Theatercollege met Saskia Belleman en Petra Urban - Naakt voor de rechter
Together, they have covered many court cases. Saskia Belleman as a court reporter and Petra Urban as a courtroom sketch artist. They almost daily work side by side, with Saskia reporting in words and Petra in images. Over the past 15 years, Saskia and Petra have been in court almost every day. During this time, Saskia has sent more than 250,000 tweets into the world.
Run time tba
Genre Perspective
Language Dutch
Theatercollege: Saskia Belleman & Petra Urban - Naakt voor de rechter
In this theater lecture, they share stories about their work and the most high-profile criminal trails they've followed. Numerous cases are discussed, both insane and hilarious. Among them are the trial against Geert Wilders, the sexual abuse case of Ali B., the Nicky Verstappen case, the public urination case of Marco Kroon, the hammer attack drama, hearing with top criminal Willem Holleeder, the Marengo case, and the Erasmus shooter. Petra's sketches are used during the cases they discuss.
Why do court cases rarely start on time? Do people laugh in the courtroom? is it true that the fax machine was only recently abolished? Why does technology often fail? What's the best spot for Petra Urban in the courtroom? And why does she often face opposition? Why is it so hard to know when a trial will take place? Why are victim statements so important? Saskia and Petra explain the challenges they face and share the stories behind them.
Saskia Belleman is the face of Dutch court journalism. Since 2010, she’s been a court reporter for De Telegraaf. She frequently appears as a commentator on TV talk shows and meticulously reports on criminal cases on X. She tirelessly guides her followers through the legal maze. Her podcast series Zij is van mij won the 2024 Dutch Podcast Award in the journalism category. In this podcast, Saskia Belleman searches for answers to questions about femicide. In four out of five cases of women murdered in the Netherlands, the perpetrator is a partner, ex-partner, or family member.
-|-
In 2024, she also received the Anker & Anker Award from the association of criminal lawyers for her work in raising awareness about the importance of the rule of law. In spring 2025, she was double-awarded, named Journalist of the Year 2024 and receiving the Machiavelli Award for her outstanding public communication. Saskia Belleman is praised for her factual reporting and the way she makes the judiciary accessible to a large and broad audience.
Petra Urban is the most talked-about courtroom sketch artist in the Netherlands. Her drawings are highly detailed, with a photo realistic quality. As an artist in journalism, she is one of the few who hold a press card. The rules prohibit photographers in the courtroom, making sketch artists the only ones allowed to capture images of the defendants, judges, and public prosecutors. Her sketches are often “astonishingly good”, as she tries to capture the emotion. Since 2015, she has been drawing digitally on an iPad, allowing her to send a sketch directly from the courtroom to the editorial team. Over the past 18 years, Petra has witnessed all the high-profile criminals: from Robert M. to Dino S., From Willem Holleeder to Ridouan Taghi.
After the theater lecture, a Meet & Greet with Saskia and Petra will take place.
