Farce of the Cow, Bredero
Utrechtse Theaterinitiatieven, 1985. Direction: Aram Adriaanse. Design: Niels Hamel
I based the design of Bredero’s play primarily on color. The show was played in the street and literally unfolded before the audience. A large farmers’ cart appears, its body covered on four sides by stained-black vertical planks with a bit of space left between them. The players surrounding the cart wear long black coats. They pull a cow along with them. Then they shed their coats to reveal their colorful costumes. The cart turns into a drawbridge and, in an instant, a farmhouse arises ten meters further. An enormous backdrop connects this simultaneous theater stage. The color yellow predominates in the costumes and stage design.