Small Town Boy
Small Town Boy – a reference to Bronski Beat’s most famous hit, from 1984 – tells the story of a boy from the country who cannot identify with the world imposed upon him as he grows up. Fleeing repression and lack of recognition, he moves to the big city. To Berlin, London, Amsterdam; free-thinking European metropolises where people can rediscover themselves, find space to experiment and where identity can be defined through resistance. There is much to enjoy in this big, new world: but a life full of personal, political and sexual freedom brings its own complexities. Is it possible to become a different person?
Studio 1
20:00
Duration: 130 min, no intermission
Dutch spoken
English surtitles
Afterparty on 24 july
Aftertalks on 30/31 july 1/2 august
First ever show in the Netherlands during Amsterdam Pride
Renowned German writer and director Falk Richter talked to young people who have left behind their narrow-minded hometowns to explore themselves and their sexuality in the big city. His production Small Town Boy premièred in Berlin in 2014. This summer, director Marcus Azzini brings Small Town Boy to the Netherlands as part of Pride Amsterdam.
Activism in the form of an embrace
For Marcus Azzini, standing on the barricades means making theatre. He chooses activism in the form of an embrace, by telling personal stories that lead to new insights and perspectives. For his production Allemaal Mensen (All Humans), he asked 14 young stage artists to tell their personal stories in an attempt to come into contact and get to know and understand one another better. With Small Town Boy, Azzini continues his attempt to build acceptance of diversity, this time on the basis of a written text. Set in a European city where migration brings both opportunities and confrontation, in this production he focuses on the emancipation of the LHBTI community.
“At the very point when we think we know the stories of others, we have to continue to tell these stories. We have to keep setting examples and being examples.” | Marcus Azzini
ITa pride
Fun Home and Small Town Boy are both part of the cultural program of Pride Amsterdam. ITA - in collaboration with Toneelgroep Oostpool, OpusOne and Amsterdam Pride - plans a series of follow-up discussions in which the audience of the two performances come together. In the thematic follow-up discussions different guests will be present; people from the shows and special guests from the Amsterdam LGBTQ community.
We invite the public and other interested parties to the ITA salon, which is adjacent to our brasserie. "Anchorwoman" Valentijn de Hingh will host the conversations. In a friendly café setting and whilst enjoying a drink, the audience becomes not only listener but also participant in the conversation.
24 juli
Afterpary
Na de première van Small Town Boy op 24 juli kunnen de dansschoenen aan in de Rotonde en Brasserie van ITA. Tijdens deze afterparty zal Valentijn de Hingh achter de draaitafels kruipen en gaan we dansend de nacht in.
Credits
performance Soumaya Ahouaoui, Alex Hendrickx, Leandro Ceder, Rick Paul van Mulligen, Florian Myjer
text Falk Richter
translation Ludwig Bindervoet
director Marcus Azzini
dramaturgy Tjeerd Posthuma
scenography Studio Dennis Vanderbroeck
costume design Marcus Azzini
costume studio Elysanne Schuurman
music Bart Rijnink
singing Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe
lighting design Wiel Coopmans
technology Elmar Neudam, Jannes Noorman, Hergen Verheul
surtitles Johan Lippens
production Aafje Roth
Henri Verhoef image
thanks to Ozan Aydogan
in coproduction with Internationaal Theater Amsterdam
