Gienke Deuten

Gienke Deuten

From concrete to absurd, even idiotic

Gienke Deuten produces expressive shows for young and adult audiences, on location or in the theatre. In her physical productions, whereby language is never the main vehicle, she creates weird and wonderful worlds where the characters struggle with the question of how mankind relates to the world in which he lives. They touch upon issues such as powerlessness, astonishment, feeling lost and territorial behaviour. The shows are not a commentary on current events. They serve to translate universal topics into the transitory world of the individual characters. The basic principle is always concrete, clear and simple. And this can lead to absurd, sometimes even idiotic situations.

Gienke Deuten’s characters are trapped in their own little worlds. On occasion, they are even literally trapped; stuck in the scenery. In Schmiere/Ham it up (Deuten & De Goeij) for example, a clown is tied to a caravan, and Korte termijn geluk/Short-term happiness features two goldfish trapped in their bowl. The characters are real people, but they are unpredictable and psychologically unrealistic. They are anxious beings, driven into a corner, trying to defend their territory.

Gienke Deuten is also part of De Firma Rieks Swarte.