THE WORLD OF DE TEKSTSMEDERIJ revolves around freshly forged plays in the Dutch language. Around poetic, raw, social panoramas, great and universal tragedies, razor-sharp comedies, beside personal stories. Around making new, talented playwrights visible. Around forging partnerships between new generations of playwrights and directors. Around them meeting you. Always rooted in today’s world.
We act as a central hub, matching playwrights, producers, theatre companies, funds and the audience. We point out each other’s strengths to them, see new chances and opportunities and open up the expertise that is already enshrined in the field for the new generation. This makes us a catalyst for new productions. Meanwhile we provide a safe haven to first-time playwrights to test and develop their artistic signature, craftsmanship and commercial insights in. All this in candid, public programmes in which substantive feedback is given and where professionals and an interested audience meet.
We believe a playwright culture should challenge and question itself to become a healthy and sustainable one: in style, stories, worldviews and cultures. While bringing various voices together De Tekstsmederij looks across the national borders. In our world the audience also plays a key role in the development of the playwrights. This is why we involve the audience right from the early stages of the creative process . The texts relate to their world after all. With this vision in mind we facilitate regular meetings between playwrights and audience.
De Tekstsmederij is active in the field of playwrights and focuses its attention on the development of new Dutch texts across the board. Together with the Nederlands Theater Festival (National Dutch Theatre Festival) we are the initiators and producers of the Dag van de Nederlandse Theatertekst (Dutch Play Script Day). In addition we organise, among other things, play reading clubs and workshops promoting visibility and development of new play scripts.
De Tekstsmederij is made possible by the Nederlands Letterenfonds (Dutch Foundation for Literature), Prins Bernard Cultuurfonds (Prince Bernhard Culture Fund), Stichting De Versterking (The Reinforcement Foundation) en Het Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst (Amsterdam Fund for the Arts).
CORE TEAM
Artistic director: Timen Jan Veenstra
Business director: Marijke Schaap
Production: Annemarijn Zanting
Publicity: Imke van Herk
Presentation: Yahmani Blackman