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ENGLISH SURTITLESEXTRAORDINARY PLAYS WITH ENGLISH SURTITLES THURSDAYS AT STADSSCHOUWBURG AMSTERDAM

Hedda Gabler is a modern woman who wants to lead her own

life, just like the men around her. After a turbulent youth and

many lovers, she marries Tesman. It is an opportunistic and

loveless marriage for both: Hedda gets luxury and social status,

Tesman gets a trophy wife. Bored and frustrated, Hedda dreams

of the world outside. When Hedda’s former lover returns, she is

confronted with the emptiness of her existence.

Ivo van Hove and Jan Versweyveld produced Hedda Gabler at

The New York Theatre Workshop in the autumn of 2004. The

show won four prestigious OBIE Awards (Off Broadway Theatre

Awards), including Obies for direction and scenography.

‘The arrival of this refreshingly daring revival …instantly slips the fall theatre season into a higher gear.’New York Times

‘Halina Reijn’s portrayal of all that caged joy is genius.Her Hedda is always on the edge, and that lends tremendous intensity to this performance.’ Elsevier

hedda gablerby henrik ibsen directed by ivo van hove with barry atsma,jacob derwig, roeland fernhout, celia nufaar/kitty courbois,frieda pittoors, halina reijn, karina smulderscoproduction holland festival

THU 18.08.11 | THU 25.08.11 | THU 17.11.11 | 20:00

hedda| 2

gablerhedda| 3

criesand whispers

In an out of the way mansion fatally ill Agnes feverishly lives out her final hours. In video

fragments she registers not only her pain but also her irrepressible urge to grant herself

a voice. Her powerful vitality is outlined sharply against the attitude of the three women

who watch over her. Death does not bring them closer to each other, but is like a looking

glass from which the women see themselves reflected. All-revealing flashbacks show

the lies, the cold-heartedness and the sexual frustrations that made them into what

they are: scared and disillusioned women, caught in silence and in the servility of their

bourgeois world.

‘This is Van Hove at his best. Powerful images in a razor-sharp mise-en-scène, with majestic acting. The unemphatic but meticulously depicted failure to communicate and comfort is more humiliating than any death. The feeling of oppression remains with you long afterwards.’ Trouw

‘Nothing short of brilliant is the ability of Ivo van Hove andJan Versweyveld to make her death into a work of art encompassing every conceivable element – frightening, mysterious, more majestic than life itself. The set ought to be a permanent exhibit at the Stedelijk Museum. This shows how innovatory a combination of ‘old-fashioned’ acting and new media can be, taking advantage of the spatial opportunities afforded by a large stage.’ AD

cries and whispers/kreten en gefluisterby ingmar bergman directed by ivo van hove with roeland fernhout, janni goslinga,hugo koolschijn, chris nietvelt, halina reijn, karina smulders coproduction desingel,ingmar bergman international theatre festival 2009

THU 01.09.11 | 20:00 | THU 15.12.11 | 20:30

This production was made possible with the cooperation of Auteursrechtenbureau ALMO, in association with Josef Weinberger Ltd, London

and the Ingmar Bergman Foundation, www.ingmarbergman.se

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and whispersThis production was made possible with the cooperation of Auteursrechtenbureau ALMO, in association with Josef Weinberger Ltd, London

and the Ingmar Bergman Foundation, www.ingmarbergman.se

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Maxim Gorky portrays a group of intellectuals, who,

detached from society, turn to science, art and love

only to realize too late that their ideas do not rhyme with

the harsh reality. The play’s protagonist, the scientist

Protassov, has withdrawn with his wife and his sister

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. He loses himself in experiments and talks with

the artist Wagin, who is trying to court his wife, and

the veterinarian Chepurnoy, who asks for his sister’s

hand in marriage but is repeatedly turned down.

Feverishly, they discuss great ideals and the potential

of mankind while leaving a trail of destruction in their

wake. 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.

Children of the Sun was selected for the 2011 Theatre

Festival and Jacob Derwig was nominated for the

Louis d’Or 2011 (the most prestigious Dutch theatre

award) for his ‘unsurpassed timing’ as Protassov.

children of the

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‘Van Hove and dramatist Van Kraaij have created a small miracle with this production. The actors are true masters of their individual roles. Their caricaturistic attire makes them funny, but they are also incredibly moving.’ de Volkskrant ****

‘Children of the Sun is a play that will captivate any audience. You have been warned.’ De Morgen

sunchildren of the sun/kinderen van de zonby maxim gorky directed by ivo van hove with elsie de brauw, jacob derwig, marwan chico kenzari, hilde van mieghem, wim opbrouck, frieda pittoors, halina reijn, thomas ryckewaert, gijs scholten van aschat, jessie wilmsproduction toneelgroep amsterdam/ntgent

THU 08.09.11 | FR 09.09.11 | 20:00

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the miser

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the miser‘Misers take note: This play could change your life. Unless you are too stingy to buy a ticket, of course. But then you would miss one of the best productions of Molière’s The Miser in a long time.’ Der Spiegel

The unscrupulous father Harpagon rules over his family with an iron

fist. His life motto: to win and to preserve the family fortune. Money

is the only thing that binds Harpagon to his son Cléante and his

daughter Elise. When Harpagon wishes to marry his son’s fiancée

for purely material reasons, a tough battle ensues between father

and son.

In the hands of Ivo van Hove, Molière’s classic comedy The Miser

turns into a grim family portrait in which all relationships are

determined and perverted by money.

