Onepointfivemetersociety is a word that makes Sven Ratzke (1977) reach for his canister of talcum powder. It makes him itchy, for it clashes with his spirit, passion and everlasting desire for connectedness. However, he promises to keep at a safe distance for six summer nights. But purely physically, out of respect for these measures. But artistically? That’s a different story altogether. Musically Sven Ratzke knows how to close any gap. With near and dear he sings you irresistibly close.

Together with Boulevard, the festival where Ratzke started his international career in 1999, he developed this exclusive series of open-air concerts on six Friday nights. Ratzke comes out to play with heroes that make his hankering heart run wild. Names? Drumroll and names: the American soprano and opera singer Claron McFadden, the renowned harpist Lavinia Meijer and the equally virtuoso bandoneonist Carel Kraayenhof. Also: the very versatile wonder of jazz, soul and gospel, Michelle David, the multitalented Janne Schra [the founder of Room Eleven] and singer Gregory Frateur of the Flemish cult band Dez Mona.

During Boulevard editions of 2017, 2018 and 2019 Ratzke confirmed his reputation as an extravagant entertainer with his theater concerts Homme fatale, Starman and Where are we now, all homages to idiosyncratic songwriters and the star himself: David Bowie.

P.S. During this performance we will follow the general Covid-19 guidelines. 

“I am a little woman, but I have a bíííííg mouth!” singer Michelle David [1966] yells from the stage. Big talk? Not at all, for within a few minutes she sings the theater to 212˚ Fahrenheit. The American boiling point fits her heritage: her cradle rocked in North Carolina. Michelle David tore down North Sea Jazz and Paradiso, and equally blew away audiences at Pinkpop 2018, Oerol and MaMA Festival in France.

Her repertoire resembles a collection of sung postcards from Chicago, Memphis, the Caribbean, Morocco and Nigeria. She joyfully draws from numerous genres: Northern Soul, boogaloo and reggae, but also calypso, Afro Disco and Afro Beat.

The Gospel Sessions, three sharp dressed men, accompany her on various instruments. Together with them she earned a nomination for an Edison Jazz Award for their album The Gospel Sessions Vol. 3. The ubercool French radio station FiP made it their album of the month.

Previously Michelle David made a name for herself with Big, Black & Beautiful, the band she formed with Rocq-E Harrel and Lucretia van der Vloot.

Boulevard wholeheartedly connects with the city and its inhabitants, particularly now. We asked ten makers, whom we’ve trusted for years, to create something especially for ‘Powered by Boulevard’. These projects are made for and sometimes with specific groups from the city. Their progress can soon be followed online by everyone.

Choreographer Guilherme Miotto settles down in the neighborhood of Aawijk / De Merendonk in Den Bosch and gets to work with a group of residents of different ages. Six weeks in a row they come together, each with his or her own thoughts or feelings, a special item, or music they want to share. And then they start to move, without thinking about it. And then it turns out that deep inside we are all dancers! After six weeks there is a presentation in the neighborhood, for the neighborhood.

Do you live in or nearby this neighborhood? And do you want to get to know your self, others, your neighborhood and your world, in a remarkably beautiful way? Join in! You can participate for free.

Register before 23 July by sending an email to babette@festivalboulevard.nl. Please give us your name, age, street address and a short motivation why you want to participate. We contact you as soon as possible.

When and where
From 27 July to 24 August 2020
Every Monday and Wednesday from 7 – 9 p.m.
Sportzaal De Rijnstraat

Onepointfivemetersociety is a word that makes Sven Ratzke (1977) reach for his canister of talcum powder. It makes him itchy, for it clashes with his spirit, passion and everlasting desire for connectedness. However, he promises to keep at a safe distance for six summer nights. But purely physically, out of respect for these measures. But artistically? That’s a different story altogether. Musically Sven Ratzke knows how to close any gap. With near and dear he sings you irresistibly close. 
Together with Boulevard, the festival where Ratzke started his international career in 1999, he developed this exclusive series of open-air concerts on six Friday nights. Ratzke comes out to play with heroes that make his hankering heart run wild. Names? Drumroll and names: the American soprano and opera singer Claron McFadden, the renowned harpist Lavinia Meijer and the equally virtuoso bandoneonist Carel Kraayenhof. Also: the very versatile wonder of jazz, soul and gospel, Michelle David, the multitalented Janne Schra [the founder of Room Eleven] and singer Gregory Frateur of the Flemish cult band Dez Mona.
During Boulevard editions of 2017, 2018 and 2019 Ratzke confirmed his reputation as an extravagant entertainer with his theater concerts Homme fatale, Starman and Where are we now, all homages to idiosyncratic songwriters and the star himself: David Bowie.

P.S. During this performance we will follow the general Covid-19 guidelines. 
 

Inscrutable is what they are, God’s ways. Often Boulevard’s ways are much easier to comprehend. Thus it would be self-torment not to invite actress Nina de la Parra [1987]. Her highly acclaimed cabaret performance God’s Ways ended in the top 5 of best cabaret shows of 2019 according to Dutch newspaper NRC, and it received five stars from fellow paper Volkskrant.

For that sole individual that doesn’t know Nina: she has a Surinam father and a Dutch mother. “She looks like a bakra – or cheesehead – but her adventures in Suriname are spicier than Madame Jeanette peppers.”

God’s Ways is an autobiographical search of her Christian class in Paramaribo, the colonial past of her Jewish Sephardic forefathers, her experiences in Surinam one hour-hotels, her talking vagina and her search for enlightenment from a winti priest.

Nina knows no self-pity, she is seductive, always feminist, foul-mouthed and intelligent, she doesn’t avoid rage, and she doesn’t spare her own heritage or her generation of women.

For ‘Powered by Boulevard’ Nina plays an adapted version of God’s Ways. She alternates her venomous monologues in fluent Dutch, German, English and Sranan Tongo with jazz & blues songs, supported by the excellent saxophone player Sanne Landvreugd.

UPDATE: This evening there will be a discussion with Anoek and Jan Pronk.

We are looking for: a clear manual on how to live in disruptive and polarized times. Guides like that cannot be found in bookstores, political parties or houses of prayer. Luckily there is Anoek Nuyens [1984], an inquisitive theater maker and writer. In the solo performance PRONK she draws on conversations with the former politician and former UN envoy of the same name. Jan Pronk [1940] is the proud flag bearer of Dutch social democracy. But in 2013 – after a membership of almost 50 years - he turned his back to political party PVDA. He could no longer reconcile with his party’s complicity in the policies of the Rutte-II administration.

A few of the questions that Nuyens gets her hands on, with sharpness, emotion and humor in PRONK: How can you create order in the global chaos? What is left of the leftist dreams? How does it feel to really stand for something? And above all: is there still hope?

PRONK is considerably more than a well-made portrait of the gnarly Jan Pronk, who’d rather eat his red tie than violate his principles. Most of all, it is a portrait of a 36-year-old woman who is looking for hope, guidance and connection. That makes PRONK an intellectual pamphlet about idealism, politics and visionary life.

Anoek Nuyens already surprised audiences at the 2015 edition of Boulevard. In her solo HULP [Help], she told the story of her great-aunt, 98-years-old at that time, who was the chairman of the charity Auxilium [Latin for Help]. Anoek took over the foundation from her, including a thousand requests.

Together with seven others you are at the edge of a forest. On your headphones you hear a voice that guides you out of your familiar world. Look at the others one last time. Because you will go your own way, all by yourself. Finally you arrive at a location that gives you shelter. Or is that just a comforting delusion?

