Theatre performance: 'Gestrand'

The text is by Hervé (pen name of René Verdiesen and Rob Vissers) and the direction is in the hands of Chantal Bijderwieden. The author himself describes his production as a ‘happy tragedy’, but also somewhat as a ‘tragic comedy’. 

The story
Six people are forced to spend the night in a somewhat run-down Scottish hotel because their flight back to the Netherlands has been cancelled. They are taken in by a Dutch hotel owner who sought his fortune in Scotland years ago. It quickly becomes apparent that all characters are not only literally but also figuratively ‘stranded’: they cannot, do not want to, or are not allowed to proceed with their partners.

Are the travellers really all strangers to each other? Dormant conflicts come to the surface. New conflicts are born. Forgiveness proves to be more difficult than forgetting. The alcohol flows freely and inhibitions fall away. Relationships fall apart and new ones are formed. Or not?

‘Stranded’ is mainly about the (in)ability of people to form and maintain relationships. It exposes, in a painful and sometimes comic way, how we struggle, come to the surface, and then press ourselves deep into the mud again. In short: a celebration of recognition