Category Archives: Theater

Dit Ben Ik. This is Me

DIT BEN IK. THIS IS ME.

Pranay is a Polish actor and in 2021 moved to Amsterdam.
Brought his dreams with him as other immigrants before him.
Dreams sometimes need a time to come true – so he waits, he still believes.
But time is running out – this year he turns 40.
Maybe it is already too late, maybe everything has been decided.
So he builds his own theatre from cardboard and stages his life.
What ghosts from the past haunt this stage?

Pranay’s dramedy is a mixture of puppet theatre, storytelling, stand-up and ritual.
The show deals with issues of identity, being an immigrant, gay and an artist.

Pranay Pawlicki graduated from Academy of Theatre Arts in Poland.
Dit ben ik is his 3rd solo show, 2nd in English

Friday 27 and Saturday 28, 20:30
AstaroTheatro
Sint Jansstraat 37 Amsterdam
AstaroTheatro is Amsterdam’s smallest theatre.
Reservations are strongly encouraged to secure our audience a seat:
info@ourfootsteps.nl

Entrance by donation. Cash Only

AstaroTheatro Theatre Workshop

AstaroTheatro Theatre Workshop
This is the follow-up of our Theatre as Communal Experience Workshop and it is aimed at staging a collectively created theatre performance.
This workshop is open to everyone from the unexperienced person to the more experienced theatre practitioner.
Starting date: Saturday 21 October, 14:30

Please contact us for more information:
AstaroTheatro
Sint Jansstraat 37 Amsterdam
info@ourfootsteps.nl

Anyone can do theater, even actors. And theater can be done everywhere. Even in a theater
Augusto Boal

 

15 Years AstaroTheatro

As AstaroTheatro celebrates its 15th birthday, let’s not forget what this small, cozy, independent, non-mainstream, non-commercial space stands for:
Inclusive, grassroots theatre and arts aiming at a community-based practice.

From our Manifesto Poetico: “AstaroTheatro wishes to foster an emancipated audience in an immersive experience. This goes beyond a performer merely ‘breaking the fourth wall’ and acting with the audience. If we want to talk to the audience, our performances have to be challenging, stimulating and meaningful. And for this we need a surprising narrative, a narrative that does not follow the mainstream logic of media and power, a truly alternative narrative. An unconventional, non-bourgeois narrative that is also human, touching and apparently around the corner. We need to tell stories that tickle our fantasy as victims of corporate mediocrity, a fantasy killed by the banality of daily social exploitation and frustration. Stories with depth and layers addressing our conscience and giving fresh life to the debate on ethics. Through this journey AstaroTheatro wants to remain a space for an emancipated audience keen to further its emancipation process, a space facilitating a mutual exchange of energy at all levels between performers and audience. In this perspective the word ‘community’ makes sense at AstaroTheatro.”

After 15 years and for many more years to come, AstaroTheatro has a strong will to keep hosting artists and people willing to share its true spirit. The new cultural season has just begun, workshops are thriving and new projects keep popping up. We are excited to welcome you in our space!

The Want – Theatre and Talks

The Want
An Evening of Theatre and Talks

We perform a short excerpt from ‘In the solitude of the cotton fields’ by Bernard-Marie Koltès where our dramaturgical analysis underlines the consumerism and the commodification in society.
We sit together and we engage in an open conversation about the topics highlighted by the theatre performance: from commodification to war from environmental disaster to autonomous communities, from the manipulation of love to anything we would like to discuss.
Because The Dealer is always there to remind you that ‘you must want something’. So be aware that you are nothing but a consumer in a consumers’ world. Unless you don’t want The Want.

Saturday 14 October, 20;30
AstaroTheatro
Sint Jansstraat 37 Amsterdam
Entrance by Donation. Cash Only

Harun Turan: Bilur
Roberto Bacchilega: Performance
An AstaroTheatro and A La Muntagna Production

Foreign Sound at AstaroTheatro

Foreign Sound – A Harmonious Celebration of Music and Culture

“Foreign Sound” by Fernando Oliveira is more than just a concert; it’s a powerful testament to the harmonious blend of nations, cultures, and traditions. This captivating performance is dedicated to celebrating Brazil’s iconic music styles, including Bossa Nova, Samba, and international reinterpretations, showcasing the universal power of musical expression.

At its heart, “Foreign Sound” finds its rhythm deeply rooted in Samba, enriched with the sophistication of Jazz influences, creating a mesmerizing and layered experience for the audience. Bossa Nova, popularized by the legendary João Gilberto in the late 1950s, takes center stage, captivating hearts worldwide with its melodic charm.