In order of disappearance, by theatermaker Bart van de Woestijne [1991] is an exercise in being alone. Step by step you leave the outer world, to discover an inner world. Your inner world.

Whether the answers are there for you to pick up remains to be seen. For, in which company are you when you are all alone with yourself? Is it pleasant? Surprising? Or do you end up in and endless vacuum and are you slowly dissolving? And, more than a p.s.: how would the other seven be? In order of disappearance researches the contradictory idea that our solitude can connect us with each other.

Last March corona measures caused the cancellation of physical presentations during Festival Cement. As part of Powered by Boulevard audiences get a chance to experience this live performance after all.

Both available in Dutch and English!

P.S. Not suitable for those who suffer from claustrophobia. 
Next to the general Covid-19 guidelines, the following measures apply here: this performance is partly a walk, which enables the audience to keep a safe 1,5-meter distance to each other. Next to this, all points of contact will be cleaned according to the guidelines. 

Credits
Direction, concept and text:  Bart van de Woestijne 
Dramaturgy:  Maarten Bos 
Scenography:  Sofie Doeland 
Production:  Eline Elbersen & Lysanne van Esch
Sound design:  Wessel Schrik 
Performer:  Casper Nusselder 
Technique:  Daan Westendorp 
Coproduction:  Over het IJ Festival, Festival Cement 
Artistic advisor:  Alexandra Broeder 
Photography:  Guillaume Amat 
Thanks to:  Breg Pels Rijcken, Muhamed Stranjac

The circus tent is abandoned, the entrance is boarded up. What is the purpose of life to an artist if he has no audience? After all ‘I am if you see me’ is their life motto. But who is watching? The ringmaster’s silence speaks volumes. Luckily Ronaldo and his brother – Circus Ronaldo’s 6^th generation – know what to do.

In their mesmerizing family show Applause – for everyone ages five and up – they guide small groups of visitors past seven locations. You take a peek in the empty circus tent, step into painted wagons and discover the hidden secrets of caravans. On your journey you meet the artists, in the no-man’s-land between kept up appearances and maintained 1.5-meters distances. All of them are caught by the same desire: would you look at me for just a bit? Would you let me see who I really am?

Circus Ronaldo is a Flemish family business whose origins date back to 1827. The Ronaldos make heart-warming productions without high tech, hypes or heavy beats. Four years ago they got their audiences on their knees with Fidelis Fortibus – which translates as ‘be faithful to the brave’ – about loyalty, connectedness and death.

P.S. During this performance we will follow the general Covid-19 guidelines. 

Director: Danny Ronaldo
Game: including Danny Ronaldo, David Ronaldo, Pepijn Ronaldo, Angelo Ronaldo, Karel Creemers, Seppe Verbist, Corneel Didier

Boulevard wholeheartedly connects with the city and its inhabitants, particularly now. We asked ten makers, whom we’ve trusted for years, to create something especially for ‘Powered by Boulevard’. These projects are made for and sometimes with specific groups from the city. Their progress can soon be followed online by everyone.

How can we preserve human movement? Katja Heitmann researches movements as archive material, as historiography. According to her, the way somebody moves is characteristic for the times we live in – for example for the times before the so-called 1.5-meter society. With her previously existing concept Motus Mori Katja asks people from ’s-Hertogenbosch to donate their movements. Dancers archive these and ultimately present them. This exhibit of choreographic portraits displays an impressive and touching image of humanity.

Join in!
Everybody from Den Bosch can participate in this archive of movement. Do you want to donate your personal movement to the archive? Sign up for a ‘movement interview’, a personal and physical conversation with one of the dancers. The interviews take place on 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 August 2020.

Want to participate? Send en email with your name and preferred date to motusmori@katjaheitmann.com.

Boulevard wholeheartedly connects with the city and its inhabitants, particularly now. We asked ten makers, whom we’ve trusted for years, to create something especially for ‘Powered by Boulevard’. These projects are made for and sometimes with specific groups from the city. Their progress can soon be followed online by everyone.

Four hands, soap, towels, a bowl of water and mutual curiosity. Those are the ingredients of the installation Washing Hands, with which Building Conversation visits semi-public places this summer. “We have been sitting at home for a long time”, says visual artist Daan ‘t Sas. “A lot of our contacts were online, in digital environments. We would almost forget about our physical life. Washing Hands helps you remember how it feels to touch or be touched. Every touch is an encounter, a conversation – or the start of one.”

Attention, awareness and encounter
His Washing Hands is brilliant in its simplicity. The protocol: participants can simply stop by spontaneously. Every time two people, who are most likely complete strangers, are matched to one another. During their shared moment they take their places, after having read a short manual. Between them they find a washbasin, and a transparent screen separates them, due to corona prevention measures. For fifteen minutes they take turns in washing each other’s hands. “It is a ritual that has something of a Japanese tea ceremony. Attention, awareness and encounter are key words,” Daan says.

Last June he put this concept to the test in his hometown. At the Amsterdam based mental health institution Arkin - which include Jellinek and NPI – staff, residents and clients could register for a session. “What I saw happening there? The encounters varied immensely, partly due to the degree of surrender. Some people put the accent on the ‘cleansing’ aspect. Others turned the ritual into a hand massage.” He also witnessed touching situations. “A psychiatrist and a female client, who are neighbors outside the facility, hadn’t been able to talk to each other for a long time, due to Covid-19. For them Washing Hands was a double reunion.” Prolonged touching can even stir up or reinforce l’amour: “After their first session, two residents of Arkin, who already had something going on between them, asked if they could do the experience again.”

Washing Hands was developed under the flag of Building Conversation, a collective of makers/artists we know well at Boulevard. They also created To Care as Caress.

Concept and execution
Daan ’t Sas, with Lotte van den Berg

Dates and locations
• Design Museum Den Bosch
De Mortel 4
’s-Hertogenbosch
Thurs. 6 through Sun. 9 and Tues. 11 through Sun. 16 August
11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

• Babel
Hinthamerstraat 74
's-Hertogenbosch
Thurs. 6 through Sat. 8 and Mon. 10 through Sat. 15 August
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

• Willem Twee kunstruimte
Boschdijkstraat 100
's-Hertogenbosch
Thurs. 6 through Sun. 16 August
Mon. through Fri. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sat. and Sun. 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Participation is free of charge, on a first come, first served basis. On the day of your choice you can register at the location. Every 30 minutes 2 people can commence their experience, which lasts about 20 minutes.

Boulevard wholeheartedly connects with the city and its inhabitants, particularly now. We asked ten makers, whom we’ve trusted for years, to create something especially for ‘Powered by Boulevard’. These projects are made for and sometimes with specific groups from the city. Their progress can soon be followed online by everyone.

A man rides his cargo bike. For eleven days straight, through Den Bosch and its parishes. His freight? Feather light mini theatres and amazing dioramas. Every now and then he takes a break. On a square, a bridge or in a courtyard. For accidental encounters with those present and those who happen to pass by.

The miniature worlds Benjamin Verdonck [1972] creates are small and nimble. He is a theater maker, writer, avid collector and creator of images. During the lockdown in Antwerp his desire to go out into the world – as soon as the measures were eased ever so slightly – germinated. With his little boxes, as he calls them lovingly. About this wonderful bricolage, in which he combines craftsmanship and ingenuity: “This is handiwork, made out of paper, cardboard, pieces of rope, sticky tape and little curtains. Homemade, vulnerable. I have a whole series of them. I want to show them, to someone. Wherever. I tell stories, but stories about the stories as well.”