The lead role of miser Harpagon goes to Hans Kesting, who is

celebrating 25 years in the business this season. According to

playwright Simon Stephens on his performance in Roman tragedies:

‘He’s a huge bear of a man, but captures incredible tenderness; it was

the tension between that tenderness and his visceral force that really

haunted me. The best performance I’ve ever seen.’ The Guardian

the miser/de vrekby molière directed by ivo van hove with isis cabolet, hélène devos,fred goessens, marieke heebink, hans kesting, alwin pulinckx,eelco smits, leon voorberg

THU 29.09.11 | THU 27.10.11 | THU 10.11.11 | 20:30

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disgrace| 10

South Africa. David Lurie, 52 years old and twice divorced, is a lecturer

at Cape Town College. He becomes embroiled in an affair with one of

his students and is summoned to a disciplinary committee hearing. He

confesses, is fired and sets out to visit his daughter Lucy, who runs a

farm in the countryside. One day, he and Lucy are brutally attacked by

a group of black people. She is raped but refuses to press charges.

David still embraces the standards and values of the old South Africa.

Lucy, who refuses to have an abortion, is a child of the new South

Africa. The gulf between the old and the new way of life is simply too

wide: ‘I no longer know what is at stake. It’s like the curtain has closed

between Lucy’s and my generation. I didn’t even notice it happening.’

Disgrace, by Nobel Prize winner J.M. Coetzee, will be directed by

Luk Perceval (Blauwe Maandag Compagnie, Toneelhuis, Schaubühne

am Lehniner Platz and, as of 2009, affiliated with the Thalia Theater

Hamburg). Perceval is returning to the Dutch theatre after a six year

absence, and has chosen Toneelgroep Amsterdam for this comeback.

disgrace/in ongenadeby j. m. coetzee directed by luk perceval with felix burleson,charlie-chan dagelet, janni goslinga, sergio hasselbaink,hugo koolschijn, djamila landbrug, chris nietvelt, celia nufaar,vanja rukavina, gijs scholten van aschat

THU 08.12.11 | THU 12.01.12 | THU 02.02.12 | THU 09.02.12 | 20:00

disgrace| 11

the russians!

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The Russians! - starring virtually the entire ensemble - is Tom Lanoye’s radical adaptation

of Chekhov’s Ivanov and Platonov, in which the title’s heroes 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.

Ivo van Hove directs the portrait of a group of people that lashes out uncontrollably, seeks

scapegoats and gives free rein to its frustrations out of an indefinable feeling of voidness

and loss. The Russians! is a marathon performance in which the characters elbow one

another aside, make each other’s lives miserable and finally burn out. The music is

composed by Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL).

the russians!/de russen!by tom lanoye after chekhov directed by ivo van hove with barry atsma, jacob derwig,hélène devos, roeland fernhout, fred goessens, janni goslinga, marieke heebink,fedja van huêt, marwan chico kenzari, hans kesting, hugo koolschijn, chris nietvelt,frieda pittoors, alwin pulinckx, halina reijn, gijs scholten van aschat, karina smulders,leon voorberg coproduction holland festival, international theatre festival dialog-wroclaw

THU 22.12.11 | 18:00

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husbandsHusbands is based on John Cassavetes’ film and

tells the story of ‘men in menopause’. In a desperate

attempt to rekindle their youth, three friends

immerse themselves in a weekend of drinking,

gambling and women. Van Hove’s earlier journeys

into the world of Cassavetes proved his great affinity

with this filmmaker and he previously directed the

internationally acclaimed Opening Night and Faces.

However, Husbands is his ‘first true love’.

‘I see Husbands as a play that is all about

performance. Three men having a crisis who indulge

in drinking, singing, gambling, sex and women. I hear

Born to Run as a theme like a daze in the play, like a

hangover that you as the audience see getting worse

and worse. Run for your life! Live to survive! The men

cross all the boundaries of their daily existence, and

then comes disillusionment. Or the way out?’

Ivo van Hove

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husbandsHusbands is an international coproduction, part of

the Prospero Project, for which only one director is

selected each year. For this reason, the production

will be shown exclusively in Stadsschouwburg

Amsterdam and six major European theatres in

Lisbon, Berlin, Rennes, Liège, Modena and Tampere.

husbandsby john cassavetesdirected by ivo van hovewith barry atsma, roeland fernhout,hans kesting, alwin pulinckx, halina reijncoproduction prospero project

THU 19.04.12 | THU 10.05.12 | 20:00

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ticket salesBox office Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam open Mon to Sat, 12:00 - 18:00 or before a

performance. On Sun and public holidays, the box office is open two hours before the

start of a performance. Payment options: cash, credit card, chip and pin or theatre/

concert gift vouchers.

Telephone: (020) 624 23 11, Mon to Sat, 12:00 - 18:00.

Payments over the phone can be made by credit card or a single direct debit up to a

week before the performance date. Your tickets will be sent to your home address.

Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam charges a fee of € 3,50 per booking.

You can also book and print tickets online at www.ssba.nl or www.tga.nl

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.

(*) Not valid for premières or in combination with any other discounts.

toneelgroep amsterdammarnixstraat 427 - 1017 PK amsterdam | t (020) 795 99 00 | info@tga.nl | www.tga.nl

fundersand partnersCity of Amsterdam | Ministry of Education, Culture and Science | The Netherlands

Performing Arts Fund | Amsterdam Fund for the Arts | Mondriaan Foundation |

Oud-Zuid district council of Amsterdam

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