Fernando Oliveira, the driving force behind this project, presents his original compositions that celebrate the essence of Brazilian music. From Bossa Nova to Samba and Brazilian Popular Music (MPB), the performance is enriched by rhythmic drums and dance-infused beats. The infusion of soul, jazz, and pop adds a contemporary flair to the traditional, resulting in a unique and modern musical journey.

“Foreign Sound” invites you to step into a world that transcends boundaries, celebrating the universal language of music. It’s a triumph both musically and politically, showcasing the harmonious exchange of cultures and traditions.

Join us for this theatrical experience, where music becomes a bridge between nations and a testament to the enduring power of artistry and expression.

Guitar & Voice Fernando Oliveira
Bass Raalf Martinez
Drums Felipe Duarte

Foreign Sound
Saturday 23 September, 20:30
AstaroTheatro 
Sint Jansstraat 37 Amsterdam
Entrance by Donation

Theatre as Communal Experience

Theatre as Communal Experience – A Workshop by AstaroTheatro


Our lives are communal; we need to be social to survive.
There is no separation or hierarchy among body, mind and spoken word.
We communicate simultaneously with all our faculties – a lesson easily learned, but in practice a never-ending journey of rise and fall. All this makes for inspiring moments during our workshop. We learn to work with our body, our breath, our voice in a non-judgemental way. We explore the space and we interact with the other performers. New exercises are welcome and constantly proposed. We are in the process of learning that physical exercises, improvisations and experiments allow the body to introduce new ideas. The body does the thinking, in a way. We seek a deeper interaction by ‘feeling’ the other performers while at the same time being a total actor. Egos are tamed, the collective creates.
Who I am is because of you.

Anyone can do theater, even actors. And theater can be done everywhere. Even in a theater
Augusto Boal

This theatre workshop explores the basics of the performative practice: posture, movement, presence, body, the other in the space, games and the voice in many of its expressions.
Our voices engage in spoken word, text and poetry in order to reach the poetry performance: from poetry to theatre.
Our work will be inspired by theatre masters like Jerzy Grotowski, Jurij Alschitz, Augusto Boal and by AstaroTheatro’s own experience. But above all our practice will originate from ourselves: our memories, stories and skills. Theatre becomes the discovery that each of us is able to tell and to tell about ourselves.


Five sessions open to everyone from the unexperienced person to the more experienced theatre practitioner.
5 sessions: 24 September; 1, 8, 15, 22 October 14:30-17:00.
Please contact us for more information:
AstaroTheatro Sint Janssstraat 37 Amsterdam
info@ourfootsteps.nl
Tel 06 25382491

Odisseə

AstaroTheatro is privileged to be part of this project of art, community and resistance.
On women and a quest for freedom. And then waves of sea and of time, migrations and dolphins leading to faraway lands.
Because some will go, others will stay and maybe someone else will go back.
Odisseə
“Il mare è libertà e la libertà è femmina”
Una produzione di Casa Rosa, Compagnia Teatrale Tolvese e AstaroTheatro

AstaroTheatro Amsterdam and The Freedom Theatre Jenin Palestine

The Freedom Theatre. Jenin. Palestine
This wonderful place of arts and humanity has been brutally attacked and bombed 2 days after these pictures were taken.
AstaroTheatro shares with The Freedom theatre the same artist vision of resistance through art.
AstaroTheatro is honored for the collaboration with The Freedom Theatre and will always be in solidarity with it.

AstaroTheatro Cultural Season 2022-2023

Summer has come and it feels like the right moment to look back at AstaroTheatro Cultural Season 2022-2023.
The diversity of work produced inside and outside our small space is overwhelming. Theatre performance, Rebetiko, Art exhibition, Music of Brazil and of Dreamland, Marx is Back, Performance Art, Theatre Workshops and a lot of Friendship… All works of Arts, Human Dignity and Community.
Our summer will not just be a time of leisure. We are currently working at five new projects and we cannot wait to share them during the upcoming cultural season. Looking forward!


Rebetiko Against The Machine at AstaroTheatro

Rebetiko Against The machine at AstaroTheatro
AstaroTheatro is very happy to host again these amazing musicians!
A fantastic way to close our unique cultural season! 

Saturday 24 June,20:30
AstaroTheatro


Rebetiko Against The Machine
: “Join us for the last gig of the season!!!
On Saturday 24/6 we are gonna be in AstaroTheatro!This time with originals and maybe some rebetiko tunes if time is enough!
We will be happy to see you there”
Entrance with donation!

We are:
Guitar/Vocals: Ilias Konstantinidis
Bouzouki/Baglama: Argiris Plekas
Bouzouki/Vocals: Giannis Leloudas