Eva Bal
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.
Biography
[edit]Personal life
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- 1976: Vreemd kind in je straat
- 1983: De Boot
- 1987: Wie troost Muu?
- 1991: Landschap van Laura (with Alain Platel)
- 1992: De tuin (with Alain Platel)
Awards and influence
[edit]- Wanda Reumer Award
- Multiawarded with Signaal Award, in particular for Wie troost Muu?[4]
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]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Philip of Tielens (10 May 2021). "Eva Bal, de oermoeder van het Vlaamse jeugdtheater". De Standaard (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "Eva Bal (83), barones en oprichter jeugdtheater in Gent, overleden". vrtnws.be (in Dutch). 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
- ^ "Eva Bal (1938 - 2021)". KOPERGIETERY (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-05-11.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Pionier van Gentse jeugdtheater Eva Bal (82) overleden". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). Retrieved 2021-05-10.
- ^ a b "Theatermaker Eva Bal (Kopergietery) overleden". Theaterkrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-05-11.
- ^ Bertrand Maus de Rolley et Jean-Claude de Troostembergh (2022). Etat présent de la noblesse belge. Bruxelles: Etat présent des familles ASBL. p. 61.