Next Time in Parliament
"Playing in a Box" Conquers the Hearts of Politicians

Leiden, the Netherlands, 23 January 2002: Premiere night of "Playing in a Box" (Dutch: Kijkdoos), a Forum made by a group of homeless people, and directed by Formaat's Luc Opdebeeck, portraying themselves, their daily lives, but also a prejudiced society. And there is more: the play ends with a plea for more shelter and day-care facilities. In one of the central scenes of the play, the shelter is closed down for the night, because there is not enough personnel. This happens regularly in the Netherlands, just as it happens in hospitals and at schools. But for the latter, the government has promised billions of Euros to improve the situation. For the homeless, still approx. 100,000 in the Netherlands, a mere € 30 Million would be made available. The play ends with the ominous words "Just ignore us and you'll stumble over us for ever".

The performance was offered a standing ovation by the spect-actors in the completely filled "House of the People" Theatre. The play had been devised and rehearsed in only 12 meetings within a span of 3 months but was labelled "very convincing" by one of the Members of Parliament present. In the following weeks, the play will tour various institutions in the region of Leiden and Rotterdam, but for the impact to be truly legislative, it should be seen at the Parliament in the Hague. MP Ineke van Gent (Green Party) promised to make sure that this performance would take place before the general elections in May.

Formaat is very proud that this legislative project is now one step away from actually making a difference for the people involved.

Under Pressure 9, January 2002