

Maker | Studio Fingur |
Age | 14+ |
Duration | 90 min |
A visual performance with puppets, drawings, models, live cinema and music.
Note: this performance is in Dutch.
Winterwater is the coming-of-age story of Lex. An uninhibited boy who looks into the world full of wonder. He grows up in a traditional Frisian village, with a French father, strictly religious mother and two brothers.
The performance Winterwater, based on Lex Paleaux's book of the same name, immerses the audience in the world of a small boy with a big imagination.' - Het Parool
Curious, Lexje asks the big questions no one asks. He is seen as rebellious and gets beat up by the people that are supposed to love him. Fortunately, he finds support in his big imagination and Freddy Mercury; the neighbor's dog. But when he has no one to turn to after a terrible event, things become problematic. Loneliness takes its toll.
The performance Winterwater is based on Lex Paleaux's debut novel of the same name (2020), a fictional story based on fact. The young figure theater company Studio Figur, theater producer Rieks Swarte & production house Feikes Huis join forces for this performance full of puppets, drawings, models, live cinema and music. Winterwater is a performance for adults and young people (14 years and older).
In collaboration with the Toneelmakerij, a mini-docu IJSBREKERS was made to accompany the performance. It is made for and by young people and deals with the theme of 'loneliness'. You can watch it on Vimeo.
"'During the corona crisis, it became apparent how important it is to talk about the mental and physical consequences of loneliness. This is how I personally discovered that the feeling of my right to exist is directly linked to the presence of the people I love.' "
— Director Noufri Bachdim
"'Lex Paleaux's style is very visual: we see the world and experience the world through the eyes of a child. The book feels cinematic and we want the performance to have that same feeling too. You get an intimate insight into Lex's life, where he takes you by the hand and shows you everything.'"
— Director Noufri Bachdim
"The puppetry, chalk drawings and simplistic projections create a dreamy atmosphere that is interspersed with harsh realism."
— Theaterkrant
Concept | Noufri Bachdim & Rieks Swarte |
Performance | Nick Bos, Gerold Guthman, Pluck Venema & Tim Hammer/Alexander Brouwer |
Director | Noufri Bachdim |
Directors assistent | Marjolein Verschuuren |
Scenario | Patrick Minks |
Dramaturgy | Pol Eggermont |
Composition | Sebastiaan Bax |
Set design | Rieks Swarte |
Set construction | Ed van Liemt |
Puppets | Pluck Venema |
Costumes | Vita Coenen |
Light design | Yannick Verwey |
Tech | Sander van den Bout & Thijs Visser |
Impactprogram | Marieke Braaksma, Mark Kramer |
Thanks to | de Toneelmakerij |
Based on the book by | Lex Paleaux |

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