'Going Dutch' at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, Yorkshireon April 18th and 19th 1997 - an event organised by Yorkshire Playwrights, the West YorkshirePlayhouse, Nick Hern Books, the Theater Instituut Nederlands, and the Vlaams Theater Instituut. When we in Yorkshire Playwrights started to build on our experiences with our international playwrights' exchange programme, we propounded one simple rule: A writer should not arrive cold in a strange country. The hosts should have done some work, preparing for the visitor, reading and working on texts. It is in the nature of texts that they are much easier to move than people. The 'Going Dutch' event was an opportunity to put some of these ideas into action. Through our contacts with Nick Hern, the London-based publisher of drama and theatre-related books, and our contacts with the Theater Instituut Nederlands (the Theatre Institute of the Netherlands), Amsterdam, and the Vlaams Theater Instituut (the Flemish Theatre Institute), Brussels, we knew that there was to be a forthcoming book of Dutch and Flemish plays in English translation. Planning With our friends at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, we thought we might have something to offer here. Jude Kelly, of the West Yorkshire Playhouse, was enthusiastic when we approached her. A team was set up to explore possibilities. The first question (which texts to move?) was already answered - we would be looking at the texts to be published in the forthcoming book. At the same time, of course, Nick Hern Books, the Theater Instituut Nederlands and the Vlaams Theater Instituut were seeking ways to launch the book in Britain. They looked at possibilities in London, Cardiff and Edinburgh, the capital cities of England, Wales and Scotland - and they found that capital cities can be very insular, in their own ways. They looked at our suggestion that the book be launched in Leeds, Yorkshire. What tipped the balance in favour of Yorkshire was undoubtedly the fact that there was here a playwrights' organisation, Yorkshire Playwrights, willing to take seriously the needs of the writers and their texts. Yorkshire Playwrights' member Hugh Rorrison visited Amsterdam in December 1996 and established that the Dutch were prepared to field a strong team. He went to Brussels in March 1997 to encourage Belgian writers to participate. West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, provided the venue and the services of theatre directors Alfred Hickling and Roxanne Silbert to co-ordinate and organise the event. At the same time - this is very important - the play texts circulated amongst Yorkshire Playwrights members, and Hugh Rorrison wrote for us a briefing paper on recent Dutch and Flemish theatre. We needed educating too. Day One 'Going Dutch' became a two day event, running at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, from Friday April 18 to the evening of the Saturday April 19 1997. On Friday 18th April the distinguished Dutch poet and playwright Judith Herzberg conducted a workshop. For one reason or another (and we are looking at the reasons) this workshop started from nowhere. Whilst Judith had understood that participants might bring work in progress, the participants thought Judith would provide material. A familiar problem with workshops. Fortunately, Judith is very experienced and skilful - she sensitively teased material out of the circle and offered constructive suggestions. It was a very good afternoon's work. Day Two On the morning of Saturday April 19 Jude Kelly, of the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, introduced the programme for the day. Nick Hern, of Nick Hern Books, presented the anthology and stressed the need for more awareness of European writing in Britain. Ann Olaerts, of Vlaams Theater Instituut, Brussels, outlined the history of Flemish theatre, which shares its language with the Dutch. Flemish theatre is a recent development in bilingual Belgium. Arne Sierens, a leading exponent, suggested that Flemish drama is the creation of the punk generation in the 1980. It is currently lively and innovative. As in the Netherlands the tendency is for writers also to be directors. Dragan Klaic, of the Theater Instituut Nederlands, sketched the state of Dutch theatre where the 1968 'Tomato Revolt' led to a reallocation of subsidies and the establishment of a chain of flat-floor studio theatres, each with its own company, to promote experimental work in the regions. The writers presented in the Nick Hern anthology emerged through this important initiative. Roxanne Silbert, theatre director, and two Leeds-based actors, then gave us rehearsed, script-in-hand performances of scenes from the plays. In the afternoon there were excerpts from Judith Herzberg's play The Wedding Party, which (amazingly) contrives to be both a comedy of manners and a sensitive and moving exploration of the experiences, and subsequent lives, of 'the hidden children' - Jewish children who were hidden and given false identities by Dutch families during World War II. This theme within the play is based on Judith Hertzberg's own childhood experiences. It should also be pointed out that whilst we in Yorkshire had worked hard to bring an audience to these events, well-known writers can bring in their own audiences. Thus, one member of the audience had herself been a hidden, Jewish child during the war, and had specifically come to our 'Going Dutch' event because she had heard that Judith Herzberg's play acknowledged and made public these experiences. This second day was rounded off with a platform discussion entitled 'Writing a Pattern of Feeling'. The panel of Eva Hofmann (author of Lost in Translation), Dutch director Jan Ritsema, and Hugh Rorrison (Yorkshire Playwrights) was chaired by Dragan Klaic and generated a lively discussion of the problems a possibilities of European theatrical exchange. Now, we in Yorkshire Playwrights are reflecting on the lessons, and the messages, of the 'Going Dutch' event. Certainly enough happened to make the whole thing worth while. Hugh Rorrison and Patrick O'Sullivan 1997 Information The Book Dutch and Flemish Plays, edited by Della Couling, Nick Hern Books, London (in association with Theater Instituut Nederland), 1997 includes The Buddha of Ceylon by Lodewijk de Boer The Wedding Party by Judith Herzberg Drummers by Arne Sierens Burying the Dog by Karst Woudstra The Stendal Syndrome by Frans Strijards Contacts and Addresses Yorkshire Playwrights E-mail: Patrick O'Sullivan P.OSullivan@bradford.ac.uk Nick Hern Books 14 Larden Road London W3 7ST England Telephone 0181 740 9539 Fax 0181 746 2006 Email info@nickhernbooks.demon.co.uk Dragan Klaic Theater Instituut Nederland Herengracht 168 Postbus/PO Box 19304 1000 GH Amsterdam The Netherlands Telephone 31. (0)20 623 51 04 Fax 31 (0)20 620 00 51 Email agathar@tin.nl Ann Olaerts Vlaams Theater Instituut Sainctelettesquare 19 1210 Brussel Belgium Telephone 32.2.201.09.06 Fax 32.2.203.02.05
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