Jean Cement - Schwung (premiere)

"Those who wish to remain must not stand still. Change with the times, or you shall perish..."

Somewhere in the Middle Ages, an unknown author wrote the tragedy of Jean Cement. As far as is known, the play was never performed before - but this theatre season, Schwung changes that. The collective performs the text for the first time: complete and unaltered, exactly as it was written back then.

Deep in the past, Jean Cement leads a routine existence: the same walk every day, the same porridge from the same bowl, the same work on the same land. Higher powers command him to deviate from the beaten path - but then you've got the stubborn Jean. He freezes and refuses any change. In vain, because the future usually pays little attention to our plans. Your old primary school gets demolished, your mother dies, that quirky green trousers no longer fit. How long can you hold on to the familiar before the relentless world devours you whole?

Jean Cement is a humorous performance about progress, conservatism, and the human tendency to want to understand everything before it happens - in the sounds of yesterday about the themes of today.

Schwung is a seven-member collective founded by Sam van Hulst, with Luna Joosten, Reinout Bongers, Gina van Os Sánchez, David Roos, Noa van der Vorst and David Westera. The makers come from theatre, performance, design, directing, journalism and philosophy, and work in changing configurations.

Credits: concept, text, direction, performance, set design, music, catering, costumes and dramaturgy: Schwung (Luna Joosten, Gina van Os Sánchez, Noa van der Vorst, Sam van Hulst, David Westera, Reinout Bongers, David Roos) | lighting: Bogi Bakker | campaign image: Isabel Sánchez Olid | co-producer: Werkplaats Walhalla | tour planning: Theaterbureau de Mannen [x/v/m]