Veldhuijzen van Zanten began her master’s program with a need to reflect on her working methods and develop a clearer, distinct artistic language. Early on, she decided to focus her artistic research on the theatrical representation of our relationship to environmental and climate issues. This research resulted in Een Aardig Sprookje (A Nice Fairy Tale), an intimate family performance that translates complex environmental issues into an understandable metaphor. In the performance, Kathlyn Wuyts plays all the characters—Keet, plant, animal, and thing—using an imaginative pop-up book.
During the creation process, Veldhuijzen van Zanten grappled with the difficult balance between hope and pessimism. This search inspired the lecture performance N FURHAAL, about tackling overwhelming problems with no apparent escape. Inspired by Aren by Benjamin Verdonck—a performance about stage ideas that never saw the light of day—Veldhuijzen van Zanten collaborated with actor Bert Luppes to create a deeply personal lecture performance. In N FURHAAL, she examines why making performances about significant societal issues, like the environmental crisis, is so challenging. The piece became a profoundly personal account of how a theatre maker relates, as a citizen and as a parent, to the stories they bring to the stage.
Critical reflection & recording Een aardig sprookje & N Furhaal
Circle song
Impression Critical reflection
vimeo.com/677702684
children’s reaction
vimeo.com/654879116