Writer Jamal Ouariachi has openly distanced himself from the stage text he wrote for the performance Emperor without Clothes of the Players Federation. The performance premieres tonight at the International Theater Amsterdam. On his blog he writes that it is an act of desperation and that the text is no longer his. His trust has been betrayed, says the author.
The Federation of Players reacts with surprise and shock and states that their trust in the author has been betrayed as well.
Despite agreements on consultation when changes were made, “crucial scenes” were deleted without his approval and “needless nonsense” was added, Ouariachi writes: “The serious satire I had written had turned into an unbalanced farce. Too unfocused. Not sharp enough. Not vicious enough. Not emotional enough.”
Emperor without Clothes aims to be “an adult version of the fairy tale about the clothesless emperor” and a “satirical costume drama”, the group writes on the site.
After seeing a tryout that startled him, there was an agreement on textual repairs. But on Friday, Ouariachi discovered that the ending had changed after all – against his will. That new ending “crushes the subtlety, it’s sentimental, it’s just not right.”
He is sad rather than angry, writes Ouariachi. In addition, he states that the theater makers “wipe their ass with the work” that he has done.
According to the members of the Players Federation, what Ouariachi claims is false. Actor Timo Huijzendveld and director Amira Duynhouwer state that there has been constant consultation. “It is very unfortunate that he reacts in this way,” says Duynhouwer.
Huijzendveld: “Seven minutes before he put his blog post online, I texted him to talk about the ending we tried on Friday night. If he really had not wanted it, we would have played his end.”
Duynhouwer: „Try-outs are there to try things out. We felt that the new ending connected better and resonated better with the audience.”
Jamal Ouariachi did not see the new ending played out with his own eyes. He only knows the lyrics. Huijzendveld: “There was a lot of consultation throughout the process, including about all the changes we wanted or implemented. Only in the last few weeks did he have less time for consultation. He was shocked by the first try-out, last week. After that, we adopted his long list of adjustments.”
Breach of trust
Ouariachi has already written a one-act play for the Theater Troop, the collective from which the Players Federation originates. So he knows the style of play, but in his reaction it seems that that style of play does not appeal to him either. Duynhouwer: „Our playing style is vaudeville-like, free and playful. Perhaps our sense of humor differs from his. Perhaps he intended a different approach.”
“It is now a yes-no game,” responds Ouariachi. “The run-up was cooperative. We agree. But a week ago I saw a farce with big jokes, missing scenes, added scenes, no vision. I’ve been biting my teeth for two hours and my eyes are ashamed. That could only be modestly repaired in a week. On Friday I found out they had also been rehearsing a new ending the week before. That meant a breach of trust. It doesn’t matter anymore that they say they still want to play my ending. Too little, too late.”