History of the ensemble

Toneelgroep Amsterdam (TA) was founded in 1987. It is a merger between two companies from the capital city; the Publiekstheater and Toneelgroep Centrum. Gerardjan Rijnders, who was the artistic leader at that time, was the first to remove experimental theatre from the margins and place avant-garde on the country's primary stage: Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam.

His successor Ivo van Hove continues along this line. Together with designer Jan Versweyveld, he breaks through the restrictions of the large theatre, and steps out of the frame if the performance calls for it. The playhouse as a location where the natural distance between actor and audience is removed and the relationship between fiction and reality is defined in a new way.

Toneelgroep Amsterdam has developed into an urban theatre company performing in the already existing theatre and the new Rabozaal theatre at the Stadsschouwburg since 2009. It is a base for meeting artists from the Netherlands as well as from other countries. Amsterdam becomes the core of a global village where both local and global changes continue to fuel people's ideas about art and theatre.

Toneelgroep Amsterdam produces performances that are up-to-date without explicitly reacting to political and social developments. Theatre becomes a sanctuary for being confronted with the unknown: the unknown in ourselves, in others, in society. But above all, theatre needs to be a party in honour of chaos, where the irrational and the illogical are celebrated.

Toneelgroep Amsterdam produces reinterpretations of classic repertoire, new texts and crossovers with music, design and dance. By frequently teaming up with other companies, such NTGent and Toneelhuis, artistic cross connections are created. Apart from Ivo van Hove, TA also works with prominent guest directors from various countries, such as Thomas Ostermeier, Grzegorz Jarzyna, Johan Simons, Katie Michell, Luk Perceval, Simon Stone, Sam Gold, Krzysztof Warlikowski and Christoph Marthaler.

Visionary and distinctive directors will be making their own special creations. What connects these new and internationally renowned directors is their belief that theatre is essential within a society that is more disparate and diverse than ever. They all share a concern about the place of man in this continually changing society.

Amsterdam Stadsschouwburg (SSBA) and Toneelgroep Amsterdam (TA) merged on 1 January 2018, and from the 18|19 season onwards we will operate under the name Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA). We are currently working on a new organization that will act as a beacon for contemporary theatre and cater to audiences from Amsterdam and around the world, leading the way at the national and international levels. We will produce a high-quality programme with 600 pluriform national and international theatre and dance performances every year, and social programmes that will appeal to a wide range of audiences, bringing them new ways of understanding and seeing the world.

Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA) is one of the leading lights in Dutch theatre, with a large ensemble of world famous actors and a pioneering team of directors. Performances will be held by the ITA Ensemble not only at the Amsterdam venue, but also at around 100 other venues around the world. The new theatre will also be a major Talent Center focusing on education, development and collaboration. We are home to major festivals such as Brandhaarden, Julidans, the Holland Festival and the Netherlands Theatre Festival. A modern meeting place with its own café/brasserie where front stage can meet and mingle with back stage, and the boundaries between the audience and those involved in the production can disappear. The new theatre will speak with one voice to the city, the country, funds, sponsors and, of course, its audiences. In short, a theatre venue that speaks clearly to the city and its residents.