Season 22/23 was first of all a sign of liberation from the feeling that it is quite possible that everything we plan just disappears due to some virus, war or environmental disaster. Although nothing is still ruled out, it seems as if we are returning to the normal flow of life and work in the theater. The season had started with many plans, for which they were waiting for answers from the funds. Also with many trips as part of European projects that were possible again, so colleagues from ZID Theater visited Serbia in a short time for Remix Comix and the Festival for Human Creation of DAH Theater, Finland and Portugal for Theater in Palm, Spain for Green Ethics, for a meeting with Eugenio Barba and Julia Varley/ Odin Theater, Magdalena project and Our Stage project, for which we also visited Bulgaria… and maybe I missed something… The season started traditionally with the Future Lab, theater workshops for young people, and continued with the FATE 2 project, for young makers, newcomers -artists who want to get involved in the art scene in the Netherlands and Europe. The artistic team of ZID Theater also worked on several projects, of which the preparations for the new large theater project Water are still ongoing. And in the digital residency with Teatro Ja from Lisbon, a new interesting collaboration was created on this project. We had a big surprise and a lot of new public, in January 2024 during the National Theater Weekend, where we played ZID Theater plays: Alphabet for Uncertain Times, Rebel, and (temporarily) the last play NO FEAR. After that came preparations for ExpoloreZ festival 23, which we organized in May. For that, we prepared the performance CARGO H by the group of young talents Fate 2, directed by the young but already experienced director Daan Bosch and artistically coordinated by Sebo Bakker. For the opening of the festival, the play Boom! Crash! Oh! Hello! – where comics and theater meet was created by Joske Daamen, a choreographer with a mix of performers from the ZID artistic team and the Fate 1 group, five excellent performers and one musician. In addition, we realized Explorez 23, a big festival of 10 days in parks, in a theater, a gallery with many artists and surprisingly a lot of new public and with a new website. But we didn’t just go to international trainings, meetings and tours, we also welcomed many guests. Colleagues, artists from Spain, Serbia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Greece, Denmark who brought their experience to Amsterdam and the Netherlands and shared it with many artists, with the audience, and with different communities that gathered in the ZID Theater. And of course, special mention should be made of the arrival and masterclass of Eugenio Barba and Julio Varley, of the famous, international ODIN TEATRET 2 (as they called themselves now). Despite all that, we work in our area, on the border of Amsterdam West and New West, and we hold many artistic programs that are open to children and adults. This vibrant season, full of new theatrical experiences and dynamics, also pointed out to us the problems that the corona virus left behind. There are also new conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, a new wave of refugees and political insecurity, a big increase in prices, energy that has become very expensive, insecurity in the entire sector that has a direct effect on everyone who works in it, the environmental crisis that is all around us… What is the role of artists in times of crisis? We artists cannot change the world, but we can reflect on all this through an authentic expression and through our activity give people support and the knowledge, that there is a possibility for us all to feel connected in the search for a better tomorrow. That’s why work in theater and art is so important, because it has a direct contribution to making people feel better and connect with others. That’s why we look optimistically and full of new ideas towards the 23/24 season and the new theater challenges ahead.
