressive because of the acting quality of Toneelgroep Amsterdam. It made you want to go straight on to Amsterdam and catch the rest of their repertoire.’ This season TA will be providing English surtitles for all its Thursday evening performances in the Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam. Surtitles during performances of TA are projected as close to the actors as possible and are always controlled manually, making it easy to follow the action for visitors who do not understand Dutch.
‘His work is unique, raw, shocking, surprising, hilarious - everything you want theatre to be,’ asserts actress and artistic director Cate Blanchett on the work of Toneelgroep Amsterdam’s general director Ivo van Hove.
macbeth Director Johan Simons (intendant of the Munich Kammerspiele) sees Macbeth, Shakespeare’s shortest and bloodiest tragedy, as a study in violence. Not a psychological study, but a genetic one. Simons: ‘Where does the story take place? Obviously not in a fairytale landscape, more likely a shooting range. It is an experiment. A conscious choice for evil, for true bloodlust, lying deep inside all of us, genetically predetermined.’ by william shakespeare directed by johan simons
the taming of the shrew The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare’s as well as one of TA’s most controversial plays. Baptista, a rich Paduan merchant, announces that his fair young daughter, Bianca, will remain unwed until her older sister, Katharina, a hellish shrew, has wed. Meanwhile, Petruchio, a fortune-hunting scoundrel from Verona, arrives in Padua, hoping to capture a wealthy wife. Hortensio, a suitor of Bianca, directs Petruchio’s attention to Katharina. When Hortensio warns him about Katharina’s scolding tongue and fiery temper, Petruchio is challenged and resolves to capture her love. by william shakespeare directed by ivo van hove
othello In his masterpiece of revenge, Shakespeare unflinchingly contrasts the malicious villain Iago with the honest and principled hero of the play’s title, and in the process delivers some of the most electrifying and exquisite language in the canon. Othello’s consuming passion for his wife Desdemona descends into paranoia as Iago uses language as a weapon for intimate destruction, sowing the insidious seeds for the tragic hero’s fall. by william shakespeare directed by ivo van hove
nora ‘From now on, forget happiness. Now it’s just about saving the remains, the wreckage, the appearance.’ This sinister statement comes from Torvald Helmer, who together with his wife Nora, appears to lead the ideal life, in a perfect marriage. The fundamental issue in Nora (A Doll’s House) is the conflict between warm and vibrant Nora and her possessive, unbending Helmer. A devoted wife and mother, who romps with her children, Nora is ready to dance a tarantella to charm her husband. Trapped by her own sacrifices to love, Nora is forced to assert her own dignity and worth as an individual. by henrik ibsen directed by thibaud delpeut
after the rehearsal / persona After his successful staging of Scenes from a Marriage (2005) and Cries and Whispers (2009), Ivo van Hove is once again directing two works by Ingmar Bergman. This time, the audience will have the chance to see two Bergman performances in a single evening. Both scripts explore the meaning of art in our lives and in society. As always, Ingmar Bergman does this with great personal intensity and humanity. Uncompromising and compassionate. by ingmar bergman directed by ivo van hove coproduction théâtre de la place (liège), théâtres de la ville de luxembourg, maison des arts de créteil
the russians! The Russians! – starring virtually the entire ensemble – is Tom Lanoye’s radical adaptation of Chekhov’s Ivanov and Platonov, in which the protagonists meet for the first time. Ivanov feels trapped in a marriage with a Jewish woman. He dives into a romance with the younger Sasha. When his wife catches him with his mistress, she reacts furiously and dies. His feeling of uselessness increases and becomes a noose around his neck. Platonov, the village teacher, is married but this doesn’t stop him from courting a host of other women. His debauched lifestyle charms his friends for some time, but his credit slowly dwindles. by tom lanoye after chekhov directed by ivo van hove coproduction holland festival, international theatre festival dialog-wroclaw
disgrace After becoming embroiled in an affair with a student, Lurie has taken refuge on his daughter Lucy’s farm in the Eastern Cape. For a while, her influence and the natural rhythms of the farm promise to harmonize his discordant life. But the balance of power in the country is shifting and he gets caught up in a mess of postapartheid politics when he is forced to come to terms with the aftermath of a brutal attack on the farm. by j.m. coetzee directed by luk perceval
angels in america ‘It was awe-inspiring, it completely blew me away,’ expressed playwright Tony Kushner in NRC Handelsblad after visiting the performance in 2009. Angels in America takes place in New York during the eighties. It is a mosaic of stories about people struggling with love, sexuality and the disastrous consequences of AIDS. Louis deserts his friend Prior, who is terminally ill. The marriage of Joe and Harper Pitt falls apart. The extreme-right lawyer Roy Cohn discovers that power nor money will protect him from death. Angels in America was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and was made into a movie starring Al Pacino and Meryl Streep. Ivo van Hove made it into a five-hour theatre marathon. by tony kushner directed by ivo van hove
