On Thursday 23 May, the twelfth edition of SPRING Performing Arts Festival kicks off in Utrecht. For ten days, the city’s theatres and streets will be the stage for theatre makers from home and abroad. The SPRING programme is full of unexpected artistic perspectives that relate to the most pressing issues of the moment. Ahead of the start of ticket sales on 4 April, SPRING gives a sneak preview of the first seven names of artists travelling to Utrecht.
Opening weekend: Marta Górnicka, Mette Ingvartsen en Ingrid Berger Myhre
Three strong female artists, known to SPRING audiences, present their latest work in the opening weekend. Marta Górnicka provides a touching opening of the festival on Thursday 23 May with MOTHERS – A SONG FOR WARTIME. The Berlin-based Polish director brings together a choir of Ukrainian, Belarusian and Polish women: mothers and daughters. A powerful, melodic performance is the result, reflecting on how Russian imperialist aggression has affected their lives. This performance can also be seen at major international festivals such as Zürcher Theater Spektakel and Festival d’Avignon later this year.
The Berliner Zeitung wrote about this performance, “This evening is a choral tale from the power of the individual, telling of dark violence and landing in clear humanity.”
Earlier at the opening night of SPRING 2024, Mette Ingvartsen, an artist who has previously been seen at SPRING, presents the Dutch premiere of her most recent work: the SPRING coproduction RUSH. The solo RUSH was made for Manon Santkin, friend and her regular collaboration partner, therein Ingvartsen reactivates highlights from previous works. Together they search for new meanings and contexts, reflecting on twenty years of performing on stages around the world.
Later in the weekend, you will also see Spelling Spectacle by Ingrid Berger Myhre. During SPRING 2023, it was one of the opening performances, but had to be canceled last minute due to an injured dancer. Now, the dance performance is finally available for the audience in Utrecht: three dancers captivatingly and humorously explore the pitfalls in logic in our verbal and non-verbal communication.
Image: Bea Borgers