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Press release: SPRING 2025: “LET’S SAY IT OUT LOUD. WE ARE EXHAUSTED“
Ten days of dance, theater, installations and more in Utrecht
From May 22 till 31, the thirteenth edition of SPRING Performing Arts Festival will take place in Utrecht, with this year’s theme WE ARE EXHAUSTED. Politically, socially, in nature, online, and in our bodies, it can be felt in many ways. Artistic director Grzegorz Reske states: “Shouldn’t we say it out loud? It’s hard not to lose yourself in a world that keeps accelerating and is filled with political and social unrest. But no matter how powerless we feel, we hold the power to bring change.”
SPRING festival presents theater and dance performances, art installations, and in-depth conversations that reflect on the world while inviting audiences to come together and recharge. The festival features over 30 performances by more than 100 performers, artists, choreographers, and directors from both the Netherlands and abroad, spread across 13 locations throughout the city.
EXTRAVAGANT CREATORS AND RENOWNED NAMES
Alongside emerging artists, internationally renowned names will be present at SPRING. These include amongst others:
- Argentinian artist Marina Otero with Kill Me
- The extravagant and provocative Bulgarian performer Ivo Dimchev with METCH
- The famous Berlin-based collective Gob Squad, presenting their interactive performance Is Anybody Home?, in which they create a live film that explores the boundaries of theater, privacy, and the relationship between viewer and subject.
FESTIVAL THEME: WE ARE EXHAUSTED
Exhaustion is a key theme at SPRING in different ways. The group choreography UIRAPURU by Brazilian artist Marcelo Evelin & Demolition Incorporada and Wasted Land by the South African-Swiss Ntando Cele both explore the exhaustion of the planet. Wasted Land, which opens the festival, links climate change to colonialism and asks: Can we stand in solidarity with all humans and the planet instead of surpressing or exploiting them?
A nearly literal translation of the festival theme comes from Hungarian artist and choreographer Viktor Szeri with fatigue, which explores the limits of the human body. This hypnotic performance reflects on the burnout of the dancer, society, and the world around us. It takes place at the music venue EKKO and will be followed by a club night that extends the show’s vibe into the morning.
Other artists focus on ways to recharge. Slow TV Cinema screens 24 films in 24 hours in a sleepover-style cinema, while Into the Dirt by Dimitri de Perrot creates a sound oasis at Utrecht Central Station’s Pop-Up Store.
UTRECHT TAKES THE STAGE
In the grand hall of Stadsschouwburg Utrecht, audiences can also experience Teenage Songbook of Love and Sex by the Icelandic-British duo Ásrún Magnúsdóttir & Alexander Roberts, a musical performance featuring young people from Reykjavik. The piece incorporates contributions from local talent and is enriched with texts and songs by young people from Utrecht, resulting in a one-time-only, unique performance.
In addition to traditional theaters and Utrecht Central Station, performances and installations will take place in unexpected locations and public spaces, including Centrale Bibliotheek, LE:EN, Janskerkhof, Domplein, and, for the first time at TivoliVredenburg, where the festival will conclude with a free concert by the Polish punk band SIKSA.
Tickets of SPRING are low-priced, including day passes and passe partouts, with some installations and performances offering pay-what-you-want tickets. Sale starts on April 3rd at 12 PM via springutrecht.nl.