Eva Bal

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Eva Bal (also known as Eva Elisabeth, baroness Gerretsen) (June 25, 1938,The Hague - May 9, 2021) was a Dutch theater director , pioneer in the youth theater domain.

Contents

Biography

Personal life

Eva Elisabeth Gerretsen was born on June 25, 1938, in The Hague. [1] In 1960 she graduated in drama from the Hogeschool voor Dramatische Kunst in Utrecht. [2] [3] In 1966 she married August Bal, whose name she took and with whom she had three children: Martijn Bal, Sarah Bal (a psychologist and behavioural therapist) and Vincent Bal (a film director). [4] [1] August Bal died in 1984 and she later remarried, to Walter Mareen. [4]

She died on May 9, 2021, after suffering for several years from Alzheimer's disease. [4] [2]

Career

She arrived in Belgium in 1961 to give courses in dramatic expression. [4] She moved to Flanders in 1963 and worked for the Ministry of Culture to give new impetus to youth theatre. [5]

In 1978, Bal founded the youth theatre centre Speelteater Gent, [4] where young people and children could attend theatre workshops. [2] In 1993, the center moved to Kopergietery, a former copper foundry in the centre of Ghent, and is now known under this name. [2] She developed her method, "from improvisation to theatre". [5]

She worked with Raymond Bossaerts, Frans Van der Aa and Mia Grijp, and travelled both domestically and internationally. [4] She created performances for, among others, Jeugd & Theatre, the Beursschouwburg, the Arca Theater in Ghent and the Brussels Kamertoneel. [2]

After Yugoslav War, she worked with children in Zagreb. [2] She was a professor at the Hogeschool voor Theater in Maastricht and at the Ghent Conservatory. She co-founded the International Youth Theatre and was a member of the Raad voor Cultuur of the Flemish Community of Belgium.

In 2003, Eva Bal handed over the artistic direction of Kopergierty to Johan De Smet. [4]

Works

Awards and influence

On 3 September 2000, she was ennobled and elevated to the rank of baroness by King Albert II, [6] for her commitment and pioneering work in youth theatre. Her motto was Het Kan. [4] Director and choreographer Alain Platel considers that Eva Bal's influence extends beyond Europe: "Until Eva Bal, children were a kind of scenery in the theatre, with a few sentences of text. Eva took children very seriously and worked with them and for them at a high level". [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 Philip of Tielens (10 May 2021). "Eva Bal, de oermoeder van het Vlaamse jeugdtheater". De Standaard (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Eva Bal (83), barones en oprichter jeugdtheater in Gent, overleden". vrtnws.be (in Dutch). 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  3. ↑ "Eva Bal (1938 - 2021)". KOPERGIETERY (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Pionier van Gentse jeugdtheater Eva Bal (82) overleden". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  5. 1 2 "Theatermaker Eva Bal (Kopergietery) overleden". Theaterkrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  6. ↑ Bertrand Maus de Rolley et Jean-Claude de Troostembergh (2022). Etat présent de la noblesse belge. Bruxelles: Etat présent des familles ASBL. p. 61.
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