Mensen zoals jij
Mensen zoals jij is a personal family epic about a family that is silent. Three generations cannot or will not talk about important feelings and thoughts. The silence is passed down from generation to generation. At the dinner table, they talk to each other about all sorts of things, but not everything. What do conversations mean when illness, longing and fear, are not or cannot be put on the table?
Festival Lieve Stad,
Location ITA, Grote Zaal
Run time 90 minutes
Genre Theatre
Language Dutch
Mensen zoals jij
A young couple sits at the table in silence. They have just heard that they are going to have a child, but the man cannot utter a word. "Why don't you say anything?", his girlfriend asks, "Don't you want it?". He tries to talk, but can only remain silent. And when that deafening silence lasts not for a while, but for days, she panics. What terrible secret does he carry with him? To find out where that silence comes from, he has to go back into his family history.
In this performance, Floris van Delft, creator of Schijn (Fahd Larhzaoui) and JA
(Nasrdin Dchar), intertwines his own primal Dutch family history with the experiences of people whose roots are thousands of kilometres away from here and whose family stories are nevertheless strikingly similar to his own. With this personal performance, he asks the question: are taboos a universal given? And how open are we really in the Netherlands?
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#MatchMyStory
Around Mensen zoals jij, WAT WE DOEN are developing a context programme on the topics from the performance, called #MatchMyStory. In this time of increasing emphasis on differences, they want to look precisely for what connects us and how we can use our similarities for more openness and connection in our society.
Are you familiar with it? A (family) story that is kept quiet, out of fear or discomfort? And that talking about it relieves anyway? Share your story with us and let's break the silence together! Click here for more info on how to participate.
Grote Zaal, after the performance
After talk Mensen zoals jij
Together with a moderator, we will have a conversation with two generations about taboos and silence on different topics within families. This will be a generational conversation with one of the youngsters of WAT WE DOEN and another guest.
Credits
text and director Floris van Delft
with Imanuelle Grives, Simon Heijmans, Sigrid ten Napel en Juan Zyad
music Haytham Safia
set and costume design Nicky Nina de Jong
light design Tim van ’t Hof
technical production and stage management Remko van den Ende
lighting Jeroen van der Linden
sound Duncan Kuiperi
set Hein Drost
with thanks to Amir, Bahouz, Hanan, Jessy, Margot, Mohanad, Sunaida, Thierry, Timo and Zoë
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production management Elise de Fooij
coordination context programme Rachid Benhammou
campaign image Mark Engelen (photo) and Het Echte Werk (design)
project coordination Judith van Hemert
marketing and communication Marisa Santos da Cruz and Špela Semion
business manager Aziza Sbiti
supported by Fonds Podiumkunsten, Gemeente Rotterdam
20 – 30 March
FESTIVAL LIEVE STAD,
Amsterdam is a city of many faces. Lieve Stad, – a celebration of theatre, art, and dialogue – reflects the dynamics of that metropolitan environment, in which the city itself is a source of inspiration. This festival, a collaboration between ITA and Meervaart, is about bringing people together, in the city, in the theatre, in society. How do we live together and what stories do all individuals and groups carry with them?