Open journey
He demonstrated his mastery on previous editions of Boulevard, with one more thing, Gilles leert lezen and Waldeinsamkeit. These are mobile miniatures, which almost hesitantly show themselves. He chose to create these small and nimble artworks well before Covid-19 forced theater makers to conjure up new ways to connect with their audiences. “A visionary choice”, he says drily. At any rate, he is happy he can hit the road once more, into the public space. “I look at this as an open journey. I’d rather have encounters in a park or on a square than in a Hema fitting room.”

Social engagement frequently resounds in his tabletop theaters. The world yanks and plucks at him, which by no means leaves him cold. The past months, in which the pandemic discovered Belgium and ripped through it – the country has more than 10,000 casualties already – have strengthened Benjamin’s conviction that humanity embraces its own downfall. “But not in the future; the catastrophe has already taken place. For ten years I’ve seen the signs and how we ignore the ecological disaster that is upon us. We are capable of changing things around – but we just don’t do it. I think that many people see Covid-19 as a mild crisis. Altogether not yet severe enough.”

Hesitant happiness
Nonetheless he resists the lure of the dark side. The box-maker: “The one that belongs to Pandora probably needs to be opened a little bit further, if we really want to change the systems. But discouragement doesn’t serve me at all. I enjoy creating work in which I demonstrate other options.” And so he combines struggle and hesitant happiness in his work. On the one hand he quotes the German revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg: “In the middle of history, in the middle of progress, in the middle of the fight, we learn how we must fight.” On the other hand he stays away from the weight of missions. He shrugs ever so slightly: “I don’t have a message, I’m just curious.”

For those who won’t have the joy of crossing paths with Benjamin Verdonck, consolation is near. He is going to document his wanderings, which will appear on www.festivalboulevard.nl.

Boukje Schweigman [1974] is one of the Boulevard family. And has been for years. Her gift? Making physical performances that seduce you to sensualize, participate and surrender. By doing so, she reminds you of the compass you so easily forget: your body.

With the installation Spectrum she completes a triptych about white space. Her inflatable air globe Blaas and the endless white spiraling tunnel Curve were the first two installments. In Spectrum she literally submerges you in color. Who dares to fall back into the black hole, loses all sense of everyday life. All encompassing, with no way back, aided by the ingenious light and sound design of Matthijs Munnik en Yannis Kyriakides respectively.

P.S. Next to the general Covid-19 guidelines the following measures apply here: because it is inevitable that during this performance the audience will be within 1,5 meter distance from eachother, suitable measures will be taken to secure a safe visit. Therefore we provide mouth masks and we will place plexiglass between the audience. 

Unfortunately Spectrum is not suitable for people with mobility problems or people with severe back and neck complaints/balance disorder. 

Boulevard wholeheartedly connects with the city and its inhabitants, particularly now. We asked ten makers, whom we’ve trusted for years, to create something especially for ‘Powered by Boulevard’. These projects are made for and sometimes with specific groups from the city. Their progress can soon be followed online by everyone.

You won’t find them in the national Campsite guide. And they don’t advertise in the English magazine Bushcraft & Survival Skills, either. But in its adventurousness The100Hands goes beyond the camper’s dream of many. Especially for Powered by Boulevard this Dutch/Slovenian company developed the project TENT&. A challenging camping project, but without an entertainment team or field games. On the contrary, TENT& is an invitation to a retreat and self-exploration in a recyclable cardboard tent.

Those who want to participate, temporarily get a tent in a public place in Den Bosch at their disposal. Depending on the version this lasts for fifteen minutes or an hour. The tent is part of a larger encampment, which consists of ten to fifteen tents. In that safe place you research touch, the proximity of others and loneliness. A coach of The100Hands guides you past the different assignments, which vary from thought processes to physical work. Are you all alone? No, it’s more like you’re together at a safe distance, and headphones and microphones offer the exiting opportunity to react to each other.

Reflect on the importance of touch
Jasper Džuki Jelen of The100Hands, which previously performed at Boulevard with 25Feet and Show Me: “We make physical and interactive theater in which the audience is a participant, always. That goes for TENT& as well. On the one hand it’s an active kind of research. On the other hand it’s a mini vacation in your own town, now that many people cannot or do not want to go on their holidays.” He expects TENT& to attract a curious kind of audience. “People who like discovering things. People who come into contact with theater a lot, or people who don’t at all.”

One thing is certain: in 2020 physical contact is no longer self-evident. Covid-19 disrupts and destabilizes the degree of our physicality. “The past months have confronted us rather strongly with distance. At birthday parties and graduations, as well as at funerals. And this has a big influence on us, because touch and physical proximity are fundamental to our health,” says Jasper, choreographer and dancer who is also studying Somatic Experience. “In that sense we hope that TENT& will let you reflect on the importance of touch.”

Concept and performance
Jasper Džuki Jelen and Mojra Vogelnik Škerlj

Composition
Arthur van der Kuip

Design/costumes
Esther Sloots

Dates, locations and reservations
TENT&go - 15 min. version (location Wilhelminaplein, FREE: just pop by):
Thurs. 6 & Fri. 7 Aug  2 p.m. – 7 p.m. (try out)
Sat. 8 through Sun. 16 Aug  1 p.m. – 9 p.m.

TENT&retreat – 1.5 hour version (location, Bastion Sint Antonie, FREE: obtain a free ticket):
Fri. 7 Aug 8 p.m.
Sat. 8 Aug 4.30 p.m.
Sun. 9 Aug 9 a.m. & 4.30 p.m.
Mon. 10 Aug  8 p.m.
Wed. 12 Aug 8 p.m.
Thurs. 13 Aug  8 p.m.
Fri. 14 Aug 8 p.m.
Sat. 15 Aug  9 a.m. & 4.30 p.m.
Sun. 16 Aug  9 a.m.

Thirteen years ago theatermaker Dries Verhoeven [1976] made an instant name for himself with U bevindt zich hier (You are here). This installation/performance earned him the VSCD Mime Prize 2008 and the Montblanc Young Directors Award 2009 [Austria].

Where you were thirteen years ago? We can only guess. But perhaps you visited Boulevard that year, where U bevindt zich hier drew big crowds. For those who yearn wistfully for this highly acclaimed installation/performance - or for those who missed it then: during the Bossche Zomer (summer in ‘s-Hertogenbosch) you get a second chance!

As a visitor you step into a somewhat barren hotel room. All alone. Yes, that bed: just lie down. Nobody sees you. And vice versa: you see nobody. Or do you? And who slides that note under the door? What is within the private domain and what is public?

Restaging U bevindt zich hier in ‘times of corona’ gives it an extra dimension. Dries Verhoeven: “Due to the current pandemic it becomes a reflection on our time of self-isolation, on a time in which the proximity of strangers is seen as a threat.”

In recent years Verhoeven made his appearance on Boulevard with the live video installation Guilty Landscapes, a lunapark of fear in Phobiarama and his apothecary of happiness called…Happiness.

P.S. During this performance the general Covid-19 guidelines will be followed. Each visitor will be assigned an individual room. These rooms will be cleaned thorougly before each performance and provided with clean bedsheets. If the performers cannot maintain the 1,5 meter distance, suitable measures will be taken.

