Dutch theater company excites audience

Theater doesn't always begin when the curtain rises.

At the recent Aranya Theater Festival in Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, Het Zuidelijk Toneel, a theater collective from the Netherlands, brought its refreshing theatrical philosophy to Chinese audiences with its production Not Quichot.

The performance begins the moment the audience walks in. A group of actors, ranging in age from 23 to 54, share the stage with remarkable energy — driving a truck onstage, dancing freely, and taking physical risks.

Director Sarah Moeremans believes in rest and freedom. She says it's very important for the artists to be able to see everything around them that can be used for the story.

"Mistakes are worth embracing," she adds, "because they make the game more exciting."

Playwright Joachim Robbrecht puts it simply: "The only thing that matters is that the audience leaves excited — whether it's because of the ideas they hear, or the way the actors embody the show and interact with them."

For this Dutch company, the stage is not a pressure chamber — it's a playground. And they take that playground very seriously. It's not just a theater philosophy — it's a way of life.