“There are so many podcasts with uninteresting people telling unnecessary stories in the most momentous ways.” Yannick van de Velde (34) and Tom van Kalmthout (33) travel a lot by car and can get quite annoyed by what can be listened to online. Van de Velde: “The podcast landscape is completely saturated.”
They convert such annoyances into material for the latest theater performance by Rundfunk, the duo they form together. A scene about a fictional podcast recording ended up in Schauwhich will premiere in Rotterdam on March 9.
It is the third theater performance of the duo, who met in 2009 at the Amsterdam drama school. They became famous in 2015 with the comedy TV series Rundfunk, about two students at a high school full of eccentrics. Several scenes from the series became famous, such as the one in which the German teacher (Pierre Bokma) takes devilish pleasure in handing out failing grades to his students.
Another film followed (Hunting ranger), two theater performances and recently the NPO series Duco and Roy. In this film, two young aspiring actors will do anything to become famous. They participate in a TV show called Dating on drugs and jump into the picture during the live report of a horrific disaster. Everything for airtime.
Appear happy
They are characteristic Rundfunk characters: types who have a completely different image of themselves than how others see them. They do increasingly absurd things, but you also sympathize with them: everyone sees the enormous sign in front of their heads, except themselves. Van de Velde and Van Kalmthout also hint at what they think with their wonderful tragicomic scenes full of misunderstandings and crazy storylines. In Duco and Roy for example: the silliness of wanting to be famous at any cost and the madness of the entertainment industry that can make this possible.
Their latest theater performance is full of characters such as Duco and Roy. In separate scenes we see colleagues, teacher and child, a German DJ, lovers and a driving instructor in action. A bride and groom try to appear happy, but clearly they are not.
The often derailing dialogues show that it is very difficult to credibly pretend to be something other than who you are. And the harder someone tries, the uglier the true feelings usually come out. For example, a date gets out of hand when a man who tries his best to appear very tough does not get what he expected. His disappointment is so great that he unintentionally drops all his masks.
In a café-restaurant in East Amsterdam, the two members of Rundfunk explain that they like comedy that is not too over the top. Van Kalmthout: “I think you can deduce from our scenes what concerns us.”
What is that then?
Van Kalmthout: “Many scenes are about people who pretend that things are going great for them. They pretend to be different than they are. That is a fertile source for comedic situations.”
Do you draw from your own experiences?
Van de Velde: “I once attended the premiere of a play. I saw in the speech afterwards that two of the actors clearly hated each other. Do you really think we’re going to fall for this, I thought at the time. That is how the wedding scene in the performance came about.”
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Unpredictable satire about the entertainment world in ‘Rundfunk: Duco and Roy’
What fascinates you about that?
Van Kalmthout: “It’s funny to see people playing a role in the presence of others where everyone knows: things go completely wrong between them as soon as the others are gone.”
How do you determine the order of scenes?
Van de Velde: “We are trying that out. Tonight, for example, we will take out a scene to see what it does to the rhythm of the performance.”
Van Kalmthout: “Our director, Peter van de Witte, is trying to force us into a computer program: Preform. You have to sort the scenes by type, length and tone and give them colors. We already do that, with post-its and marker. Just on a wall.”
What do you learn from your director?
Van Kalmthout: “A lot. For example, in the car back after tryouts, he provides commentary. His hobbyhorse is being more precise and accurate. Everything we do must have a reason. Therein lies the humor.”
Van de Velde: “He records it. Looking back is terrible. I always find myself so much uglier, dumber, more incomprehensible and less funny than I think.”
Are you still nervous?
Van de Velde: “Maybe a stupid and arrogant comment, but I think performing with Tom is one of the few things I am good at. I often find real life more exciting. For example, just walking in here on my own. Then I think: shit, I didn’t make a reservation, would you have made a reservation? And should I say that we are going to have lunch or something to drink?”
Schau, by Rundfunk. Premiere March 9. Old Luxor, Rotterdam. Info and playlist: rundfunk.sexy