Credits
Concept and direction: Dries Verhoeven
Cast: Emma Hanekroot, Meghan Dobbelsteijn, Alidtcha Binazon, Marly Brouwer, Annet de Ruiter, Alësha Ovsiannikov, Annelotte van Aarst, Myrthe Boersma, Levi Middendorp and Guido Hoek
Production manager: Angela van Kalsbeek

Co-production with SPRING Performing Arts Festival

Boulevard wholeheartedly connects with the city and its inhabitants, particularly now. We asked ten makers, whom we’ve trusted for years, to create something especially for ‘Powered by Boulevard’. These projects are made for and sometimes with specific groups from the city. Their progress can soon be followed online by everyone.

Millions of Dutch people live in their own shadow. They never won a championship, never did a remarkable discovery, were never invited to the table of a talk show host. And it’s more than likely that they will have their name in the newspaper only once.  In an obligatory obituary, after an all too unnoticed life. Luckily writer/host Oscar Kocken [1983] and comedian Patrick Nederkoorn [1983] have a big heart. And this is more than just a cardiological observation, as they prove with Zomaargasten. In this live talk show they have heartfelt conversations with Normal People. On the spot Oscar and Patrick add fitting music and images to the mix. The guiding principle of their talk show: in every human being beautiful stories reside that make those involved unique. Invited by Powered by Boulevard these two gentlemen venture into the different neighborhoods of ’s-Hertogenbosch, and offer their inhabitants a chance to listen to these unusual conversations.

Talk show without pretense
Patrick Nederkoorn: “Five years ago the idea for Zomaargasten came to mind. On a festival in Norway we started an investigation as if we were newspaper editors: where were we and what were the issues in the city we were in? That is how we discovered that stories are out on the streets. If you are able to break the ice and you have time and attention for someone, you hear the greatest stories. To date they have performed Zomaargasten more than five hundred times, at conventions, anniversaries and festivals, among which Boulevard 2015 and Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees in South Africa.

This is a talk show without pretense, emphasizes Oscar. “But absolutely extraordinary, because we do not know the guests we talk to. There is no research. In that sense it feels like one of those long-lasting conversations with a complete stranger you used to have on the train sometimes, before we all had cell phones.” No lack of diversity, an old guest list proves: from a faith healer to an art collector and from a bricklayer to a tantra massage therapist, former city councilor and baker. Our talk show is a monument for all ordinary mortals, and for the element of surprise as well,” says Oscar. Patrick agrees and adds: “Every human being is interesting. Take that baker for instance: in the morning he could see by the breads who of his staff of fifteen had been at the oven and baked the batches of bread.”

Sparkling speakers
Nowadays the duo recognizes key themes. Oscar: “Many stories are about the unlived life. But also about love, work, the future and life lessons.” Many speakers have a spark in their eyes when they talk about their passion. Patrick: “That goes for someone who knows all the flags in the world and for someone who is very knowledgeable on toad migration.”

With their talk show both hosts hope to strengthen the social involvement of their visitors, if only just a little bit. That would be more than collateral happiness in times of social disintegration and Covid-19. Oscar: “Zomaargasten always taps into something. We regularly see complete strangers start a conversation afterwards. Once it even led to an invitation to go out and have dinner.”

Oscar lives in Utrecht, Patrick in Amsterdam. Their relative unfamiliarity with Den Bosch makes it even more attractive. Patrick: “Maybe we end up in a big garden, or we start conversations on a town square or we might even get the key to a sports canteen. Everything is possible. It all starts and ends with curiosity.”

People who were interested in this theatrical talk show had the chance to sign up. Tens of people did just that and registration is now closed.

Onepointfivemetersociety is a word that makes Sven Ratzke (1977) reach for his canister of talcum powder. It makes him itchy, for it clashes with his spirit, passion and everlasting desire for connectedness. However, he promises to keep at a safe distance for six summer nights. But purely physically, out of respect for these measures. But artistically? That’s a different story altogether. Musically Sven Ratzke knows how to close any gap. With near and dear he sings you irresistibly close.

Together with Boulevard, the festival where Ratzke started his international career in 1999, he developed this exclusive series of open-air concerts on six Friday nights. Ratzke comes out to play with heroes that make his hankering heart run wild. Names? Drumroll and names: the American soprano and opera singer Claron McFadden, the renowned harpist Lavinia Meijer and the equally virtuoso bandoneonist Carel Kraayenhof. Also: the very versatile wonder of jazz, soul and gospel, Michelle David, the multitalented Janne Schra [the founder of Room Eleven] and singer Gregory Frateur of the Flemish cult band Dez Mona.

During Boulevard editions of 2017, 2018 and 2019 Ratzke confirmed his reputation as an extravagant entertainer with his theater concerts Homme fatale, Starman and Where are we now, all homages to idiosyncratic songwriters and the star himself: David Bowie.

P.S. During this performance we will follow the general Covid-19 guidelines. 

Free soundwalk | 9 August through 6 Sept. (wheelchair friendly)
Daily between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Distance: 1 mile (ca. 1.6 kilometers)

Start: Zuiderpark – Zuiderparkweg
Finish: Noordbrabants Museum – Griffieplein

The woods of twilight sang. The pastures hustled and bustled. Women’s voices circled above the river Dommel. That was Signaal by Haanwijk, the one-kilometer long landscape opera during Theaterfestival Boulevard 2019. After that mesmerizing game of sounds by duo Strijbos & Van Rijswijk a call for more resounded. Not in vain, for this summer they guide audiences past sound installations in town. Their soundwalk Your trembling mile takes you past parks, buildings and other public spaces that they literally cover with sounds. The various shapes of these sound installations – from long throw speakers to Perspex panels – guarantee a variety of different sounds.

Strijbos & Van Rijswijk make the earcatching production Your trembling mile in collaboration with MTD Landscape architects form Den Bosch. Among others, they designed the zone of city walls in Den Bosch as well as the garden of the Noordbrabants Museum. Their knowledge of architecture and space completes the sensation that Your trembling mile has to offer. The street as a musical score, the public space for relaxation purposes, and a soundwalk the memory of which can resonate for a long time.

Credits
Concept, design and directed by: Strijbos & Van Rijswijk and MTD Landschapsarchitecten
Composition: Jeroen Strijbos and Rob van Rijswijk
Landscape architecture: Niké van Keulen, Nicolas Lernouldt and Frank Meijer
Studio recordings sopranos: Michaela Riener, Els Mondelaers, Daniëlla Buijck, Kathelijn van Dongen
Implementation of design and construction of installations: Paul van Weert (Populieren cirkel), Paul van Rijswijk (Bastion Baselaar, Poort Brug en Griffieplein) Leonard Bedaux (Bastion Baselaar, Poort Brug)
Production: Strijbos & Van Rijswijk
Management: Joris Bedaux
Audiosystem programming: Hans Timmermans

Thanks to the technical crew and volunteers

Want to combine this walk with another special experience? Pay a visit to Design Museum afterwards for Washing Hands.

PREMIERE 

Boulevard wholeheartedly connects with the city and its inhabitants, particularly now. We asked ten makers, whom we’ve trusted for years, to create something especially for ‘Powered by Boulevard’. These projects are made for and sometimes with specific groups from the city. Their progress can soon be followed online by everyone.

One crisis, four words: “These are strange times.” You can shake your head at that sentence, you can sigh emphatically or stare into the distance. But you can also dance, as Theater Artemis discovers. This spring the idiosyncratic theatre group from Den Bosch saw an interesting phenomenon. Our social life imploded, but TikTok exploded. In thousands of short videos adolescents and adults proudly showed their corona dance steps. No lack of inspiration: in supermarkets customers continuously came up with new choreographies, in order to make it to the self-checkout alive. A new language of movement was born, was the conclusion of birthday boy Artemis; the company celebrates its 30^th anniversary in 2020. All the more reason for some merry disruption, among which the open air project Social Disdancing.

