Crash Test & Chill // The Ultimate Ibsen Binge
Zes acteurs poseren in winterse kleding met een koude uitdrukking tegen een blauwe achtergrond.

Het Zuidelijk Toneel & Theaterproductiehuis Zeeland

Crashtest Ibsen is back! In this Crashtest Ibsen, you follow the lives of the inhabitants of a fictional nineteenth-century Norwegian town in three episodes, each lasting one hour, in a single evening. This Crashtest is too fast to zap away, still ridiculously topical, and extremely binge-worthy. With a cast to die for. Let's Crashtest & Chill.

Between 2013 and 2018, Sarah Moeremans and writer Joachim Robbrecht added a new Crashtest Ibsen to their collection each season, and for years their performances were the hits of Oerol and the theaters. In the plays, they drove Hendrik Ibsen unprotected and at full throttle into the wall, only to then extract his best ideas from the wreckage. They once again drove their own adaptations into that wall for this binge-watch theater experience: 1 evening, 3 episodes, 6 actors, 18 characters.

Crashtest Nora, Crashtest Volksvijand and Crashtest Ik Zie Spoken can be seen in one evening. In each episode, the characters skewer social issues such as social inequality and polarization in a lighthearted manner, with the necessary humor and at a rapid pace. In each part, you will meet the moral crusader, the non-conformist, the cautious one, the rebel, the black sheep, and the outsider. And between episodes, you can enjoy some food and drinks.

Zes acteurs poseren individueel in deze collage in winterse kleding tegen een blauwe achtergrond.
3 EPISODES, 3 WORLD-FAMOUS IBSEN DRAMAS

Episode 1 Crashtest Nora

Christmas 1879. In a small Norwegian town, Torvald Helmer, after suffering from severe burnout, becomes a bank director. It is thanks to his wife Nora that he is back to his old self. She made sure he could recover in sunny Capri. To do so, Nora borrowed money from the ‘shady’ bank employee Nils Krogstad without her husband's knowledge. Nora gets into trouble when her husband threatens to fire him. Nils demands that Nora saves his position. Gradually, the woman realizes that it is her subordinate social position as a woman and wife that forces her to constantly come up with tricks to survive. And so it is time for a radical decision...

Episode 2 Crashtest Volksvijand

Spring 1881. In the same Norwegian town, the residents are preparing to welcome bathers to the local spa center, Waterworlds. However, the doctor, Thomas Stockmann, discovers that the spa's water supply is heavily polluted. This puts him on a collision course with his brother, the mayor, who is doing everything he can to save the town's reputation. The left-wing press smells blood and pits the two brothers against each other. Miraculously, the local middle class sides with the mayor. Just in time, the characters realize that they are being played off against each other by the author...

Episode 3 Crashtest Ik Zie Spoken

Just outside the Norwegian town lies Villa Rosevold. The lady of the house, Mrs. Alving, is overjoyed. Her son is home after years in Paris, and she is opening a new orphanage in honor of her late husband. Mrs. Alving is convinced that she is in control of her own life and believes she is assured of a happy future. But then there are the other characters. Her son turns out to be terminally ill. Her maid, Regina, wants to go to the city in search of adventure. And the carpenter and pastor single-handedly ruin the new orphanage before it has even officially opened. And then there is that mysterious guest, whom only she seems to see…

Portretfoto maker Sarah Moeremans van Het Zuidelijk Toneel, poserend met armen over elkaar tegen een okergele achtergrond.
DIRECTOR

Sarah Moeremans has been the artistic director of Het Zuidelijk Toneel since December 2023, but her connection with the company dates back to 2021, when she joined as a permanent director and co-artistic director. Her work is philosophical with a touch of satire, using language as its main building block. Since 2013, she has worked regularly with writer Joachim Robbrecht. At Het Zuidelijk Toneel, she has created, among other things, the audience favorite Shut Up and Play With Me (nominated for the VSCD Mime/Performance Prize), the theater experience What Ever Happened to Mr. Pete? and the absolute Oerol hit Rijgen.

More about Sarah Moeremans
Portretfoto maker Sarah Moeremans van Het Zuidelijk Toneel, poserend met armen over elkaar tegen een okergele achtergrond.

Gillis
Biesheuvel

Ensemble member
Portretfoto ensemblelid Gillis Biesheuvel van Het Zuidelijk Toneel, die poseert tegen een okergele achtergrond.

Joep
van der Geest

Ensemble member
Portretfoto ensemblelid Joep van der Geest van Het Zuidelijk Toneel, die poseert tegen een okergele achtergrond.

Louis
van der Waal

Ensemble member
Portretfoto ensemblelid Louis van der Waal van Het Zuidelijk Toneel, die poseert tegen een okergele achtergrond.
CREDITS

Text editing: Joachim Robbrecht
Cast: Judith van den Berg, Evelien Bosmans, and Peter Seynaeve
Design - theater version: Ruimtetijd - Theun Mosk
Costume design: Daphne de Winkel
Sound design: Timo Merkies
Artistic advice: Piet Menu
Assistant director: Kato Cornil
Lighting design: Stan Bannier
Production: Rianne Valstar and Tamara Overkleeft
Technical production: Stan Bannier and Marcel Brand
Technicians: Marcel Brand, Arco Middendorp, Emile van Gils, Tom IJpelaar, Noor Thijssen
Photography: Sofie Knijff