The Clowns Convention
We want you to join our army. And if you think we are just clowns you're wrong. You are the biggest clown yourself.
The Clowns are back!?
In a dazzling show a group of international clowns is looking for a way out of the crisis. Can the clowns save humanity from destruction? With their patent on humour, do they hold the last straw against polarisation?
Festival Nederlands Theater Festival
Run time 120 minutes
Genre Theatre
Language Dutch
Surtitles English
The Clowns Convention
The actors of Wunderbaum and Theaterhaus Jena put on the clown suit for this performance and go in search of the clown in themselves. To the music of beatboxer and musician Joost Maaskant (a.k.a. MAASK), they present never-before-seen clown acts and investigate whether they are still relevant. With the rise of the horror clown and the disappearance of the circus, the clown's reputation is in danger. Are they still taken seriously? Is society still waiting for that confrontational mirror?
De Volkskrant
'In the unique The Clowns Convention, frustrated clowns reflect on the state of theatre and entertainment.'
Frankfurter Allgemeine
'The fantastic collective Wunderbaum is back from lockdown... It is an enormous joy to see the passionate actors at this convention of freaks back on stage.'
Theaterkrant (critic's choice)
'The profession of circus clown may be threatened with extinction, but that of actor seems to be alive and kicking. What a lot of work, what a great insight by Wunderbaum. And what bravura, what a job: that of an actor!'
De Standaard
'A congress of international clowns that gradually becomes a self-help group: what a wonderful idea from Wunderbaum, a Dutch-Flemish-Italian collective that has been guaranteeing generous and socially critical theatre for two decades.'
De Morgen
'Wunderbaum's performance is unpredictable and funny, especially when tristesse prevails.'
Knack.be
'Your eyes are treated to beautiful, colourful scene images, your laughter muscles get a work-out - even though the goal of the acrobatics is to die, each time it is resurrected - and the final image is magnificent.'
Libertad Media
'A reunion with loving characters.'
Concertnews.be
'The Clowns Convention we like.'
Credits
by and with Walter Bart, Pina Bergemann, Wine Dierickx, Matijs Jansen, Joost Maaskant, Leon Pfannenmuller, Maartje Remmers, Marleen Scholten en Hanneke van der Paardt
music Joost Maaskant
stagehand Koen Verheijden
special thanks to Enrico Bonavera, Aus Greidanus Sr., Paul du Bois-Reymond en The Zona K Residency in Milaan
stage & lighting design Maarten van Otterdijk
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costume design Sacha Zwiers
sound design Rick Gobee
technical coordination Siemen van der Werf | Ruimtetijd
engineering Maarten Houdijk, Nick van Doesum, Rick Gobee, William Kenter
producer Wunderbaum en Theaterhaus Jena
co-producer Theater Rotterdam
made possible by Fonds Podiumkunsten
About The NTF
The Netherlands Theatre Festival bursts into life again this autumn! After modest years, we open the doors wide with the best performances of the past theatre season. Discover a range of stories on stage, across generations and theatre genres, from the many corners of the Netherlands and Flanders. In addition to the ever-puzzling selections by the Netherlands Theatre Jury, The Flanders Theatre Festival and the BNG Bank Theatre Prize Jury, this year the nominees for the VSCD Mime Prize will also take the stage.