Artemis will pop up four times at different squares near supermarkets in town, where they’ll start a dance with shopping carts. Without a predetermined choreography; purely conceived in the moment. Enticing? Yes, particularly since Theater Artemis invites curious stock boys and girls, customers and passers-by to join in. A total of 20 shopping carts are available. No, you don’t need a coin to join. A copper ensemble provides some lively music.

Shopping dances
Artemis’ Sem Jonkers: “if we ever rid ourselves of the virus permanently, these corona dances will vanish as well. But I hope that forty or fifty years from now entire generations will remember this avoidance game, including the mutual connection it caused. That almost makes the shopping cart dances some kind of cultural heritage.”

With Social Disdancing Theater Artemis wants to create room for spontaneous encounters. Sem particularly hopes that the shopping cart dance will bring adolescents and the elderly closer together; two age groups that had to distance themselves from each other. “But now that the Bossche kermis [funfair in the city] is canceled, I can’t rule out that a few people might want to grab their chance and play bumper cars as well.”

And you can join in!
We invite you to come and move with us. On a parking lot, a square or in a street near you. Together with a group of youngsters we get together, at an appropriate distance. Always bearing in mind the 1.5 meters, we carefully take to the floor. Accompanied by live music. Surrounded by a supermarket scenery and passers-by.

Are you open to new encounters and new experiences? Then register at: aanmeldingen@artemis.nl. Please give us your name, age, telephone number and the neighborhood you live in. We contact you as soon possible after having received your registration.

Dates and locations
8 August
Paleiskwartier
’s-Hertogenbosch

12 August 
Rosmalen

15 August
Graafsebuurt Noord
‘s-Hertogenbosch

Concept: Jetse Batelaan and Sem Jonkers 
Directed by: Sem Jonkers
Design: Calle de Hoog 
Performed by: Sanne Bokkers, Moriah Dekker, Rick van der Steen 
Music: Keimpe de Jong, Arno Bakker, Randell Evron Heye, Patrick Votrian.

Boulevard wholeheartedly connects with the city and its inhabitants, particularly now. We asked ten makers, whom we’ve trusted for years, to create something especially for ‘Powered by Boulevard’. These projects are made for and sometimes with specific groups from the city. Their progress can soon be followed online by everyone.

When Minou Bosua wanted to register the birth of her son in 2014, she caused quite some confusion. Location: department of civil affairs in Den Bosch. It was only after two hours and forty-three minutes that the registration of the little baby was finally completed. This was caused by a syntax error: the system did not know how to handle two mothers.

In her previous production Moeder mag niet dood and in Niet de vaders* theater maker Minou Bosua [1969] researched the social cornerstones that once seemed rock solid. In her latest conversation performance De Voeders van Den Bosch old concrete is crumbling as well. In 2020 a family cannot consist of multiple fathers or mothers, whether or not they are the biological parents. “I call them the fothers”, says Minou.

Muddling along and shining brightly, hoping, trying and putting things in perspective
For De Voeders van Den Bosch she invites fothers: people who cannot or do not want to comply with the classical definition of a household. An expanding group, Minou observes. She summarizes: single parent families, foster parents, parents from the LGBTQIA+ community, empty nest parents and parents who open their doors to involve others in the care and upbringing of their child[ren]. But what’s that like, such a different structure or approach? How do family, friends, colleagues, school and friends [and their parents] react to that? And what does it invoke in yourself when you allow others into your parenting? Relief? Irritation? Freedom? Jealousy?

In the theatrical encounter De Voeders van Den Bosch stories about muddling along, shining brightly, hoping, trying and putting things in perspective will resound. Of course Minou, who was part of the comedy duo De Bloeiende Maagden for years, guarantees a balance between light-hearted and more serious input. Outside the comfort of the nest the audience can listen along.

Join the conversation?
Are you part of a non-traditional family and do you want to join the conversation? Register now!

Send an email and a short motivation to babette@festivalboulevard.nl. Tell us what your family structure looks like, why you’d want to participate and on what night(s) you’d be available. Possible dates are: 10, 11, 13 and 14 August from 7:30 – 9 pm.

A number of people will soon receive an invitation to join the conversation with Minou in this theatrical encounter. Needless to say, they don’t need to make a reservation!

Make a reservation
Do you want to attend these remarkable conversations?

Get your tickets here for one of the following dates: 10, 11, 13, and 14 August from 7:30 – 9 pm.

On 15 and 16 August from 7:30 – 9 pm Minou shares the results of these 4 nights and you are more than welcome to attend these nights as well. You can also reserve a free ticket for this event!

* Saturday 29 August is the premiere of Niet de vaders at the Verkadefabriek. Minou Bosua made this production in collaboration with Eelco Smits and the Homomannenkoor (Gay men choir).

Happyclappy stappy stop. How are you lollipop? Hippie happie snappy flap. Life is boring and that is crap. Happyclappy cloppy clow. We can sing and we can mow. Happyclappy doely del. May your fears all burn in hell!

Happyclappy – a school of life is a small travelling school, run by clowns. They teach the most difficult course of them all: life itself. The clowns guide you to the swampy inside of your soul. With a mission: making souls happy by teaching them how you can embrace your own misery. Normally this lesson is scheduled between French and mathematics, but now there is a Happyclappy summer school.

Theatermaker Willemijn Zevenhuizen about her inspiration for Happyclappy: “I see a parallel between the exaggerated characteristics of clowns on the one hand, and on the other hand how adolescents are out of balance and out of proportion – their body, their emotions and their inner world. In that grotesque, clowns and adolescents share a certain vulnerability as well. For me, that fragility is what’s at stake in a surrealistic but comforting lesson.

Theater Artemis, which celebrates its 40^th anniversary this summer, makes quirky, slightly philosophical and absurd theater. For those who didn’t pay attention in their Theater Appreciation lessons: Artemis is from Den Bosch [our inner-city neighbors] and makes a name for itself internationally. It has Jetse Batelaan as its Artistic director.

P.S. During this performance we will follow the general Covid-19 guidelines. 

Credits
Idea: Willemijn Zevenhuijzen
From and with: Elias De Bruyne, Eva Zwart, Willemijn Zevenhuijzen
Final direction: Jetse Batelaan
Design: Sacha Zwiers
Costumes: Liesbet Swings

Boulevard wholeheartedly connects with the city and its inhabitants, particularly now. We asked ten makers, whom we’ve trusted for years, to create something especially for ‘Powered by Boulevard’. These projects are made for and sometimes with specific groups from the city. Their progress can soon be followed online by everyone.

During the special conversational performance To care and Caress twelve participants explore the phenomenon care. Who do you care for? What for? At any price? Do we allow people to get sick? Is it more meaningful to battle disease than to fight solitude?

Now that Covid-19 is not ready to break up camp just yet, this leads to conversation topics worldwide. And that goes for Den Bosch as well: To Care as Caress is an exceptional theatrical opportunity for healthcare workers, caregivers and everyone who feels compelled to reflect on the current times. The encounter is organized by Building Conversation, a collective of Dutch and Flemish artists. They approach a conversation like a communal artwork. They draw inspiration from the conversation rituals of the Inuit, Maori and the Occupy movement for example.

