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'No idea what he said, but people loved it'
International touch for Wonka Comedy Festival thanks to Region Deal funds
An evening laughing out loud at clever conferences, virtuoso language skills or hard jokes. Cabaret is more popular than ever. Every year, five theatres in the Brainport region organise the Wonka Comedy Festival to attract comedy lovers and people who'd like to discover the genre. With the help of Regio Deal funds, this second edition managed to include international talent.
The five regional theatres Parktheater Eindhoven, Theater de Hofnar in Valkenswaard, de Kattendans in Bergeijk, Theater de Schalm Veldhoven and Het Speelhuis in Helmond have been working together intensively for several years under the name Wonka Podia. The goal? To make theatre (productions) accessible to every inhabitant of the Brainport region through various projects. Also for those for whom this is not self-evident, such as the elderly in care homes, the deaf and hard of hearing, the blind and visually impaired, young footballers or international residents of the region. This cooperation leads to various initiatives, such as Wonka Comedy Festival. Besides Dutch talent, there is also plenty of room for international acts.
Intensifying cooperation
'We think everyone should be able to go to the theatre. Theatre takes you to another world. Another reality. It makes you daydream and wonder. You're in a black-box. Without a phone. Totally sucked into a performance.'
Speaking is Dries Floris, director of Theatre de Kattendans in Bergeijk. He was at the cradle of Wonka Podia. 'Thanks to the Regio Deal funds, we have been able to intensify our cooperation.'
Among other things, this has led to joint programming. Such as WONKA On Tour, in which the theatres visited primary schools in the region. There has also been the Wonka Comedy Festival since last year. A great success. This year, eighty cabaret performances took place across the five Brabant stages from 23 May to 1 June. Big Dutch names like Arjen Lubach and Christel de Laat were on stage, but international artists from Poland, Turkey and Greece also performed: 'Those Polish and Turkish cabaret performers sold out the whole hall. No idea what they were saying, but people loved it.'
International programme bears fruit
The second edition attracted many more visitors than last year. The international allure given to the festival proved a hit. Dries smiles again as he looks back:
'The Wonka Comedy Festival aimed to do and mean more for national and international people who don't often go to the theatre. This region is home to many people who want a night out. We managed to attract a diverse audience with a diverse programme.'
Enduring Title
Dries is grateful for the Regio Deal funds and the trust in WONKA stages, which made the Comedy Festival a resounding success: "The Regio Deal funds got us thinking. The things we wanted to do and found important and necessary suddenly became possible. The strong support was invaluable. The Wonka Comedy Festival is an enduring title for the coming years."
