Gijs Scholten van Aschat awarded the Frans Banninck Cocq medal

9 September 2026

This evening Gijs Scholten van Aschat performed for the last time as a permanent member of the ITA Ensemble, in Client E. Busken. It brought his sixteen-year association with the acting company to an end. After the show, Mayor Femke Halsema presented him with the Frans Banninck Cocq medal, an award from the City of Amsterdam for people who have made a sustained and exceptional contribution to the city. The medal was conferred in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the cultural sector in Amsterdam and in the Netherlands.

Alongside the Frans Banninck Cocq medal, Gijs received another special tribute this evening. Thanks to colleagues at ITA and with a contribution from donors, a portrait of him was made by artist and film-maker Alex van Warmerdam. The portrait will be given a permanent place in the portrait gallery of Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam, where it will hang among other faces that have shaped the theatre and its history.

Thank you, Gijs

With Gijs's departure as a permanent colleague at ITA, a chapter of sixteen years comes to a close. Since joining Toneelgroep Amsterdam in 2010 he has appeared in a great many productions that hold an important place in ITA's history. Productions such as Roman Tragedies, After the Rehearsal / Persona, The Hidden Force, Lehman Trilogy, Client E. Busken and Prophet Song show the breadth of his work: from classical repertoire to contemporary stories, from large-scale productions to intimate character studies.

Over the course of his career Gijs built up an impressive body of work, both within ITA and beyond it. His work has received several awards and nominations, including a Louis d'Or nomination for The Year of Cancer and an Arlecchino nomination for de Russen!.

The Frans Banninck Cocq medal also underlines his significance beyond the stage. The City of Amsterdam praises his versatility as an actor, his commitment to the cultural sector as former chair of the Akademie van Kunsten, and his contribution to passing on knowledge to new generations of theatre-makers. He is also commended for his engagement with both classical and modern repertoire and for his great significance to cultural life in Amsterdam.

We are grateful to Gijs for everything he has meant to our company over the past sixteen years. For the roles he played, the stories he helped to tell and the inspiration he offered to colleagues and audiences alike.

Fortunately this is not a final farewell. Although Gijs is ending his time as a permanent ensemble member, he remains associated with ITA as a guest actor. We look forward to seeing him on our stage again in the future.