One of the two moderators of To Care and Caress is Peter Aers. This Flemish theater maker and philosopher does not shy away from discomfiting issues. And he doesn’t drown abrasive life questions in iodine in advance, either. In the conversational performance The Pain of Others he explored the question whether the pain of for instance refugees or psychiatric patients can be shared. He also moderates the art of dialogue in youth institutions and prisons.

To Care as Caress starts with reading a story collectively. Not a story about IC units, viruses or red and white barrier tape, “but a fictional story, because we are in need of different stories,” says Peter on the telephone. “We let fiction lead us much more than we realize, while fiction can cause tangible changes.”

Does he see these conversations as wings made out of splints, feathers and wax, which allow you to momentarily escape form reality? Only partially: “We work with people. You can never deny their reality. But Building Conversation tries to create a different kind of imagination. “What defies your imagination at first, are the consequences of the pandemic. Not only the medical or economic ones: Covid-19 also sharpens the relationship between the government and the people – especially in Belgium, where the measures are stricter than in the Netherlands.

“Care centers for the elderly were closed, lonely people died: that makes it necessary to thoroughly reconsider our social contract.” This phrase, borrowed from philosophy, is about the imaginary contract between the state and the individual. Broadly speaking, it regulates their mutual rights and duties, but it also takes care of the government’s monopoly to use violence. “In the times of Covid-19 we see that the government intervenes in the life and death of civilians. That is something substantial. It requires further discussion about our so-called onepointfivemeter-society and our constitutional rights. That is part of ‘care’ as well.”

Dates and times
12, 13 and 14 August from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
15 and 16 August from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Location
Podium Azijnfabriek
Bethaniestraat 4
's-Hertogenbosch

Do you want to attend one of these meetings? Send an email to babette@festivalboulevard.nl and leave us your name and preferred date.

Concept and support
Peter Aers and Erika Sprey

Barely 230 years the fort Citadel in Den Bosch had the shape of a pentagonal star. But in 1860 the city demolished one point, to allow ships an easier passage through the canal Zuid-Willemsvaart. Luckily there is Sven Ratzke, the star that always goes for five points. On the Citadel, where the Open Air Theater of Powered by Boulevard can be found, he gives an extra Late Night Concert.

According to an estimation of the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (Statistics Netherlands) there are still about 2,375 inhabitants of Den Bosch who don’t know the German-Dutch entertainer yet. Especially for them we happily introduce Sven: Ratzke is a musical chameleon who started his career in 1999 at Theaterfestival Boulevard and since then he has performed all over the world – from Berlin to New York. In his vaudeville shows he unites different musical genres. Together with his excellent pianist he interprets the works of the likes of Bertolt Brecht / Kurt Weill, Ramses Shaffy, David Bowie, Hildegard Knef and Prince. He does so with challenging and at times razor-sharp humor.

An extra reason for a visit to this Ratzke concert: from 12 to 17 August the so-called Perseid meteor shower travels past planet earth. According to skywatchers an estimated fourteen shooting stars can be witnessed every hour during this Extra Late Night Concert. One consolation: the Ratzke constellation will always remain high in the sky.

“Ratkze is a man of the world, what an entertainer!”, Volkskrant

“Ratzke is an irresistible animal on stage”, NRC

Boulevard wholeheartedly connects with the city and its inhabitants, particularly now. We asked ten makers, whom we’ve trusted for years, to create something especially for ‘Powered by Boulevard’. These projects are made for and sometimes with specific groups from the city. Their progress can soon be followed online by everyone.

In recent years Alexandra Broeder [1978] developed work on the cutting edge of psychiatry and theater. Together with girls from Amsterdam mental health institution De Bascule she made the highly acclaimed productions The Well [2018] and The Tree [2019]. For Powered by Boulevard she goes to work in Vught. Together with adolescents between 15 and 19 years old, who all live at Herlaarhof – part of mental health institution Reinier van Arkel Groep – she has conversations about the influence of the pandemic on their lives. It is expected that these meetings provide the resources for a theatrical presentation of The Ghosttrack.

The project seems to fit Alexandra like a glove. She loves no-man’s-lands. Between fact and fiction, between control and urges. She explores these areas by touch, because quite often they are foggy grounds she treads on. But never deserted: children and adolescents live in these shady enclaves, and they guide themselves and others to unknown realities. One certainty: they often give adults the creeps. For they are master of everything, with the exception of their own powerlessness. This provides intriguing theater productions – like Candyland and The crow knows where the children go – in which power, mischief and vulnerability set the tone.

Wobbliness
Alexandra, on the collaboration with adolescents who are extra vulnerable psychologically: “Much of what seems to be evident, does not apply to these groups. That is one of the lessons I learned making The Tree and The Well. Take for instance eye contact: some of them can hardly bear that – especially in the beginning of a project. There were also girls who didn’t dare to travel from Amsterdam Central Station to Theater Frascati [a 1 km distance]. We picked them up at the station.”

For herself too, this process remains exciting, Alexandra says. “On the one hand I want to take them along on my artistic journey, on the other hand I have to take them into consideration all the time. Which means: what can we do? What can’t we do? Or what can’t we do yet?” It’s that wobbliness in which both power and beauty germinate. But never without falling down and getting back up. For instance, Alexandra decided to show the girls the movie trailers of Sweet Dreams and MAMMA. “But within a few minutes three of them had run to the hallway with a panic attack. Okay, I thought: let’s do relaxation exercises. But lying down on the floor or touching each other was a bridge too far as well. I learned a lot from that.”

Disruption
She is fascinated by the disruption that corona causes. For, even the tough expansion bolt-souls can’t remain unmoved by the social consequences. “Let alone what the restriction of freedom or digital contact in treatments – through Zoom or the Internet - means for adolescents in psychiatry. I assume that a part of them will be relieved. Now it is less noticeable that they can hardly keep up with the otherwise incredibly busy world. But in others it will cause fear and uncertainty. As if corona stands for inevitability – a prophecy of doom by Cassandra.”

Whether The Ghosttrack asks a lot of empathy form Alexandra? With an open heart: “I recognize myself in these adolescents and I am no stranger to mental suffering. I’ve never been off the circuit for a certain amount of time. But I could have been. I have a fascination for descending into parallel worlds.”

Boulevard wholeheartedly connects with the city and its inhabitants, particularly now. We asked ten makers, whom we’ve trusted for years, to create something especially for ‘Powered by Boulevard’. These projects are made for and sometimes with specific groups from the city. Their progress can soon be followed online by everyone.

Nieuwegein must have some fertile soil. It once was the hometown of Spinvis and Sanne Vogel, and now it’s that of Shailesh Bahoran [1983]. Beautiful name, beautiful track record: as a choreographer, hip hop dancer and theater maker he collaborated with – among others: Het Nationale Ballet, Don’t Hit Mama, Conny Janssen and ISH Dance Collective. He has an immense loyalty to popping – which originated in the funk scene – and breakdance, but that doesn’t rule out flirts with for example Indian dance. At Boulevard he surprised audiences with Ignite and Heritage.

For Powered by Boulevard Shailesh hooks up with likeminded spirits from Den Bosch this summer: Arjuna Vermeulen [1990] en Jeffrey Hoofs [1990], who both come from the northern part of town: “When I think of Den Bosch I think of them. I’ve known them for ten years, from battles and training sessions. We share a love for hip hop and have the same mind state. Their crew is Cypher HQ, which has its headquarters at Tramkade.”

