38. netherlands-south africa: No Man's land – 2008
No-man's land is a theatrical meeting between young people from Amsterdam and Cape Town on issues of prejudice, conflict and reconciliation. The performance could be seen between 13th and 28th September 2008 as part of the Proposition Month of the world heritage monument the Defense Line of Amsterdam. After the successful performance “The story of Dieme” of the year before, Katy Streek was asked once again by Stadsherstel Amsterdam to join Fort Diemerdam for this fun and freely accessible event.
The theme of this new performance is “90 years after WWI”. The point of departure of the play is the incident during the First World War with British and German soldiers laying down their weapons and celebrating Christmas eve together in no-man's land.
The actors from the Netherlands and South Africa use this story to create a performance around the themes of conflict, prejudice, reconciliation and identity. The players bring their theater traditions together in a strong musical and visual theatre piece. In the process they investigate which aspects of WWI still affect their daily lives, such as xenophobia and power relations. They tell the story from the role of animals during the war, such as mascots, pets, workers and messengers, which serve as a metaphor for human behavior.
No-man's land is a collaboration between the University of Cape Town and Theater Embassy from Amsterdam.
Partner organisation: University of Capetown
Direction: Katy Streek Production team: 5
Local artists: 7 (Dutch & South African)
Target group: General audience
Audience: 750
Performances: 6
Volunteers: drama department
Participating Organizations: University of Capetown, Stadsherstel Amsterdam, festival De Stellingmaand.
Finances: Gemeente Diemen, Province of Noord Holland, CENH, NCDO, Theatre Embassy.
Theme: Conflict and reconciliation
DVD: No Man's land by Ben Streek
