The Nation (1-3) – Holland Festival

The Nation is a theatrical thriller about tensions in the tumultuous culturally diverse Netherlands. It starts with a mystery: eleven-year-old Ismaël from a deprived area in The Hague has vanished without a trace. The search involves all levels of society – police officers, jihadists, businessmen, politicians, journalists and social workers, each with their own interests. The Nation is director Eric de Vroedt’s state of the nation. For the next few years he will work on this theatre series at the National Theatre. De Vroedt will make his debut at the Holland Festival, where the first three episodes will be shown in succession. It will star Anniek Pheifer, Mark Rietman and Hein van der Heijden. Eric de Vroedt has included an additional plot line which can only be seen with virtual-reality glasses which we will provide. Programme book

for throwing a stone through the window of a halal wine bar that was being set up to emancipate Muslim women. Ismael’s biological mother, Mariam Traoré, is the founder of the wine bar. The bar encounters fierce opposition in the neighbourhood, and Mariam receives anonymous death threats by post. Detective Mark van Ommeren and policewoman Ludmilla Bratusek investigate whether anything went wrong during Ismael’s interrogation by police motorcyclist David Wilzen. What is the role of Ismael’s half brother Damir, the young Salafist in charge of the District Prevention Team?

Episode 2

Politician Wouter Wolff is a guest on the talk show Kuypers. He is a member of the Toorenburg parliamentary commission into the failed merger of the national police. During the show Wolff clashes with project developer Sjoerd van der Poot, the driving force behind Safe City. Then Ismael’s disappearance is discussed. Both Mariam and Ismael and Damir’s foster parents, Alexander and Ida Aschenbach, speak. Mariam develops the theory of the ‘sacrificial son’, and is supported by John Landschot of the New Dutch Front. Their theory is based on jihadist Sifin Min Zawaytirmir’s call in an internet pamphlet for children to be sacrificed, following the example set by Ibrahim.

Episode 3

As part of a deradicalisation programme, Damir talks to therapist Hester Keursma about his relationship with his father, Adem Ahmedovic. Van Ommeren and Bratusek investigate the threating letters Mariam has received. Ida and Alexander Aschenbach also press Mariam for more information about the letters. Whilst Wouter Wolff prepares an important speech with his spin doctor and lover Stijn Baver, vlogger De Beer van’s-Gravenhage (The Hague Bear) bombards him with allegations.

Episode 1

Summer 2018. In the Schilderswijk neighbourhood in The Hague eleven year- old Ismael Ahmedovic is arrested

(1835). In The Gabriels director Richard Nelson reflects on the recent American election year through the eyes of an ordinary family. Other artists focus on controversies in democracies, such as the issue of refugees in directors Dieudonné Niangouna and Thomas Bellinck’s performances. Others address the threat of violence (Demolishing Everything with Amazing Speed), tyranny (Octavia), or shaping activism (The Tempest Society). In Manifesto the film director Julian Rosefeldt examines the relation between art and society.

We are presenting two national theatre production companies, each with its own state of the nation: My Country by the National Theatre in London, and The Nation by the Dutch National Theatre in The Hague. Both performances show divided countries in which no one, from politicians to citizens, seems to dare to take responsibility. We also believe that it is important to explore democracy of form. Members of the audience can get actively involved as a passer-by, participant, or activist, if they so wish. Our artists encourage you to question the old hierarchy between the audience and the artists.

This year several festival artists are looking at the problems faced by Western democracies. The French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville admired democracy for its social equality. He saw its dangers too. Director Romeo Castellucci is making Democracy in America, based on De Tocqueville’s eponymous book

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credits

concept, text, direction Eric de Vroedt dramaturgy, direction Remco van Rijn set design Maze de Boer lightingdesign & video Bernie van Velzen sound design Florentijn Boddendijk, Remco de Jong costumes Lotte Goos assistant to the director Abdel Daoudi production management Hans Nass project manager Pien van Gemert marketing & communication Dieke van der Spek, Priscilla Vaas education Lejo de Hingh, Dimphna Fruijtier wardrobe Peter van der Meer cast Bram Coopmans, Hein van der Heijde, Antoinette Jelgersma, Anniek Pheifer, Mark Rietman, Pieter van der Sman, Vanja Rukavina, Saman Amini, Romana Vrede, Bram Suijker, Chergeo Pracht, Jamie Pinas, Tamar van den Dop advice hair and make-up Cynthia van der Linden hair and make-up Bärbel Scheid, Vito van Haagen, Carmen de Fretes head technical department Alphons Verhallen technical coordinator Glenn Neyndorff costume department Iris Elströdt, Daan Wieman, Peter van der Meer, Amanda van Marion scenery department Ruud Brouwer, Ron van Rijn, Arjen Schoneveld, Krijn Peters, Hans Spinnler, Maite Krogl, Peter Visscher, Fred Schuurink, Lois de Rooy runner Angelique Miedema technical team Jan Harm Wagner, Gerco Kolthoff, Robbert Weinen, Marco Alibux, Ivo Pas, Willie Caspers, Jimi Kees childcare Sandra Scholtes, Hannie de Vries thanks to Torica Optiek production Het Nationale Theater coproduction Het Nationale Theater, Holland Festival

dates

language & duration

credits

This performance is made possible by

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