Jetse
Batelaan Concept & Direction

Jetse Batelaan
© Christian Knörr

Jetse Batelaan, born in Leiden in 1978, studied directing at Amsterdam University of the Arts. With such catchy titles as ‹Nur als Sägemehl bekommt ein Baum Applaus›, ‹Vorstellung, bei der hoffentlich nichts passiert› or ‹Ein Cowboy mit erhobenen Händen jubelt wahrscheinlich nicht›, he has created a sensational repertoire of performances with a philosophical twist and absurd comedy that thrill both young and old alike. He has also caused a stir internationally: His work has also been shown at renowned festivals such as Wiener Festwochen, Festival Theaterformen, Theaterfestival Basel, The New Island Festival, New York, Parc de la Villette, Paris, as well as Dutch theatre meetings. Likewise, Jetse has received pretty much every Dutch theatre award out there, some of them several times, as well as the International Theatre Festival Award and the Silver Lion of the Venice Biennale. As a regular guest director, he has worked with the theatre group Max and Bambie. He joined Ro Theater as a permanent member in 2009. In 2013, he moved to Theater Artemis and has been its artistic director ever since.

Jetse strips everyday actions down to their bare essence while giving them a dreamy absurdity. His productions are a wonderful combination of minimalism and diversity.

Marijn van der Jagt, Vrij Nederland