De zaak Shell

The acclaimed play De zaak Shell is back in theatres, updated and appearing for the first time on the large stage. In this play by Anoek Nuyens and Rebekka de Wit, we see the most important players in the climate debate explain their position and actions in razor-sharp pleas: Shell, the consumer, the government, the citizen, and a young generation worried about their future. In five monologues, actors Jaap Spijkers (winner of the Arlecchino), Janneke Remmers, and Musia Mwankumi (nominated for the Colombina), each pass the responsibility onto another party. This way, De zaak Shell ingeniously shows the climate crisis to be a crisis of responsibility.

The performance arose from the real lawsuit filed against Shell by Milieudefensie in 2021, which is facing appeal this year. The aim of the court case: To force Shell to radically change their business operations. Shell’s defence: It is the consumer who must change, not us. But can this responsibility really be put on the shoulders of the consumer? Or should the government do more?
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Nuyens and De Wit have been following the climate debate for years and sunk their teeth into this case. They visited multinationals’ stakeholder meetings, read interviews and speeches, ploughed through agreements and government policy documents and diligently noted down remarks made by uncles and aunts during Christmas dinners. From all this research, they wrote and created De zaak Shell. In this revision of the piece, the appeal and the most recent developments are included to create an updated version.

In 2020, De zaak Shell was received with praise by press and audiences, and Anoek Nuyens and Rebekka de Wit were awarded the Directing Prize at the Dutch Theatre Festival. In addition, Jaap Spijkers won the Arlecchino (Best Male Performance in a supporting role) and Musia Mwankumi was nominated for the Columbina (Best Female Performance in a supporting role).

Concept, text & performance Anoek Nuyens & Rebekka de Wit
Performance Musia Mwankumi, Janneke Remmers, Jaap Spijkers, Margo Verhoeven
Final direction Erik Whien
Dramaturgy & text contributions Freek Vielen
Set design and lighting design Marloes en Wikke
Lighting design advice Axel Dikkers
Sound design Christiaan Verbeek
Costume design Fransje Christiaans
Marketing Leonie Poot & Dieke van der Spek
Original producers Frascati Producties & De Nwe Tijd
Stage photography Sanne Peper
Supported by BlockbusterFonds, Lira Fonds, Cultuurfonds, Fonds Podiumkunsten