Last summer, almost 25,000 visitors watched the theater performance about Boer Koekoek in Hollandscheveld. Although not every performance was sold out, producer Stichting Het Pauperparadijs calls it a successful show.
“The expectation was around 21,000 visitors. However, ticket sales went well beyond expectations,” says producer Wolter Lommerde. “We have stayed neatly within the lines when it comes to income and expenditure.”
You could say that this leaves you wanting more, but Lommerde tempers expectations for a return of the performance.
“In principle, everything we do is a one-off, with the exception of the Pauper’s Paradise. The recent farmers’ protests were the reason to make a story about the farmers’ uprising led by farmer Koekoek sixty years ago. The world is changing quickly, the question is whether the performance next year is still relevant. But it could always be possible, we don’t know yet.”
A performance such as that of Boer Koekoek is a significant investment, he says. “So it may soon be more interesting to choose a new subject. We always try to stay on top of current events with our shows.”
But according to him, there is no doubt that a new production will come to Drenthe. “We are thinking of some things, but it is still too early to say anything about that.”
Theater maker Tom de Ket speaks of his best production to date. “Everything that is important for a good theater piece came together. Good music, we used the environment and the landscape. It is about a serious subject, but we also used a lot of humor.”
De Ket says that there should always be some spectacle during a piece. The show was performed in a large warehouse, the back wall of which had been removed. “You could see the field at the back. There, a large farm caught fire. It gave a hugely beautiful effect. There was also a performance inside the warehouse. There was a good variation and it created a nice dynamic.”
The producer believes that theater should be about contemporary traumas. He hopes to reach as many people as possible with this. His son is often a good indicator. “He’s fifteen and must think it’s great. And luckily he really enjoyed it.”
De Ket himself was born and raised in Drenthe and hopes to continue making performances in the province in the coming years. “There are some ideas.”