DistantNews
Support us
Young theater makers tackle loneliness, nature, and classic tales
🇳🇱 Netherlands /Culture & Society

Young theater makers tackle loneliness, nature, and classic tales

From NRC Handelsblad · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • Two young theater makers, Floor Schijn Burdack and Annika Taylor, are exploring themes of societal loneliness, environmental connection, and reinterpretations of classic literature in their work.
  • Burdack uses site-specific performances in nature to address climate issues and foster community connection, aiming to create spaces for collective experience.
  • Taylor, with a background in anthropology, reinterprets literary works and delves into niche internet subcultures, examining themes of human relationships and identity in a changing world.

Young theater makers are using their art to confront contemporary societal issues and explore complex human experiences. Floor Schijn Burdack, a Flemish eco-artist, creates performances that aim to bridge the growing loneliness in society and reconnect people with nature and each other.

You can create spaces to collectively mourn, celebrate, question, discover.

— Floor Schijn BurdackBurdack explains her view on the power of theater.

Burdack's work often takes place outdoors, utilizing natural landscapes to inspire new perspectives. Her graduation piece, "Poorters," involved a theatrical walk through collected waste from Antwerp, transforming discarded items into components of a shared home. She views theater as a ritualistic experience that can foster a sense of community and provide spaces for collective mourning, celebration, and discovery.

I make theater because our society has become lonely and can no longer (truly) connect with the landscape, and with each other.

— Floor Schijn BurdackBurdack elaborates on her motivation for making theater.

Annika Taylor, a Danish theater director based between Amsterdam and Copenhagen, draws on her anthropology background and fascination with internet subcultures. Her work reinterprets classic literary and dramatic pieces, such as Sophocles' "Antigone" or Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." Taylor's recent production, "Faust: On Air," delves into themes of human relationships, heartbreak, and the human condition in a constantly evolving world, questioning concepts like selling one's soul to the devil.

What does it actually mean to sell your soul to the devil?

— Annika TaylorTaylor poses a question related to her reinterpretation of 'Faust'.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by NRC Handelsblad in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog