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about ta
At Toneelgroep Amsterdam, tradition and innovation go hand in hand. They are the pillars of a company that is constantly in motion and presents itself explicitly at the heart of Amsterdam, the Stadsschouwburg at Leidseplein.
TA is the largest theatre company in the Netherlands and is led by director Ivo van Hove. Since he was appointed in 2001, he has paved the way for an urban company with international allure by creating a series of sensational shows and by attracting different directors from the Netherlands, as well as from other countries. The core of the company consists of 22 quality actors, making it possible to keep shows in their repertoire.
history
TA was founded in 1987. It is a merger between two companies from the capital city; the Publiekstheater and Toneelgroep Centrum. Gerardjan Rijnders, who was the artistic leader at that time, was the first to remove experimental theatre from the margins and place avant-garde on the country's primary stage: Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam. His successor Ivo van Hove continues along this line. Together with designer Jan Versweyveld, he breaks through the restrictions of the large theatre, and steps out of the frame if the performance calls for it. The playhouse as a location where the natural distance between actor and audience is removed and the relationship between fiction and reality is defined in a new way.
urban theatre company
TA has developed into an urban theatre company performing in the already existing theatre and the new Rabozaal theatre at the Stadsschouwburg since 2009. It is a base for meeting artists from the Netherlands as well as from other countries. Amsterdam becomes the core of a global village where both local and global changes continue to fuel people's ideas about art and theatre. TA produces performances that are up-to-date without explicitly reacting to political and social developments. Theatre becomes a sanctuary for being confronted with the unknown: the unknown in ourselves, in others, in society. But above all, theatre needs to be a party in honour of chaos, where the irrational and the illogical are celebrated.
multitude of stage languages
TA produces reinterpretations of classic repertoire, new texts and crossovers with music, design and dance. By frequently teaming up with other companies, such NTGent and Toneelhuis, artistic cross connections are created. Apart from Ivo van Hove, TA also works with prominent guest directors from various countries, such as Thomas Ostermeier, Grzegorz Jarzyna, Johan Simons, Katie Michell, Luk Perceval, Simon Stone, Sam Gold, Krzysztof Warlikowski and Christoph Marthaler.
Visionary and distinctive directors will be making their own special creations. What connects these new and internationally renowned directors is their belief that theatre is essential within a society that is more disparate and diverse than ever. They all share a concern about the place of man in this continually changing society.
TA-2
TA-2 - the platform of TA for developing talented directors - has released twelve theatre productions since 2007 in cooperation with Toneelschuur Producties and Frascati Producties. Three plays directed by Thibaud Delpeut: Britannicus (Jean Racine), Antigone-Kreon-Oidipous (an adaptation of the Theban tragedies by Sophocles) and All My Sons (Arthur Miller), two directed by Eric de Vroedt: A Streetcar Named Desire (Tennessee Williams) and Glengarry Glen Ross (David Mamet), Rashomon-effect directed by Joachim Robbrecht and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (Tennessee Williams) directed by Jacob Derwig. In 13|14, Julie Van den Berghe made her TA-2 debut with Lorca's Blood Wedding and in 14|15 Maren E. Bjørseth directed A bride in the morning. In 15|16 Julie Van den Berghe directed her second TA-2 production Liliom and in 16|17 Bjørseth directed Emilia Galotti and in 18|19 A delicate balance. The multiannual partnership is aimed at developing the directorship step by step, with both alliance partners using their expertise and putting an emphasis on work within larger organisations. Meanwhile, Antigone-Kreon-Oidipous, Glengarry Glen Ross and All My Sons have made it to the big theatre. In the years to come, TA will continue to invest in talented directors: TA-2 as a breeding ground for the directors of the future.
TA alliance
We are aware of the responsibility we have for the Dutch theatre world and have been forming alliances for many years with creators whose artistic work is completely autonomic, and we take care of their business leadership, sales, marketing and administration. This is how we linked up with Adelheid|Female Economy. Based on the conception that everything turns out to be an illusion, Female Economy Foundation is working on a new economic idea: 'Come near, just come to me' / Hélène Cixous. In order to translate this illusion economically, FE reaches out to interculturalism and looks for the thorns and the flower, to display them within the world of art and culture.
> to the Female Economy website
From TA to ITA
Amsterdam Stadsschouwburg and Toneelgroep Amsterdam merged on 1 January 2018, and from the 18|19 season onwards we will operate under the name Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA). We are currently working on a new organization that will act as a beacon for contemporary theatre and cater to audiences from Amsterdam and around the world, leading the way at the national and international levels. We will produce a high-quality programme with 600 pluriform national and international theatre and dance performances every year, and social programmes that will appeal to a wide range of audiences, bringing them new ways of understanding and seeing the world.
Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA) is one of the leading lights in Dutch theatre, with a large ensemble of world famous actors and a pioneering team of directors. Performances will be held by the ITA-ensemble not only at the Amsterdam venue, but also at around 100 other venues around the world. The new theatre will also be a major Talent Center focusing on education, development and collaboration. We are home to major festivals such as Brandhaarden, Julidans, the Holland Festival and the Netherlands Theatre Festival. A modern meeting place with its own café/brasserie where front stage can meet and mingle with back stage, and the boundaries between the audience and those involved in the production can disappear. The new theatre will speak with one voice to the city, the country, funds, sponsors and, of course, its audiences. In short, a theatre venue that speaks clearly to the city and its residents.
> go to the ITA-website
ITA Ensemble
The ITA Ensemble is the artistic capital of Internationaal Theater Amsterdam and the starting point for creating new productions. At its core is the top ensemble of actors that makes it possible to keep performances on the repertoire. Besides its own location in Amsterdam, the ensemble plays some 100 stages worldwide every year. With high-profile performances and attracting renowned directors from home and abroad, the way has been paved for a company with international allure. Since 1 September 2023, Eline Arbo has been Artistic Director; from 2001 to 2023, Ivo van Hove was at the helm of the ITA Ensemble (and former Toneelgroep Amsterdam).
ITA is structurally supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the City of Amsterdam.
The Supervisory Board consists of Leontine van der Goes (chairman), Sandra den Hamer, Frank Haffmans, Ugur Özcan, Janneke van der Wijk and Farid Tabarki.