“I definitely want to be an actress!” Pippa Rensen (11) doesn’t need a second to think about it when she is asked what she wants to be when she grows up. The young talent from Halsteren plays a moving leading role in the open-air spectacle ’53’ by the De Vierschaar Foundation in Bergen op Zoom. The show premieres on Friday.
This year marks seventy years since large parts of West Brabant were hit by the flood disaster. 247 residents in our province died. Pippa: “I knew it had happened here, also here in Halsteren. But other than that I never heard anything about it at school. It is therefore important that this performance is now available.”
“The production is an amalgamation of personal stories that really happened.”
She takes on the role of Trui, a farmer’s daughter. She is surprised by the water and ends up on the roof of their house with her sister. Then it gets exciting, from their roof Trui and her sister see the disaster unfolding around them. “I really immersed myself in this role and, for example, I also went to the flood museum,” says Pippa.
During the rehearsal it immediately becomes clear that the description ‘spectacle’ is not an exaggeration. Large video projections and sound effects provide an overwhelming experience in the stands. However, according to director Diemer van Wijk, it is certainly not the intention for these effects to prevail. “The production is actually a combination of personal stories that really happened.”
“I’m a bit nervous.”
Students from primary and secondary schools in the Bergen op Zoom area will have the opportunity to attend the dress rehearsal. This is part of a special lesson program that has been specially created for the occasion.
The performance ’53’ will be performed ten times from Friday at the Waterschans in Bergen op Zoom. Pippa: “I’m not going to reveal how things turn out for me, people have to come and see for themselves,” she says, not yet revealing anything. “It’s so big and there are so many people on stage, so I’m quite a a little nervous. But I’m going to do really well, I’m sure.”