The question was whether the show could go ahead. After the plan had to give way twice because of corona and once because of the too short preparation time, the costs of production also increased due to inflation and all the aforementioned requirements. “There had to be a nitrogen report and the emissions had to be zero, the buses had to run on biodiesel and it had to be calculated how many traffic movements there are,” explains Stellingwerf. “Plus inflation: everything is more expensive, so money also had to be found.”
Many visitors will notice it: the ticket for ADAK 3 costs more than the previous editions. Stellingwerf: “We do try to keep the price low. If you go by bus, you are covered from half past five to eleven and transport, food and the two performances are included. Then you pay 47 euros. Yes, it is a lot of money, but you get an experience you don’t want to miss.”
At least the volunteers are having fun again. In the clothing center the table is full of delicacies, including the famous spekkoek. Where sarongs are sewn in the most beautiful colors and fabrics, memories are being retrieved in the meantime.
Volunteer Wanja Ligthart pulls a leather fabric, which is intended for one of the bags for the guides, under the machine. “Hollands Hoop was my first experience,” she says. “That was also a very large production. I have always worked in healthcare and wanted to do something practical. I like doing something in a world that is unknown to me.”
It’s no different for the actors. Bas Keizer and Chaya Pattiapon play two important roles. Pattiapon himself is half Indian and half Moluccan. “I grew up little with the stories myself. It is a journey of discovery for me: where do I actually come from? Last year I discovered that my grandfather had a shop in Schattenberg.”
The battle with rival groups that her character finds herself in is close to the story of her own mother. “The Dutch status used to be important. But my mother used to come home with a Moluccan. You can also see that in this ‘East side story’: the forbidden love.”