After the Rehearsal / Persona | ITA – Ivo van Hove

With After the Rehearsal / Persona, Ivo van Hove made one of his most personal productions based on the work of Ingmar Bergman. In this remarkable diptych he brought together two masterpieces that both revolve around actors, theatre-makers and the question of how much of yourself you can sacrifice to art.

A tribute to the craft of theatre

Date: December 13, 2012

After the success of Scenes From a Marriage and Cries and Whispers, Van Hove continued his artistic dialogue with Bergman. By bringing After the Rehearsal and Persona together in a single evening, he created a production about the thin line between imagination and reality, between life on stage and life beyond it.

At its heart were impressive roles by Marieke Heebink, Karina Smulders and Gijs Scholten van Aschat. Persona in particular made a deep impression. Both Marieke Heebink and Karina Smulders were nominated for a Theo d'Or for their roles. The Dutch Theatre Jury also selected the production as one of the best of the season.

With After the Rehearsal / Persona, Toneelgroep Amsterdam paid tribute to the craft of acting and of making theatre. The result was a production that was at once intimate, philosophical and emotional, and that shows why Bergman and Van Hove suit one another so well.