Sharp piece about the longing for unity and the vulnerability of democracy.
Revolutionary, fighter against 350 years of colonial violence, the first president of Indonesia. His name still provokes fierce reactions. Our image of Sukarno is shaped by feelings of betrayal, humiliation, and forced departure. But also by misplaced moralism and a painful lack of political courage.
In this new production by Bo Tarenskeen we meet Soekarno, who resists Dutch colonial rule. What begins as a struggle for freedom develops into a revolution that becomes increasingly difficult to control. How do you unite a deeply divided people? How do you prevent a country from falling apart? And how do you remain true to your own values in doing so? Bo Tarenskeen and Esther Scheldwacht play the young and old Soekarno. We witness the formation of Soekarno's thinking against the backdrop of the Japanese occupation, the declaration of independence, the Bersiap, the colonial wars and the coup d'état that ended his presidency. 'SOEKARNO' is a production on the cutting edge about the desire for unity, the escalation of violence and the fragility of democracy.
Website: Theaterbureau De Mannen
Credits
Text and direction: Bo Tarenskeen Co-direction: Erasmus Mackenna Performance: Esther Scheldwacht and Bo Tarenskeen Dramaturgy: Jellichje Reijnders Set design: Maze de Boer
The National Theater
The National Theater (HNT) has been the largest touring theater company in the Netherlands since January 1, 2017. Its actors' ensemble is one of the last large theater ensembles in the Netherlands, featuring Gustav Borreman, Hein van der Heijden, Rick Paul van Mulligen, Sander Plukaard, Soumaya Ahouaoui and many more.
