Earlier it wrote Noordhollands Dagblad after research that Rick Engelkes had received 4.3 million euros in corona support for a performance about Willem van Oranje that had never been performed before. It was not clear what happened to the money, the newspaper said.
Engelkes says that all the conditions for the application have been met.
A new theater has to be built in Delft for William of Orange, but so far there are only piles in the ground because a permit is not available. According to Engelkes, one million euros of the amount paid out has been spent. That went to, among other things, the piles in the ground, a model and the hall, which is not being built in the Netherlands. “The musical does exist, only it is not there yet,” said Engelkes. “We have always continued to invest and develop.”
Refund
The Performing Arts Fund has previously stated in a response that the award ‘has been carried out in accordance with the prescribed procedure’ and that the final judgment will be made after the Waterfront has been accounted for. On that basis, the fund could also decide that part or all of the amount distributed must be repaid. “If that is the case, then it is,” Engelkes responds.
The musical should really come at the end of next year. According to the producer, the new provisional environmental permit will be available in a few weeks and construction can then begin. Engelkes also announced that Theu Boermans, known from Soldier of Orange, will direct the musical. Other cast members have not yet been announced.