New Leadership, New Energy

But before the program was revealed, there was big news in April: Noorderzon has a new managing director as of April 1. Rutger Gernandt takes over from Femke Eerland, who is stepping down after 16 years as director and over 20 years building the festival.

Gernandt (1985) brings a rich background from the performing arts. Until recently, he was the business director of the theater company De Warme Winkel in Amsterdam, where he also founded Theaterbroedplaats De Sloot. Previously, he worked for Ulrike Quade Company, among others. With a background in drums from the Royal Conservatory and public administration from Leiden University, as well as various board positions, he seems to be the ideal person to lead Noorderzon into the future.

International Stars on the Way

The first program teaser came in March, when the festival under new leadership pulled three major international names out of the hat. The Greek-Albanian director Mario Banushi presents MAMI, a touching visual poem about motherhood - "for everyone who is, was, has – or never had – a mother." A universal story that weaves memory, mourning, and love into theater poetry

Additionally, Noorderzon favorite Antoine Defoort returns from France with a performance that combines toasting bread, spaceships, and "the crunchiest metaphor of the moment." And the challenging Spanish collective El Conde de Torrefiel presents LA LUZ DE UN LAGO - an imaginary film in which love, work, and violence tumble together in a world full of illusions.

&Society: Where Art and World Collide

But Noorderzon is more than just theater. The &Society program, recently announced, showcases the festival at its sharpest: more than 50 programs where art, science, and society intersect. Three red threads run through the program: Protest, Female Voices, and City & Countryside.

More than a Festival

Among all the program lines are gems that defy categorization. The Leftist Men solve six current problems with humor, Studium Generale offers theater lectures on the ocean as an influential body, and there is even a Guess Who game about the history of slavery.

Ticket Sales and Further Revelations

The ticket sales for the international main program have already begun via noorderzon.nl. For the rest of the program, festival-goers must wait until July 7. But the excitement is building: on June 16, the &Literaturia program will follow, on June 23 the music in Apollo and Pollux, and on June 30 the children's program.

Friends of the festival can order tickets a day earlier and receive a discount - a small advantage for the most loyal visitors.