Half past seven in the Junushoff on Tuesday evening 10 April. The cloakroom is hung full with coats and the foyer is crowded with families, friends and study companions of students in the Animal Sciences Group. Attired in suits, the board members of the Veetelers, the student society which organizes the theatre evening, welcome their guests. Véater – the group in the Veetelers which puts up a play every year – performs ‘May 11th’ this year. This is a story full of intrigue and unexpected plot twists. When the doors are open, the spectators – among whom is an honorary member of the Veetelers – make a beeline for the seats in the cosy theatre hall in the Junushoff.
Dead still
It is dead still when the first actor comes on stage. The story centres on Emma, who owns a pension and has invited her ex and the six members of her new acting club for rehearsals and improvisation practices. In the meantime, a flood of private issues came to light, all of which hinge on 11 May. These issues come together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, as fantasy and reality become intertwined. The eight main actors have been rehearsing since September, says Petra van Dijk, one of them. ‘We began with one evening a week, and that became two since January. We did a lot of improvisation practices, to find out what can be done should we forget the text, or if something goes wrong. We had initially wanted to create our own play but that took up too much time. So we looked for an existing story instead.’
Morbid jokes
And that story is well-received. When one of the main actors reaches home drunk and says ‘shhhh’ to his shoes for making a sound, the entire audience is in stiches. The many cynical and morbid jokes also bring forth peals of laughter. When laughter subsides, the audience becomes attentive again. ‘We have chosen this story because it has different storylines, so that the audience won’t know the ending half an hour later,’ says director Robert Lentjes, who has in a short period of time seen eight students mature into real actors. ‘They show initiative and bring in their own input. I’m incredibly proud of them. They have risen above their own standards.’