Het Pauperparadijs has completed the nitrogen permit for the next two years. According to producer Wolter Lommerde, this is the biggest hurdle for the theater spectacle to return to Veenhuizen after an absence of three years.
Where corona still threw a spanner in the works in 2020 and 2021, Het Pauperparadijs was canceled last year because there was uncertainty about the nitrogen rules. “It wasn’t that we wouldn’t get the permit by definition, but the conditions kept changing,” says Lommerde. “When we had to make a decision whether or not we were going to do it, it was still not clear. For a production like Het Pauperparadijs you need at least 6 months to prepare.”
In 2023, the rules are a lot clearer, says Lommerde. “The regulations may be stricter, but at least clear. Our emissions are still not 0. We still have parked cars and also emit nitrogen in other ways. But we have made adjustments. We have replaced our diesel generator, for example .”
The organizers of Het Pauperparadijs had given themselves until February 1 to make a decision whether or not the spectacle would take place this year. “Because it requires so much preparation. But we already heard positive reports in January, so we have already started slowly.”
The piece, which was last performed in 2019 in Veenhuizen, has been slightly scraped over the years. “We made the script even more up-to-date and tweaked it a bit here and there,” says Lommerde. “It’s a version 2.0, but the story and the way we tell it has remained the same.”
People who already bought a ticket in 2019 can finally go to Het Pauperparadijs in Veenhuizen this year. “We have informed cardholders from time to time over the years. We will share this news with them as soon as the permit application at the municipality of Noordenveld has also been completed, which will be the second half of February. The other cards are also on sale .”
With the permit from the Province of Drenthe in hand, Het Pauperparadijs is not quite there yet. “We still have to get an event permit from the municipality of Noordenveld,” says Lommerde. “So no, the flag can’t go out completely yet. But I compare it to a journey. We went by plane and landed well. Now we only have to travel the last bit by train.”
Mayor Klaas Smid of the municipality of Noordenveld is happy that all signals are green so far. “As a municipality, we are still looking closely at the event permit, because we want it to be arranged as well as possible for local residents in terms of traffic and noise. But this is a good first message.”
This year Veenhuizen celebrates the fact that the village became an ‘instituted village’ 200 years ago. “We have already indicated that it would be nice if this anniversary could be celebrated in combination with Het Pauperparadijs”, says Smid.
According to the mayor, Het Pauperparadijs has a great aura. “If I say elsewhere in the country that I am mayor of the municipality of Noordenveld, I sometimes get a vague look. But if I mention Veenhuizen, it appeals to the imagination. Especially by Het Pauperparadijs.”
According to Smid, there is a lot of support for theater spectacle from the surrounding area. “The last time it took place, we had a major evaluation, which showed that there is a lot of interest and enthusiasm from the village. The recreation and catering industry also benefit greatly from Het Pauperparadijs. We are therefore pleased that it seems that the can be performed again.”
Het Pauperparadijs plays – if all permits are issued – from 6 June to 26 August in Veenhuizen.