Until 1 June theatremakers, actors, artists and dancers are forced to sit at home. As part of the official measures aimed at keeping the spread of the coronavirus under control, exhibitions are off and performances have been cancelled. What do these measures mean for Piket Art Prizes’ young artists? Part 13: Jos Nargy.
Jos Nargy, 2018 winner of the Piket Art Prize in the Dramatic Arts, “took a month off” to calm down. “Pressure was mounting, so I took the opportunity to do nothing, just made long walks. Many of my performances were cancelled.” Poeziebar XL is on the Koninklijke Schouwburg’s agenda for 2 June. “It may still go ahead, it’s uncertain,” Jos says. Unfortunately, too, there will be no Parade this summer. Jos had planned a performance about the poet Fritzi ten Harmsen van der Beek for the Poezieboys (The Poetry Boys). “She was a Dutch poet who was immensely popular in the literary world of the 1950s and 1960s, but wasn’t treated well by the press. She threw big disorderly parties and was seen as something of a bohémienne.” The performance will be realized next year.
“I’m in daily contact with the Poezieboys’ Joep Hendrikx,” Jos says. Jos and Joep put a poem on social media every day to inspire people. And Jos has his vlog Jos’s Wereld (Jos’s World) where he talks about everything that has caught his interest, from bats to pilgrimages. Jos and Joep also decided to set up the Poezieboys as a private foundation. “A big step.” Jos is worried about the future. “I fear companies will collapse. We can only wait and see.” But he also takes time to relax. “I took up an old hobby, role playing, where you’re an online character who has to fulfill all kinds of assignments. And I paint.”
Jos is dus in afwachting van hoe het verder gaat in de theatersector. “Maar het is ook belangrijk om niet stil te vallen”, zegt hij. “Ondertussen werk ik met Thomas, Sacha en Jos door aan de voorstelling Mijn Vader naar het boek van Toon Tellegen. Ook heeft hij nog altijd de intentie om de voorstelling Jos Danst te maken. “Maar daar moet ik echt nog even voor gaan zitten.” Jos wil daar ook Nik van den Berg bij betrekken, die in 2015 de winnaar was in de categorie Toneel.
Photo: Hessel Waalewijn
