Festival Opening at Stadsschouwburg

Come to the festival opening at Stadsschouwburg! Just like last year, the program in the hall is created by young people themselves, in collaboration with the festival team. Expect speeches (including from Lets Gro), performances, and a fresh perspective on the future.

A select group from MBO Artiest (Noorderpoort) will perform An Ovation For Hope, created by Gregory Caers together with Ryan van der Elst and a group of about fifteen theater and design students especially for Jonge Harten.

An Ovation For Hope

Every day we are overwhelmed by bad news. So much goes wrong in the world, and through every possible channel we are presented with it again and again. It affects how we see the world – and each other.

Can we still see the good things? Have we secretly become biased? And why does it seem so much easier to imagine a doomsday scenario than a story with a hopeful ending?

In An Ovation For Hope, 15 young people search for that hope. They explore our daily observations and take to the city, looking for stories that show we humans are not always the worst.

It will be a physical and visual performance, in which you might recognize yourself, your neighbor, or your colleague in the unfolding stories. And who knows, you may leave afterwards with a lighter step and a spark of hope in your heart.