Schwere Wörter

A plea for introversion

The Police already sang about it: Don’t stand so close to me. 
Relationships between teachers and students existed, exist, and will continue to exist.
And in all cases, it is a difficult issue: how will the school react, how will the student’s parents react?
Moreover, there is always a difference in age and experience. 
Can that be bridged, because love is so strong that it conquers all?
Or is there never really equality?
Hans Nagel, a German teacher, speaks at the funeral of his student Marius.
Was excessive drinking the cause of the fatal accident? And if so, why all that alcohol? To escape the tension?

Schwere Wörter, a plea for introversion.
Play based on the novella Dwaalwegen by Joost van Driel

Audience reach

Stichting Valreep focuses its productions primarily on the province of Zeeland. A characteristic of the region is that a large part of the population lives in small communities. If a theatre company wants to reach this population group, performing in large theatre venues (i.e. the theatres in Goes, Middelburg and Terneuzen) is not a very productive choice: people are willing to leave their homes for large theatrical events (musicals, concerts), but they are not willing to take their cars out of the garage for smaller performances, especially by relatively unknown companies. In addition, as potential audience members get older, they become less and less willing to go out in the evening. In the summer, when it stays light longer, this is not a problem. But in the autumn, winter and early spring, the front door stays closed after six o’clock: it is dark and bleak outside – and (perhaps subconsciously) not entirely safe.

In short: the residents of Zeeland, including those of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, greatly appreciate it when an interesting performance is staged in their own village, preferably during the day. 
With Dansen op Der Boede (Dancing on Der Boede) – the performance developed by Valreep in 2024 – Valreep has embraced the above approach: performing mainly in small communities, in venues that rarely meet theatre requirements – and as much as possible in the afternoon. In other words: a Saturday afternoon, at 3 o’clock, in the village hall.

It was a major success. The audience found it very enjoyable – and commendable – that Valreep came to Westkapelle, Biggekerke, Lewedorp to perform in the foyer of a museum, community centre, or large living room: close to home, close to the audience, and for an acceptable admission price.

Valreep has no office, no bus for sets, no extensive lighting equipment: a small group of people (at Dansen op Der Boede 2) get in the car and drive to Ellewoutsdijk, Meliskerke or Kats. The total production costs are therefore very manageable, which means that the admission price per spectator (or the total box office takings) is low. The admission price does not exceed €12.50, which includes VAT (9%), €1.00 booking fee and a drink.

This approach demands a lot from the actors: the atmosphere of a dark theatre, a lit stage and serene silence in the immediate surroundings is therefore non-existent: actors and audience look each other straight in the eye – and (as at Zuss&Coffee in Koudekerke) sometimes the coffee machine makes an audible bubbling sound.

It therefore demands a lot from the subject matter, text, acting style and commitment of the actor to create the concentration that makes the audience forget for an hour that there is anything else in the room other than communication between players and spectators.

The theatre solo Schwere Wörter will be performed under the same conditions as Dansen op Der Boede: an intense story, close to the audience, in bright neon light – so without escape – and with a great deal of vulnerability.

The contributors to this performance are respectively:
Rens Schot, Vlissingen: text and direction
Mels Hoogenboom, Haamstede: acting
Bram van Belzen, Zierikzee: technical support

The performance period runs – with a break during the summer – from try-outs in June until the end of 2025.

Website: www.valreep.com/

The Hurgronje Family Fund has made a financial contribution to the realisation of this performance.