Client E. Busken
Against his will, E. Busken resides in the closed ward of an elderly care facility. He feels he is treated like a toddler and refuses to speak. He surrenders to a stream of memories and observations of his fellow residents and the care staff. Is he rambling, or is he – as he claims – still of sound mind? Is he remembering real memories, or is he imagining this richly filled life?
Run time 90 minutes
Genre Theatre
Language Dutch
Surtitles English, Thu, October 3 & 10
In Gesprek Fri, October 4 & 11
Gijs Scholten van Aschat on Client E. Busken
“When I was reading this book, I immediately saw the potential for making this into a play. The main character, E. Busken, is no longer able to do anything. Everything has been taken from him, all he has left are his thoughts, which he shares with us. He is in the final stage of his life, in which reality, dreams, and memories become indistinguishable from one another. This edifice of language is what we get mixed up in. Jeroen Brouwers has, to quote E. Busken, “an almost religious sense of language, with a variety of words akin to a flower garden". When I was adapting the book, this made me crave the addition of music. To escape the language for a bit. But also to get closer to the main character, through the music of his youth. In this play, I hope to combine my two great loves in my profession. Language and Music. For the mind and the heart.”
Director Maria Kraakman on Client E. Busken
“It is a fate that awaits most of us: we get old, our bodies deteriorate, we slowly become isolated and have to rely on strangers for care, waiting for the inevitable end… Thank goodness we have Jeroen Brouwers! He has created a festive and razor-sharp monument of language, that manages to keep even death at bay, comforts us and makes us laugh, and shows us that, in the realm of our thoughts, we are truly free. I am delighted that we have been given the opportunity to give shape to this universe of the mind that is Client E. Busken.”
REVIEWS
De Standaard
“Gijs Scholten van Aschat is a wonderful storyteller.”
Scènes
“Text, music and acting get all the attention. The result is wonderful.”
Elsevier
“Gijs Scholten van Aschat is the ideal interpreter. With astonishing ease he brings to life the angry, witty, sometimes slightly derailed language, and with it the tragic figure Busken, who continues to fight against his fate until just before the end.”
IN GESPREK
After the performance, come and think, listen and chat at In Gesprek. We invite a guest to further explore the themes of Client E. Busken and to exchange experiences. If you have any questions, this is the perfect time to ask them. In Gesprek is free of charge and starts shortly after the performance in one of our foyers, is conducted in Dutch and lasts about half an hour.
DIGITAL BROCHURE
Read more about the production's direction, author, scenography and music in our digital brochure.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Maria Kraakman (1975) joined the ITA Ensemble in 2015.
In season 24/25 she will perform in the revivals of Prima Facie, Penthesilea and The Doctor.
There will also be a revival of Client E. Busken, which Kraakman directed.
Credits
direction Maria Kraakman
adaptation Gijs Scholten van Aschat
based on the novel by Jeroen Brouwers
scenography and light Bart van Merode
costume design Rebekka Wörmann
music Jip Sebastiaan van den Dool
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private producers Joost en Marcelle Kuiper, Paula en Willem van der Schoot
Ivo van Hove adapted Who Killed My Father, by internationally acclaimed writer Édouard Louis, for the stage. Van Hove turned the very outspoken book into a monologue, especially for Hans Kesting.
