Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repair. The shards of a broken porcelain bowl are put back together with gold or silver lacquer. The bowl is usable again, but the fact that it was once broken stays visible. The gold-laced surface encourages reflection. The bowl has the marks of the crash, as well as those of careful hands that put it back together. In awe, one can see what the gold ads: love, care, the will to make whole again. The refusal to let go. A new shine. A quiet power. 

The world is full of cracks and bruises. Shards break off, but the trash bin is not an option. We do not have a shelf with back-up planets. We have to pick up the pieces and look for the gold. We have to refuse to let go.

Boulevard offers a program full of that strength. Artists with careful hands. Their work is the gold we are looking for. Boukje Schweigman is a good example. With her wordless, expressive work she speaks to all senses. Her performance KLEI has three performers gliding through the world, showing how we connect to the ground beneath our feet, what the Earth gives us and how it shapes us. How fragile the balance can be. 

The British Ben Duke (Lost Dog) played his amazing solo Paradise Lost at Boulevard ten years ago. Duke takes classics and lets those stories clash with our current reality. This highlights how we think about themes like identity, love and justice. We are happy and proud that he will be back for our opening program with Ruination, a musical dans and theater performance based on the myth of Medea.

Poet, writer and theatre artist Gershwin Bonevica won the Gouden Ganzeveer for his text Terug naar Prinsenplein, an impressive and moving song from his younger self. He brings a new story with new words. We are looking forward to his magical garden of spoken word and play in Gershwin Unplugged. 

Then, love. The Flanders-based Scheldeoffensief calls itself a ‘theater lab for special people’. Together with Comp. Marius, they travel to Fort Isabella to play the classic of classics: Romeo & Juliet. A peculiar couple with a cruel fate. But who can live without love? Without love, nothing works.

We gathered more quiet strength. Tent Paars is bursting with young energy and incredible skill for the entire festival. The Lijn 73 programme brings the city, public and artists together in wonderful artistic situations like the Zing Ontbijt by the King Sisters, or kids from Den Bosch that are rooted like trees in Corpo Máquina Society’s Dancing with the Trees. 

Families can boar Theatre Artemis’ train from playground to playground for Arty farty in the Playground (AL), and the forever young b-boy Remses rafaela lets the body tell a tale about fear and growth in ANOCHI (4+), a dance performance for toddlers. 

Watch in wonder as the artists astound you with their stimulating, entertaining, and relevant performances, where the gold can be found. Join us, toast with us on the square and tell us what moves you. The temporary community we create during Boulevard, that is where the true gold can be found.