Ivo van Hove, director: I’m from a small village in Belgium. My parents wanted me to be a lawyer and thought I’d never make a cent as a director. The arts in Belgium were totally old-fashioned: there was no room for new talents, only the old crocodiles. Elsewhere, performance art and punk were happening. The actor Dora van der Groen said go to the Netherlands because I would lose years not having a job in Belgium. I ran a theatre in the south of the Netherlands then took over Toneelgroep Amsterdam [which became Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA)] in 2001. When I come to a big institution, I like to honour the tradition but also innovate. I’d worked a lot with my own generation but decided this should be a coming together of all ages so we’d have actors in their 20s and 70s. That’s a real ensemble – different opinions and experiences.
Marieke Heebink, actor: Amsterdam people are known for speaking up; Belgians are very polite. So there was a kind of culture clash. We had to get to know each other. An ensemble is like a working family – you see each other’s flaws.
