Play dates | 16th & 17th of April |
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Shakespeare meets The Beatles! The writing team of “Project Unknown” turned the original play into a delightful 1960s comedy, but keeping the original text for the ‘play-in-the-play’ which had the audiences in stitches! A forest arose on the stage, beautifully backlit by LED-strips, and with Oberon’s VW minivan as the eye-catcher: lovingly crafted by a team of students and inspired by the design of The Beatles’s Yellow Submarine. Costumes, too, were made by the Company, with some maternal assistance: proper 1960s dresses that are still put to good use in drama activities at school. |
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Group photos Behind the scenes Dress rehearsal Videos |
Play dates | 7 and 8 March 2017 |
Play dates | 10 March 2010 |
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After seeing Agatha Christie’s famous play “The Mousetrap” at the IB classes’ London trip, it was decided that the play to follow “Macbeth” should be a period murder mystery. Directors Thessa van Aerde and Ad Bruynzeels adapted the screenplay of the 1978 film version of Agatha Christie’s “Death on the Nile” to a stageplay; Ton Sips oversaw the art direction and a crew of students turned the cast members into glamourous 1930s characters by choosing the right costumes and doing wonderful things with hair and make-up. The play was a great success and several members of the audience had no clue as to who the murderer could be until Poirot revealed him. |
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Play dates | 8 & 9 March 2016 |
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“Dying for Christmas” is inspired by the novels of Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime. The story was created in a process new to the Company: a brainstorm session with 15 people led to a basic plan for plot, characters and murder methods, all of which were finetuned by the ‘creative team’: ca. 12 people providing input into story and production aspects. From the creative team, Floor Veldmeijer and Tommie van Wanrooij were selected as script writers and Sanne Akkermans, Hajco Bodewes and Menno Riemen oversee the design aspects (stage, costumes and props) of the production. In March 2016 we hope to welcome you to the Grant Island Hotel in which our cast will no longer look like Cobbenhagen students, but shady and/or glamourous 1930s characters! |
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Tech Rehearsal - set 1 Portraits Dying for Christmas - Behind the scenes Videos |
Play dates | 17 June 2009 |
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Staging “Macbeth” was an adventure. There had not been a drama production like this at Cobbenhagen for many years and none of the people involved had much experience in this area – they all learned quickly. The script went through many revisions, actors struggled to remember their lines. But rehearsals were always a source of great fun and laughter (and not only because of ‘bloopers’) and all aspects of the production, from folding programme leaflets and selling tickets to gathering costumes and props was done collectively. In spite of a ‘classic’ failure of a dress rehearsal, hopes for the performance were high and they were more than met. “Macbeth” kicked off a new theatrical tradition and is fondly remembered by cast and crew. |
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Play dates | 25 & 26 February 2014 |
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Adapting a novel for the stage is not an easy task, but Pien de Kruijf, Pilar Kurban and Kimbly Pullens pulled it off. The use of a narrator and live singing added new aspects to the Company’s repertoire, not to mention the meters and meters of unbleached cotton – and some black – that were used to create the costumes for the play. The prop kettle used by apprentice Lya, the real cabbage leaves in it, the burlap sacks and brightly coloured patchwork blankets further contributed to a beautifully bleak design for a story that was sometimes difficult to play because of the emotions involved, but knew a happy ending nonetheless. |
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Behind the scenes Group photos Videos |
Play dates | 3 & 4 March 2015 |
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Shakespeare’s play was updated brilliantly by a team of writers – Hajco Bodewes, Renée Gommers, Jet Nitsche and Floor Veldmeijer – who auditioned for the job. The set for the play was simple but most effective, with a wonderful tent downstage in which a crucial amourous encounter was to take place. Contemporary summer clothes and mobile phones combine very well with Shakespeare, too. |
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Much Ado about Nothing - Cast Photos Much Ado about Nothing - Dress Rehearsal 2 March 2015 Much Ado about Nothing - Tech Rehearsal 1 March 2015 Videos |
Play dates | 17 & 18 April 2012 |
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“Project Unknown” was the first production to use what is now a fixed component of any Company production: a writing team. Bart Kampert, Maddy Lanslots and Meike Weijtmans wrote an original story inspired by a mix of existing science fiction stories. A devoted decor team then created Skywalker Station in meticulous detail – using mainly paper and cardboard, and some old-fashioned computer monitors – on the stage. Epic lightsaber fights and playback performances were held during dress rehearsal – the stage asked for it. “Project Unknown” was also the first production to be performed twice: a matinee performance for the tto junior classes (a fair part of the then third years would become Company members the following year) and a fabulously succesful evening performance the next day. There is one thing, though, that no one thought of at the time: to take a photograph of Geert Linders as he performed Albert’s voice live backstage (where he could follow the action onstage via a camera link.) This way, Albert retains a touch of mystery. |
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Play dates | 20 April 2011 |
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Presented in a timeless yet contemporary style, the Company’s “Romeo & Juliet” featured very realistic stage fights choreographed by Eon Romswinckel who also played Tybalt. A real bed was moved on and offstage several times, real flowers surrounded Juliet on her ‘deathbed’ and during the course of the production, ‘Romeo’ and ‘Juliet’ were a real couple – which made their love story all the more convincing. And no one who saw the play is likely to have forgotten the blessings of Father Laurence… |
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Play dates | 16 March 2012 and 2 February 2015 |
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“The Shakespeare Speaking Contest” was first performed in 2012 during the interval of the Junior Speaking Contest Regional Finals (a contest for tto junior students). When these finals were held at Cobbenhagen again in 2015, the script was slightly adapted to include some different Shakespearean characters. In both performances the character of Portia served as mistress of ceremonies and the ‘contestants’ would perform an actual speech from a Shakespeare play: Henry V’s ‘Once more unto the breach’ and Romeo and Juliet’s balcony speeches featured in both productions. |
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Play dates | 26 April 2014 (start of principal photography) - 15 November 2014 (premiere) |
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The story behind To Do Great, Right A Little Wrong is as fascinating as the story that is told in the film itself. For the film is wholly directed, written, produced and played by (former) members of the Cobbenhagen Company of Drama. For everyone it was the first film production they were involved in. In the summer of 2013 Sander Akkermans and Stan Coomans brought up the idea to produce a short film instead of a play. A theme for the film was quickly decided upon: it had to be something associated with Shakespeare - the Company does perform one of his plays every other year. The film was financed through crowdfunding and supported by Kunstbalie/BKKC and had a true cinema premiere in Cinecitta, Tilburg, on 15 November 2014. The producers of the film founded film company Brief Candle Productions in 2015.
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