Tilburg is a true student city. Foreign ‘scholars’ from all corners of the globe have travelled to this beautiful provincial town to attend Tilburg University or one of many other colleges available here. But industry also ensures a steady influx of foreigners in Tilburg and with this in mind Theaters Tilburg has capitalised on the fact that it can provide these visitors with entertainment of a more highbrow variety that has nothing to do with pubs, clubs and other assorted nightlife for which the city is so famous. The theatre offers a wide variety of performances for non-Dutch speakers from dance and cabaret to music and drama.
Obviously, this doesn’t mean that the performance will be available in English, Italian or Swahili, but the entertainment on offer is often of a type where language isn’t necessary, such as dance. No other city in the Netherlands is so actively involved in the genre of dance and four exciting dance performances are scheduled later this year beginning with the Danish dance company Granhøj Dance on October 7. The most surprising performance, which will take place on February 7, will be performed by the Beijing Contemporary Dance Theatre. A huge spongy mat will serve as their dance floor, so the performers’ movements will be distorted on the one hand, but they’ll also be able to do flips, rolls and other acrobatic manoeuvres on the unique surface. And choreographer Wang Yuanyuan is hardly a newcomer as he was also responsible for the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. The unpolished Nouveau Cirque from Finland will take to the stage on April 12 and the Belgian-Moroccan Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui promises many wonderful things to be seen on May 7.
Comedy fans will no doubt be amused by the bone-dry humour of the Australian Kransky Sisters on February 12. The three eccentric sisters Mourne, Eve and Dawn from Esk, located in the Australian outback, were a huge hit at the Edinburgh Festival in 2006. Dressed in their famous long black pleated skirts with white blouses, the bizarre Australian Kransky Sisters will play the tuba, musical saw, keyboards and even toiletries and kitchen utensils. You too can watch what critics have called ‘a well-oiled comic machine.’
Music lovers should take advantage of a unique concert on March 3 and enjoy a mix of South Africa's best vocal talents in Under African Skies. This vibrant act proves that apartheid is a thing of the past, as performers from of all colours, creeds and races illustrate the best that the Rainbow Nation has to offer. The visitor is magically transported to a club in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, a multicultural neighbourhood that was demolished by the old apartheid regime. Finally, on March 24, British actor Pip Utton, known for his ability to recreate uncanny images of historical figures and events, crawls Winston Churchill’s skin. A beacon in time of war, a writer, an historian and winner of the Nobel Prize for literature, Pip Utton looks back on this iconic statesman’s triumphs, disappointments and his place in history. In short, there’s plenty going on at Theaters Tilburg so enjoy a brilliant performance and remember that talent and humour know no linguistic boundaries.