For 80 Years, Shakespeare in Diever’s Forest Has Kept Drawing Crowds

In the forest near Diever, a thousand-strong audience happily follows Shakespeare into the Forest of Arden. Green spotlights illuminate the wooden set for As You Like It, while actors move among the trees as Orlando, Rosalind, Celia and the other characters.

Rain during the performance does little to dampen the mood. Alongside the rustle of ponchos, loud laughter fills the forest. The interaction between actors and spectators is part of the tradition. When Adam, Orlando’s servant, appears close to exhaustion, audience members throw blankets and cushions toward the stage. When Rosalind complains of hunger, someone promptly hands her a tube of Pringles.

Many visitors return every year, familiar with the summer production and its playful rhythm. The theatre’s chairman, Peter Sloot, said the first performance took place almost exactly 80 years ago, on Aug. 31, 1946, then Queen’s Day, the birthday of Queen Wilhelmina.

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On Aug. 31, 1946, then Queen’s Day, the birthday of Queen Wilhelmina.

Since then, Shakespeare has become a fixture in Diever. Performances now take place throughout the year. Ten years ago, the Globetheater opened beside the outdoor stage, replicating London’s wooden, rounded theatre. It hosts winter productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as other works and a Shakespeare programme for young people. The summer production remains the biggest draw, with most of more than 30 performances often sold out before the preview.

The tradition began with village doctor Dirk Broekema, who directed the first production in 1946. His predecessor, Sebastiaan van Nooten, had been deported to Neuengamme concentration camp in early 1945 after treating wounded pilots in a hiding place near Diever.

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We are beginning to resemble Soldaat van Oranje.