The Hague Storytelling Festival

Artistic direction and program: Raphael Rodan & Sahand Sahebdivani

An unanswered love, a sip of whiskey, peaceful sleep, an unborn child, a warming hug, a bite of a fresh strawberry, the sun directly on your skin…. people long for a lot and have many unanswered desires! That is the theme of The Amsterdam Storytelling Festival 2022, which takes place at the beginning of November. STET brings a few of the festival’s gems to The Hague. From 25 to 27 November, Zaal 3 will be under the spell of storytelling.

100 men

25 November | 20:00

Trying to rebel against traditional and patriarchal storytelling, Hadas Neuman, a female filmmaker, is roaming the Kiryat Joseph neighborhood in Givatayim (a sleep-city bordering Tel Aviv-Yafo) with a camera in her tote bag. Letting herself be freely and randomly attracted to moments and people, she intentionally loses agency.

Accompanied by a treadmill and live narration the filmmaker creates conversations with the men she filmed in the past – having a second opportunity to tell them, herself and the audience things she was not able to tell in real-time.

Credits:
Dramaturgy and Choreography -Orian MichaeliArtistic
Consultent -Sarah van Lamsweerde
Thanks: Natalia Sliwowska, Jorik Amit Galama, Sabine Groenewegen

Storytelling Workshop Adventure

26 November | 15:00 – 18:00 w/break

Who wouldn’t know the two international storyteller friends of Amsterdam: Raphael and Sahand? They are great friends despite the fact that they come from countries which are…not quite friends (Israel and Iran). Sahand will be your workshop leader for this date. He will conduct a workshop teaching the basics of storytelling and talk about his own experiences. Because, you see, storytelling is at its best when you have a strong connection to your chosen topic.

A well-practiced professional, Sahand will teach you how to create a capturing story with engaging characters, based on YOUR OWN LIFE. He will show you how to find YOUR OWN WORDS and how to TELL YOUR STORY.

For more info click here.

Four Weddings (and an Iranian Funeral)

26 November | 20:00

In Four Weddings, Nasim tells the stories of the Iranian gay community and the secret lives they live while at the same time telling us about his own journey. From his first kiss to saying goodbye to his parents. 

His migration gave him a unique perspective on the different lives we live, from cultural differences to differences related to human rights. Talking about these issues has fueled his work as a storyteller. 

Credits:
Text: Nasim and Sahand Sahebdivani
Dramaturgy: Sahand Sahebdivani

Silent flight (double bill)

27 November | 14:00

In this highly visual performance, deaf actor Ali Shafiee takes you into his escape from Iran story. He left Tehran and walked across the border to Turkey, with forged papers, in the dark, searching for an unknown destination.

Created under the banner of Theatregroup (tg) Signum, Ali tells us about his unique journey in Dutch Sign Language.

This Dutch Sign Language performance can also be followed in spoken English and English surtitles and is therefore accessible to the deaf, hard of hearing and hearing audience. 

Credit:
Performers: Ali Shafiee and Arthur Massoeurs (interpreter)
Directed by: Steef Kersbergen
Project management: Fonge Frieling

Night Travel (double bill)

27 November | 14:00

Night Travel is Dutch-Iranian Sahand Sahebdivani’s personal story. He was only three years old when his mother woke him up and told him they had to flee Iran through the mountains. 

His adventures are combined with folk stories related to him by his father, the only heritage he could take from his home country.

He was Storyteller of the Year in 2014. Together with Raphael Rodan, an Israeli storyteller, he founded not only the Mezrab School of Storytelling but also the International School of Storytelling and Peace. Sahebdivani and Rodan won the Amsterdam Fringe God Award 2017 for their show My Father held a Gun.

Learning to Fly

27 November | 17:00

Learning to Fly is a new show from James Rowland featuring his captivating mix of theatre, comedy and music. James tells the story of a friendship he made as a lonely, unhappy teenager with the scary old lady who lived in the spooky house on his street.

It’s about connection, no matter the obstacles, love’s eternal struggle with time and music’s ability to heal. It’s also about the old lady’s last wish: to get high once before she died.

James Rowland studied at The Drama Centre London. Since 2019, he has played several shows at The Amsterdam Storytelling Festival and built a fan base in The Netherlands.