STILLE ZONDE / THE DIRTY WORK
In STILLE ZONDE / THE DIRTY WORK, we see how Pieter van Steyn (Felix Schellekens) and Diederick van Wolfswinkel (Jordy Vogelzang) meet while cruising on The Hague's Voorhout. A love develops that cannot be stopped, until prosecutors from all over the Republic of the Netherlands (Nanette Edens) conceive a plan on how to get rid of the sodomite problem as soon as possible: arrest and punish.
The relationship between Pieter and Diederick comes under pressure: Do you keep yourself quiet and play the role society demands of you, or do you take to the streets in spite of everything and stay true to who you are? Who decides who lives and who dies? What are the limits of our freedom? And most importantly, can we all be free everywhere at once?
Historical Context
The so called 'persecution of sodomites' in 1730 claimed the lives of more than a hundred gay men and forced hundreds of others into exile. Despite the unprecedented violent persecutions, this period received little attention within the historiography. Director Vasilis Apostolatos was touched by this history, that shows the dramatic consequences of a sudden societal change. Due to the existence of a vibrant gay culture in South Holland in 1730, most judgments were made there. The relative freedom suddenly turned into exclusion and persecution.The archives of Hof van Holland contained documents related to the court cases of the persecuted men. These formed the foundation for the new theater text by Marjet Moorman.