MIMESIS - Julie Boellaard & Sweder de Sitter
When we saw the performance MIMESIS, we immediately thought: “hey, I recognise that!”. Actors Julie Boellaard and Sweder de Sitter expose the behaviours of young society. We imitate what we see around us and everything revolves around results and efficiency, but not the path to get there. In retrospect, we talked about: how do you stay true to yourself in a world that is speeding up and where your environment sets the norm? Are we brave enough to deviate from the norm that we have created together?
About MIMESIS
With the iconic VanMoof bicycle as a metaphor, the theatre performance MIMESIS brings our contemporary spirit into focus. We strive for better and faster: efficiency is paramount and performance is the norm. But balance is lacking. We forget to pause for moments of happiness and reflect on our own behaviour, thinking “I can do that later”. Everyone had the speedy bicycle, so you did too. The hype surrounding the VanMoof is a modern example of what the ancient Greeks mimesis (imitation) called. The proud, young owners of the VanMoof have experienced this. The bicycle was embraced en masse, but has succumbed due to poor quality.
Imitation is not only seen on the bike path; we also mirror ourselves to colleagues at work. We adopt (un)desired structures and norms, often without realising it. Happiness at work often falls to the wayside due to mimesis being overlooked. The performance exposes this tension. How can we break the cycle of mimesis at work and ensure that our (work) happiness is increased?
About MIMESIS X GELIJKSPEL
Theatre touches on where words sometimes fall short and thus opens the door to dialogue. With MIMESIS, these challenges can be addressed in a unique way:
Job satisfaction and sustainable employability of employees: how do employees remain motivated?
Searching for work-life balance: how do you deal with different perspectives on work and life?
Work culture: what is the norm at work, to what extent do you stay true to yourself or do you adapt?
Life stages: what impact do the different age stages and generations have on work and culture within your organisation? What can we learn from each other?
But… how do you tackle these challenges? Only with a critical eye will you succeed. That's why GELIJKSPEL engages in conversation with the participants after the performance. We focus on reflection and call for action: what do you take from the performance and what will you do with it afterwards? Together with your organization, we coordinate which perspective is appropriate. This way, the conversation always aligns with the issues that your organization is facing.
MIMESIS X GELIJKSPEL
Theatre performance
Post-discussion facilitated by GELIJKSPEL
35 minutes
Dutch
Sweder de Sitter and Julie Boellaard are the writers, creators, and performers of MIMESIS. Both graduated from the Acting programme at the Utrecht School of the Arts and create documentary-philosophical performances from a shared sense of humour and linguistic conflicts.
For this performance, creators Sweder and Julie have, among other things, engaged in conversations with former VanMoof employees and the originator of the term 'Havermelkelite' (Jonas Kooyman) to delve further into the hype surrounding the electric bicycle. Their vision on the VanMoof/'Their vision on the influence of the VanMoof on the Dutch cycle path' has been used for the book 'Havermelkelite' (over 2.3 million copies sold).
REVIEWS
“Mimesis by theatre makers Julie Boellaard and Sweder de Sitter is a dialogue that evokes the work of Harold Pinter, between two hipsters from the Randstad on a VanMoof. Surrounded by privileges, expectations, and easy engagement, they cycle (with pedal assistance) through their luxurious lives. As time passes, life strikes back: decay sets in, there is disillusionment, sadness, and headwinds. Mimesis unfolds as a humorous, delightfully weird, and pleasantly elusive trinket..”
Volkskrant ★★★★☆
“The actors look critically at what the VanMoof symbolises ... a pleasant outing, but also a good moment for reflection.”
Parool