No cargo, only humans
For sustainability reasons, the tour was undertaken without sets or props. ‘No cargo, only humans’ was the motto. Costumes were packed in the actors’ suitcases, props were adapted to whatever was available, and the festival organised everything we needed on the spot. For instance, Q’s iconic van was replaced by a perfectly battered local white van from a nearby village. Every evening, when Julia drove the van onto the stage at breakneck speed after about 20 minutes of performance, the audience collectively gasped and cheered. The tone was set.

An eager audience
The audience’s enthusiasm surprised us anew every evening. They eagerly went along with it as our actors drew them through the fourth wall. There was laughter, reactions and cheering at moments when it would be quiet in the Netherlands. And the interval parties? We thought the Oerol audience couldn’t be beaten, but here the audience actually almost rushed onto the stage, straight into the mosh pit or for dance-offs with our actors.

Every evening after the applause, the stage would once again fill with people from the audience who wanted to chat afterwards and personally express their enthusiasm and gratitude to Sarah, Joachim and the ensemble for presenting this – for many of them – new way of creating and performing theatre. And there were people who’d brought flowers to present to the cast and crew, and who wanted their photo taken and an autograph.