A coming-of-age story
‘The circus is always abroad. But in the caravan, we are at home. I open the door of the caravan as little as possible to make sure our home doesn’t evaporate.’ – writer Aglaja Veteranyi
Waarom het kin de polenta kookt is a tender yet heart-wrenching story about her own childhood, growing up in a circus family that fled the dictatorship in Romania in the late 1960s. It is a coming-of-age story about a young refugee seeking stability in a travelling circus that is always on the move. The travelling life proves to be hard. Hope is tested again and again as major disappointments pile up.
Without knowing the difference between reality and fantasy, with a stoic gaze and the urge to understand it all, the cast faces the world in a stew of enchantment, disturbing and sometimes hilarious scenes. ‘Is there really a circus in heaven?’
About the creators
De Noorderlingen – a home for talented individuals aged between 12 and 25 who feel the need to master the theatre and film professions – consists of the Theatre Preparatory Course, the Filmschool and the Werkplaats. The Theatre Preparatory Course is a multi-year teaching and training programme that works towards the Production Group, in which talented individuals work as a professional theatre collective for a year.
Credits
Actors | Mathilde Hoenders | Else van Meegen | Lis Wolfkamp | Jurre ter Horst | Frank Dijkstra | Lise
Naus | Julia Spannagel | Nova Weijkamp | Oussey Diallo
Director | Lies van de Wiel
Costumes | Freja Roelofs
Technology & design | Herman van Keulen
With thanks to | Circus Santelli | Team De Noorderlingen
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