Globetrotters
Shailesh wants to research their connections with Den Bosch, but also their link to their Asian roots. What will they harvest? A portrait in video and dance, in which their past, present and future resound. Together with a camera crew Shailesh follows these two in their hometown, which evokes mixed feelings in them. “They have fled Den Bosch quite a few times. Jeffrey lived in Los Angeles for five years; Arjuna looks for hip hop culture outside his own town. But you won’t hear one bad word about Den Bosch from them: they are both proud to represent their city. “For the grass may be greener in your neighbor’s garden, but in the end we all prefer to be surrounded by our own weeds.

And yet they’re globetrotters, as their dna reveals. Their ancestors left their traces: “Jeffrey is known as ‘Chinese Indo’, Arjuna’s family history goes back to India and the African island of Mauritius. They don’t have a direct connection with these regions. But they haven’t closed the door either. They might even walk through that door one day – and back again. They both have one Dutch parent, but when they start talking about Asia, you see something in them change. In their mode, as well as in their mood.”

His own heritage? Shailesh lived the first three years of his life in Suriname. “When I was 25 I visited it, as part of my own personal journey. Later on I wanted to take a step further back in time.  In 2016 I went to India, where my great-grandparents came from. When I landed there and walked around, it felt very familiar.”

Hip hop culture
During Powered by Boulevard the video documentary about Jeffrey and Arjuna will be shown, as well as their own dance presentation. It’s going to be good, Shailesh predicts. He is also considering interviewing people from the inner circle of his Den Bosch buddies – family, friends, and crewmembers. One thing is certain: geographic differences don’t play any role in hip hop culture. “I used to live in Amsterdam, now I live in Nieuwegein. But I don’t see any difference with Den Bosch. What hip hop stands for is crystal clear to everyone: authenticity, the street and respect. We all drink from the same well.”

Concept & choreography
Shailesh Bahoran 

Dancers
Arjuna Vermeulen en Jeffrey Hoofs

Documentary
Remses Rafaela (Curve Tv), Railey Martina (Myvisioncounts) en Rajiv Bhagwanbali

Thanks to
Cyper HQ 

Onepointfivemetersociety is a word that makes Sven Ratzke (1977) reach for his canister of talcum powder. It makes him itchy, for it clashes with his spirit, passion and everlasting desire for connectedness. However, he promises to keep at a safe distance for six summer nights. But purely physically, out of respect for these measures. But artistically? That’s a different story altogether. Musically Sven Ratzke knows how to close any gap. With near and dear he sings you irresistibly close.

Together with Boulevard, the festival where Ratzke started his international career in 1999, he developed this exclusive series of open-air concerts on six Friday nights. Ratzke comes out to play with heroes that make his hankering heart run wild. Names? Drumroll and names: the American soprano and opera singer Claron McFadden, the renowned harpist Lavinia Meijer and the equally virtuoso bandoneonist Carel Kraayenhof. Also: the very versatile wonder of jazz, soul and gospel, Michelle David, the multitalented Janne Schra [the founder of Room Eleven] and singer Gregory Frateur of the Flemish cult band Dez Mona.

During Boulevard editions of 2017, 2018 and 2019 Ratzke confirmed his reputation as an extravagant entertainer with his theater concerts Homme fatale, Starman and Where are we now, all homages to idiosyncratic songwriters and the star himself: David Bowie.

P.S. During this performance we will follow the general Covid-19 guidelines. 

The human voice is not hampered by tape measure, caution tape or signage. She goes her own way – straight into the ears and the heart. That’s what mezzosoprano Cora Burggraaf convincingly proves in La Voix Humaine.
In 1928 Jean Cocteau wrote this disconcerting monologue for a woman on the telephone. For the very last time she talks to her ex-lover, with whom she had an affair for five years. He got married to someone else in the meantime. But the abandoned lover remains possessed with him, their memories and her own wishful thinking.
In 1958 Francis Poulenc put La Voix Humaine to music for a soprano and an orchestra, and later for the piano. Poulenc, who previously surprised with Sinfonietta and L'Histoire de Babar called it his best musical-dramatic work. And who are we to sing or speak up against this statement?
During the concert a cameraman records Burggraaf’s movements. The large projections increase the visitors’ voyeurism; they are the eyewitnesses of a shattering heart.
La Voix Humaine, which is sung in French and has Dutch subtitles, is directed by Mirjam Koen and Gerrit Timmers. They are the founders of theater company Onafhankelijk Toneel in Rotterdam and previously directed and/or designed sets for Suver Nuver and Carver. Additionally, they directed thirteen opera productions.
Burggraaf already made her voice heard during Boulevard. In 2018 she voiced a poetry cycle with music by Hendrik Andriessen, as part of the Stabat Mater project.

Credits
Vocals: Cora Burggraaf
Piano: Daan Boertien
Camera: Huub Laurens
Direction: Mirjam Koen & Gerrit Timmers
Photography: Pepijn Lutgerink

Made possible with support of Fonds voor de Podiumkunsten (Balkonscènes)

On Friday 3 July artists Pankaj Tiwari and Abhishek Thapar started The Art of Walking. They ended their journey on 15 July. In thirteen days they walked from Amsterdam to Calais, France, a 312-kilometer walk. With this they sought attention for the dire situation of migrant workers in India in these times of Covid-19. Based on their experiences during their trip, Tiwari and Thapar – both of Indian descent – make a production which can bee seen at next year’s edition of Theaterfestival Boulevard (who coproduces this project). On Tuesday 7 July MEIS, a performer and social designer from Eindhoven, known for her work Bagdaddy among others, walked along with them for a day at the request of Boulevard.

After the outbreak of Covid-19 in India, the Indian government hastily issued a strict national lockdown on 25 March. A decision that had a huge impact on migrant working communities in India, and it still has.  Within a few hours the entire economy came to a grinding halt and many migrant workers lost their jobs, saw their income vanish and were left with little food on the table. Add to that, that workers in major cities live very close to each other, and it comes as no surprise that they are prone to catch the virus. In such a desperate situation the migrant workers had no choice but to return to their houses in rural areas and small cities in India. Trains, buses and other means of public transportation were shut down and streets were barricaded. Millions of workers decided to walk to their homes - together with their families and the few possessions they owned - which were 300 to sometimes 2200 kilometers away from their work. A number of them died on the way, they lost their children or were killed by a train.

During their trip Tiwari and Thapar met different artists with a migrant background. They concluded their journey with a large meal, which they cooked and shared with the inhabitants of Calais.

The Art of Walking wants to create room for conversation and practice an urgent purpose of art in times of crisis. With a financial contribution it supports the migrant workers in India. You can watch Tiwari and Thapar’s journey on the Facebook page The Art of Walking.

For 2020 all big pop festivals have been canceled. No Pinkpop or Lowlands, no Best Kept Secret or Down The Rabbit Hole. Luckily this dance of cancellation does not apply to kids. Singer Jelle Amersfoort and his band offer a catchy kids concert [Kinderpopconcert] with energetic vocals, gloriously greasy guitar solos and a colorful light show.

Ever seen a toddler in a head banging session? Or six-year-olds fearlessly entering the mosh pit, or crowd surfing on their peers? Nothing can be ruled out at this musical party, where you can dance, jump, sing and swing. A guaranteed success, because Jelle and his four band members change well-known children songs like The Hokey Pokey and Choo Choo Wa into cool pop songs. They also introduce you to new songs, which you’ll be able to sing along to in no time.

