Mission & Facts

What is ITs?
Every year, at the end of June, the latest crop of performing artists will flood the city of Amsterdam. Graduating actors, dancers, mime artists, (film) directors and other performing artists, national and international, will make their first appearance at several professional theatres in the cityheart of Amsterdam.

The International Theatre School Festival Amsterdam is the biggest European student festival where you can scout over 200 theatre talents in more than 50 unique productions. It is a wonderful opportunity to catch a glimpse of how the performing arts will look in the coming years. Alongside the productions, the festival programme is filled with inspiring debates, lectures and workshops, ending every day with the famous ITs afterparty.

Be impressed by the great energy, sincerity and candour of the young theatre makers’ efforts to realise their dreams – straight from the heart and with unique faith and determination. The 23rd edition will take place from 21 – 28 June 2012.
 

Mission statement
ITs connects young, graduating theatre and dance talents with programmers and other professionals, press and audience, on both a national and international level. By doing so, ITs Festival Amsterdam is the ideal stepping stone to a successful (international) career in the field of performing arts.

ITs focuses on:

  • Stimulation and promotion of artistic exchange and encounter
  • Talent development and working towards (more) profound skills
  • New (inter)national alliances
  • A constant flow from the academy towards the professional performing arts

     
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Facts about ITs

  • ITs Festival Amsterdam took place for the first time in 1990, as an initiative of Theaterschool Amsterdam, which basically came down to a simple presentation of graduate performances. In November 2003 ITs became an independent organization and moved to a separate office in the centre of Amsterdam.
  • Since the first festival, approximately 2.500 students have graduated from a theatre academy at ITs.
  • Some of these students that graduated at ITs are now hot shots in the (Dutch) film and theatre field: for example Carice van Houten, Wende Snijders, Barry Atsma, Halina Reijn, Ramsey Nasr, Frank Lammers, Lucretia van der Vloot, Bracha van Doesburgh and Hadewych Minis
  • Theu Boermans and Tim Persent make up the artistic team, and they have done so since 2005.
  • Number of productions shown: 78 in 2009, 82 in 2010 and 53 in 2011
  • Winners of the ITs Ton Lutz Award: Ilmer Rozendaal (2011), Julie Vandenberghe (2010), Bo Tarenskeen/ Lotte de Beer (2009), Merel de Groot (2008), Michiel de Regt (2007), Joachim Robbrecht (2006), Sarah Moeremans (2005), Jef Vangestel (2004), Boukje Schweigmann (2003), Christiaan Mooij (2002), Olivier Provily (2001), Suzan Boogaerdt (2000)
  • Winners of the ITs Choreography Award: Simon Tanguy (2011), William Collins (2010), Alma Söderberg (2009), Leena Keizer (2008), Christoph Leuenberger (2007)
  • Winners of the ITs Parade Parel: George Tobal (2011), Michele Rizzo (2010), Nadia Amin/Michiel Bakker/ Carole van Ditzhuijzen/Roos van Erkel,/Janneke Remmers/Bo Tarenskeen (2009), Bas van Rijnsoever and Floor van Leeuwen (2008)
  • Winners of the Kemn-A-ward: Mattias van de Vijver (2011), Keja Kwestro (2010), Lien Wildemeersch (2009), Alejandra Theus (2008), Ilse de Koe (2007), Oscar van Rompay (2006)
  • Winners of the ITs Playwriting Award: Sytze Schalk (2011), Simon Weeda (2010)
  • Winners of the ITs Guest Award: Insert picture here by Soetkin Demey (2011), I’ll be gone, a co production by Toneelacademie Maastricht & Manchester Metropolitan University (2010), Radix/It’s so good by Transitions Dance Company (2009), Verve08 by Northern School of Contemporary and RE:RAIN by P.A.R.T.S (2008), Der Name by Rabea Kiel (2007)
  • Winners of the Best of ITs on Tour: George Tobal and Fleur van den Berg (2011)
  • Since 2009, 85 performances have been scouted at ITs and have been performed elsewhere afterwards. The number of ITs performances being programmed on other stages and festivals grows each year, not in the least because of the growing network of (inter)national professionals that come to ITs each year, to scout new talent.
  • In the past 22 years we have had a total of 200 international productions performed on ITs from the following countries: Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Israel, Palestina, Turkey, Russia, Kazachstan, Estonia, Lithuania, Iran, China, Australia, USA, South Africa, Surinam, Colombia, Cuba and Brazil.
  • Partner festivals of ITs are: ACT Festival Bilbao (Spain), Fabrica de Movimentos Porto (Portugal), BE Festival Birmingham (England), Skena Up Pristina (Kosovo), ITselF Warshaw (Poland), Short Theatre Rome (Italy), FIST Festival Belgrade (Serbia).

 



Downloads

Annual report 2011 (in Dutch) Download