Theater director, songwriter and visual artist Steve De Jong and creative production agency Well Made Productions have won the Gieskes-Strijbis Podium. The announcement was made on Monday during the ceremony held in Utrecht.
The jury’s report notes that Well Made Productions received the award for its “perseverance in producing products and the compelling need to present (un)known stories to audiences from a bicultural perspective”.
De Jong received the award for his “original and special ideas.” “His productions are unique in the Netherlands, because of the courage and daring to give a new urgency to the dusty and exotic genre, the operetta,” can be read in the jury’s report.
In addition to Well Made Productions and De Jong, Ilay den Boer (playmaker and documentarian), Fresku (rapper and comedian), and Nastaran Razawi Kharasani (playmaker and actress) are also nominated.
The two winners receive a sum of €60,000 which they can use to develop their technical skills at their own discretion. The other three nominees each receive a cash prize of 10,000 euros.
The Gieskes-Strijbis Podium Prize was created in 2017 to support free thinking and imagination. The award is presented annually to two makers who contribute to the quality and diversity of the performing arts in the Netherlands. Theatre, musical theatre, music, composition and dance makers are eligible for the award.
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