The Kinderpopconcert, a regular at Theaterfestival Boulevard for years, is suitable for kids 3 years and up, and for parents and grandparents. Not only do we expect to see tons of dancing kids, but also parents, who finally get to jump around in real life after months of Zoom, Skype and Microsoft Teams.

Onepointfivemetersociety is a word that makes Sven Ratzke (1977) reach for his canister of talcum powder. It makes him itchy, for it clashes with his spirit, passion and everlasting desire for connectedness. However, he promises to keep at a safe distance for six summer nights. But purely physically, out of respect for these measures. But artistically? That’s a different story altogether. Musically Sven Ratzke knows how to close any gap. With near and dear he sings you irresistibly close.

Together with Boulevard, the festival where Ratzke started his international career in 1999, he developed this exclusive series of open-air concerts on six Friday nights. Ratzke comes out to play with heroes that make his hankering heart run wild. Names? Drumroll and names: the American soprano and opera singer Claron McFadden, the renowned harpist Lavinia Meijer and the equally virtuoso bandoneonist Carel Kraayenhof. Also: the very versatile wonder of jazz, soul and gospel, Michelle David, the multitalented Janne Schra [the founder of Room Eleven] and singer Gregory Frateur of the Flemish cult band Dez Mona.

During Boulevard editions of 2017, 2018 and 2019 Ratzke confirmed his reputation as an extravagant entertainer with his theater concerts Homme fatale, Starman and Where are we now, all homages to idiosyncratic songwriters and the star himself: David Bowie.

P.S. During this performance we will follow the general Covid-19 guidelines. 

In 2018-2019 a well-read band of book brothers did a theater tour with De Indië Monologen [The Dutch East Indies Monologues]. The group consisted of well-known authors, musicians, actors and leading figures from the media, the press and politics. What they have in common? Their East-Indian background or strong involvement with the history of the Dutch East Indies.

Especially for Powered by Boulevard they compiled a summer edition of De Indië Monologen. This version consists of two nights of stories, singing and music, that can be visited ‘seperately’ as well.
On Monday 24 August journalist Ricci Scheldwacht and authors Ellen Deckwitz and Reggie Baay tell their stories.
On Tuesday 25 August Bodil de la Parra, Ronald Douglas and Mei Li Vos take the stage. Astrid Seriese and guitarist Erwin van Ligten accompany them musically.

An extra reason for this special edition of De Indië Monologen: 15 August 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. A liberation of course, even though a bloody war between the Netherlands and pro-independence forces would follow. On 15 August Theaterfestival Boulevard dedicates a special TV program on these historic events. More information on this project, which consists of both celebration and commemoration, follows soon.

ORKA IS COMING TO DEN BOSCH, IN THE LAST WEEK OF AUGUST!

Big and tender is what Studio ORKA’s family shows are. They deal with unruly fate, chased dreams, love, seventh-heaven-happiness, sacrifice and loose rods on the staircase called life. They evoke compassion. And at the same time: sadness and self-mockery. And they are highly recognizable.

Their installation Het Pentaccordeon is a musical and theatrical ode to everyone who is looking for a better future. Like Emma, descendant of the versatile Oscar, who was an inventor, composer, biologist and a thinker full of vim and vigor. He researched the waves of the sea, the tides, surface currents and undercurrents. In utmost secrecy he built a unique machine to calm down the sea. That way his family would be able to flee to the other side during the war. Is the machine rusting away under layers of cobwebs? Or is it still possible to revive it collectively? Emma takes a deep breath.

Please note: tickets are only available in pairs (2 adults or 1 one adult + 1 child). That means if you want to visit with 4 people, you want to buy two duo-tickets.

Created and performed by: Philippe Van de Velde, Martine Decroos, Ilse De Koe, Greg Timmermans/Jo Jochems, Tania Van der Sanden/Chris Thys
Coach: Tom Dupont
Composition: Benjamin Boutreur

Billie, Aretha, Norah, Amy… Karin!

After thirty years the renowned Dutch slogan ‘Bloemen houden van mensen’ [Flowers love people] disappeared. And rightly so, because grammatically speaking it is nonsense: Bloemen houdt van mensen. [Flowers loves people.] (her last name in Dutch = plural of flower, you see?) Something she proved in her grand, extravagant shows and roles in musicals and movies. But singing is her first and biggest love. In her concert Billie, Aretha, Norah, Amy … Karin! she goes all the way & back to the old school!

Bloemen’s sources of inspiration are Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin. Additionally Norah Jones and Amy Winehouse are on her list of idiosyncratic women who had the guts to openly sing about love, booze and drugs. Karin Bloemen extensively draws from their touching repertoire, and her Old School Band adds extra declarations of love for funk, jazz and soul.

Billie, Aretha, Norah, Amy… Karin! takes place in Boulevard Open Air Theatre at the Citadel: a defensive stronghold for 350 years, but thanks to La Bloemen a place that disarms on 27 August.

P.S. In 2005 a new national promotional slogan was introduced: ‘Gek op bloemen’ [Crazy about flowers].  Entirely true, even though it’s still a bit sloppy, that missing capital letter.

“I am rather boundless”, said actress and singer Meral Polat [1982] a few years ago in an interview with Vrij Nederland. Not a boring characteristic, and at the same time not the easiest one. For, how do you work your way through existing boundaries? By researching your own inner world, Meral decided. She drew inspiration for her concert in the Open Air Theater from the recent months in which the Netherlands almost came to a standstill and the outer world changed into a no-go area.

In the meantime, the relaxed measures are an invitation to sing some wholes into the horizon. Meral, who was born in Zaanstad and who has Turkish-Kurdish roots, plays protest songs that she once sang on her father’s shoulders, pop songs from the nineties about love and desire, but also folk songs that her grandparents passed on to her. Additionally, in her new repertoire she looks for connections between then and now, east and west, inside and outside. The Kurdish songs that her father wrote are like honey in your ears. Apart from these songs, Meral tells short stories as well. In Den Bosch she shares the stage with members of music group Touki Delhpine.

Previously she collaborated extensively with Adelheid Roosen, in De Gesluierde Monologen and the Wijksafaris. She played brilliant roles in Ro Theater’s Snorro and Moord in de kerststal and in Hollands Spoor by Het Nationaal Toneel, and she also made a name for herself in TV series such as Mees Kees and De Luizenmoeder.

“The most sultry voice of the Netherlands probably belongs to Monika Akihary. Together with guitarist Niels Brouwer she works on an intriguing and elusive body of work that crosses all musical and geographical borders in every aspect”, newspaper Parool writes. We need fewer words, they must have thought at Volkskrant. It wrote: “Boi Akih is a world-class act.”

Relief in times of fake news: both rave reviews are entirely true. Boi Akih brilliantly blends musical traditions of the Moluccan Islands and Bali with Dutch jazz, improvised music, Indian classical music, latin and traditional African music.

This boundlessness is not their only asset. Their mix of timbres is particularly strong, like the sound of a rainbow: Monica Akihary’s warm voice, Niels Brouwer’s inventive guitar skills; the innovative flute of Hungarian performer Dodó Kis and the grooves of percussionist Kim Weemhoff.

Boi Akih performed at North Sea Jazz, Berlin Jazz Festival, Bimhuis, VPRO and BBC. Their musical curiosity led to collaborations with cellist Ernst Reijseger, bass player Ernst Glerum and trombone player Wolter Wierbos, among others.

More than a footnote: singer Monica Akihary sings in het father’s mother tongue – from the small Moluccan island of Haruku – which is on the list of endangered languages.