children of the sun The unworldly scientist Protassov has withdrawn with his wife Jelena and sister Lisa to the parental home where he is working madly on a visionary idea: the potential of mankind to overcome its biological limits to found a new society. He is oblivious to everyone around him and cuts himself off from the rumours of revolt and cholera engulfing the city. A lack of sympathy and social conscience leads to an escalation in the situation both within and beyond the estate walls. Their utopian visions to be like children of the sun are eclipsed by forces which they themselves have ignored for too long. by maxim gorky directed by ivo van hove production TA / NTGent
all my sons All my Sons by Arthur Miller is the sad Post-World War II story about the Kellers, a seemingly ‘All American’ family. But the father, Joe Keller, has concealed a great sin. During the war, he allowed his factory to ship faulty airplane cylinders to the U.S. Armed Forces. Because of this, over twenty American pilots died. by arthur miller directed by thibaud delpeut coproduction toneelschuur producties
husbands Husbands is based on John Cassavetes’ film and tells the story of ‘men in menopause’. In a desperate attempt to rekindle their youth, three friends – Gus, Harry and Archie – immerse themselves in a weekend of drinking, gambling and women. Having left their families and responsibilities behind them, they rush headlong into the city’s hectic nightlife. They are catapulted back to their youth, revelling in their lust for life and living out their male fantasies. But all of this is set against a backdrop of mortal fear and the realization that three garages, five children and two wives are waiting for them back home. by john cassavetes directed by ivo van hove coproduction prospero, théâtre national de bretagne rennes
the seagull The Seagull dramatises the romantic and artistic conflicts between the ingenue Nina, the fading actress Irina Arkadina, her son the symbolist playwright Konstantin Tréplev, and the famous middlebrow story writer Trigorin. It’s Chekhov’s most well-known and best-loved play; the work exhibits all of the qualities that helped to cement the Russian playwright in the minds and hearts of theatre-goers around the world. by anton chekhov directed by thomas ostermeier
ticket sales box office Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam Open Monday to Saturday, 12:00 - 18:00 or before a performance. On Sunday and public holidays, the box office is open two hours before the start of a performance. telephone +31 (20) 624 23 11 (Monday to Saturday, 12:00 - 18:00) You can also book and print tickets online at www.ssba.nl or www.tga.nl/en. Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam is the municipal theatre of the city and serves as Toneelgroep Amsterdam’s home base. Located in the heart of Amsterdam on the vibrant Leidseplein (Leidse Square), the Stadsschouwburg welcomes you to come early, or stay late in CaféRestaurant Stanislavski, where food and drinks are served all day. Tram lines 1, 2, 5 (departing from Central Station) and line 7 and 10 stop in front of the theatre. Bus 170, 172 and several local and night buses stop nearby. Tickets with the GVB logo provide free entrance to city buses and trams, from three hour prior, until four hours after the start of the performance (for evening performances until the end of normal service, with the exception of night buses). Parking in the city centre is extremely limited and expensive. Q-Park is the most convenient location to park. Closer, but smaller is Byzantium.
five tickets for the price of four* Get the cheapest ticket free when you buy five and save up to 20%.
group discount* If you are with a group of ten or more, you will receive a € 4,00 discount per person.
sprintpas* For theatre lovers under thirty: with the € 5,00 Sprintpas last-minute tickets cost only € 10,00 / € 15,00. (*) Not valid for premières or in combination with any other discounts.
calendar 12|13 16 aug 23 aug 30 aug
20:00 20:00 20:00
macbeth the taming of the shrew othello
6 sep 8 sep 13 sep 20 sep
20:00 20:00 20:00 20:30
othello husbands the taming of the shrew othello
22 nov
20:00
macbeth
6 dec 13 dec 20 dec
20:30 20:30 19:30
nora nora after the rehearsal / persona
10 jan 24 jan 31 jan
18:00 20:30 20:30
the russians! nora the taming of the shrew
7 feb 14 feb 21 feb 28 feb
19:30 20:00 18:00 18:00
after the rehearsal / persona disgrace angels in america angels in america
14 mar 21 mar 28 mar
20:00 20:00 20:00
children of the sun children of the sun all my sons
11 apr 18 apr 25 apr
20:00 20:00 20:30
husbands husbands disgrace
2 may 9 may 16 may
20:00 20:00 19:30
all my sons all my sons after the rehearsal / persona
20 jun
20:00
the seagull
toneelgroep amsterdam | marnixstraat 427 | 1017 pk amsterdam | (020) 795 99 00 | info@tga.nl | tga.nl/en
chris nietvelt, fedja van h没et | macbeth | amsterdam | 2012
macbeth the taming of the shrew after the rehearsal / persona othello nora the russians! disgrace angels in america children of the sun all my sons S Y husbands A D S the seagull R
U H T N O S E L T I T R U