Herfst (Autumn)

Selected by the Official Jury Selection 2024

Every culture has its own way of saying goodbye to loved ones. From a slice of cake at the coffee table to a lavish celebration of life, rituals guide our mourning process. In Herfst, songs and farewell rituals from Javanese-Surinamese, Caribbean, and Indonesian cultures blend with the requiem from Western music history.

The performers confront their fears, deny, rage against the inevitable, and yearn for an image beyond the finite. Gradually, the inevitable is embraced.

Dutch Theater Festival (NTF)

The Dutch Theater Festival (NTF) marks the festive start of the new theatre season. For 11 days, NTF showcases the most beautiful and impressive performances from the past season, selected by 7 independent juries from the Netherlands and Flanders. The festival celebrates many genres and forms of theatre: drama, cabaret, youth theatre, mime, performance, and more.

The festival kicks off with the always-discussed lecture De Staat van het Theater and a deep-dive interview with The State of the World with a famous international artist. The festival concludes with the presentation of the country’s most prestigious theatre awards during the Het Gala van het Nederlands Theater.