- Corona , Student
- 01/12/2020
Doppio performs Abeltje - to an audience
Who would have imagined a year ago that the fact that Doppio is staging a theater production in front of an audience would be newsworthy? Yet here we are. On December 12 and 13 this is exactly what is going to happen and the production is the family show Abeltje. “We hope that for a short while our audience will forget everything that is happening and we can take them with us to a fantasy world.”
The raison d'être of any drama association is to stage productions, to move an audience. To draw a reaction. During the corona crisis many cultural productions are being offered online, but this inevitably means that the connection with the audience is lost.
It has been almost a year since student drama association Doppio staged its last performance before an audience, but this spell will soon be broken. On Saturday December 12 and Sunday December 13 the family show Abeltje will be performed three times in the concert hall of CKE, Eindhoven's center for amateur arts and cultural education. At each performance Doppio can accommodate thirty people in the auditorium.
Boost
The cast members will be Eindhoven students pursuing all kinds of degree programs, the director is Karlijn Vlug. Industrial Design student Niek Rutten has the title role of Abeltje, and the production is inspired by the book of the same name by Annie M.G. Schmidt. “We hope this will give us the boost we get from making theater; it's what unites us as an association,” says Rutten.
Abeltje was supposed to be performed back in May, but its debut was delayed until this month due to the corona crisis. “We decided to reschedule in the hope that at a later date we could perform it before a live audience. We are so relieved that this is now possible,” says Rutten.
Star production
Once a year Doppio produces a star production, which is a slightly bigger affair - and often more costly, and for which it requires its actors to audition. For these productions, Doppio joins forces with other cultural associations. This time it was supposed to be the turn of StudentProof Jazz, but due to the corona measures it was simply not possible to have a large group of people rehearsing and on stage together. The proceeds from the sale of tickets will go to charity: Jeugdcultuurfonds Eindhoven, which pays for cultural lessons for families that cannot afford them. “In this way we can give something back to Eindhoven.”
Letting off steam
Rutten says that the cast is very excited that the performances are now so close at hand. “You can see that our people have missed acting; it is a way of letting off steam, the week's stress is released when you act.”
Preparations for the production got underway with live rehearsals, then the actors switched to online and now their rehearsals for the three performances are again live. This is happening as safely as possible and while observing distance, wearing face masks and in a community center in Eindhoven because home base Luna on the TU/e campus is closed.
“We will be performing on stage without face masks; the rules allow for this. We are allowed to forget about the distance rule while we are performing, but as soon as we come off stage, it's face mask on and the 1m50 distance rule.”
Getting sick is not an option, so in the run-up to December 12th and 13th, Rutten is doing all he can to avoid risk. “We cannot miss any more rehearsals. I'm keeping my social circle as small as possible and being very vigilant.”
Because know this: Rutten is keen to play Abeltje. “He's just finished high school and he doesn't know what he wants to do next. He gets a job as an elevator boy in a new department store in his village and there he discovers his calling: adventure, travel and discovering things. In the book Abeltje isn't given a strongly defined character. I'm trying to get into his mind space so that I can immerse myself in the role.”
“I am really looking forward to acting on stage. It may sound a little more empty than usual because there will be only thirty people sitting in the auditorium. It will be a little harder to get audience members to join in with the laughter, but we are still going to do our best to draw them into Abeltje's fantasy world!”
Want to see Abeltje?
Family show Abeltje (in Dutch!) is playing in the concert hall at CKE on:
Saturday December 12th (19.30 hrs)
Sunday December 13th (14.30 hrs)
Sunday December 13th (19.30 hrs)
A ticket costs 6 euros for children and students, and 11 euros for adults.
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