WAR WITH CITY COUNCIL:

The Amsterdam city council doesn't any longer issue street performing licenses to performers from outside the European Union. We don't like this and we want to fight it (see http://www.straattheater.info). Legal stuff around this has already started. Some local politicians and their lawyer are backing us up in this and will put pressure from the inside.

Further, the council is pulling our leg and full of apathy for two years now. Great acts are made illegal, or are still illegal, without any sense-making reason. We see the Amsterdam pitches dying slowly but steadily. Alltogether, the city council is systematically killing circle show street theatre, consciously or sub-consciously.
We don't like that so much neither.

We had enough of being ignored, neglected and always being put in the last place. Our patience and their benefit of the doubt has run out.


WHAT:

So we want to organize a street theatre protest demonstration. The idea behind it is to show the public and the press great and positive street theatre acts and tell them they will miss it in the future - if it is up to the city council of Amsterdam. Instead of money lines we will do 'signature-lines' ;-)


WHO:

For this we need (preferably) hot, non-EU performers or performers using music-choreographed routines, but of course *any* performer's support is greatly needed and appreciated. Also non-circle-acts like stiltwalking, ballon-sculpturing etc. could help to collect signatures and enrich the overall atmosphere.

The ideal is to create a powerfull divers program of a few hours, for instance 15 routines of 15 minutes or so. Only with a good program we can get the people's attention and get the press to come, watch, and cover our story. If we merge our professional power, we could create something of great impact the city council simply can not ignore.

Besides acts and routines, we also need 'hands and heads' for organizing the whole thing before, and on the day itself.


WHEN & WHERE:

As it looks now, the protest demonstration will be on Sunday, September 5th on Dam Square (yes, Amsterdam). This is the first weekend after the Edinburgh festival.
Date still depends on some unsure factors, but mostly on the performers available. Another option is to do it the following weekend, i.e. Sunday 12 September.
(update: Saturday Sept 11 Dam Sq. and Leidseplein are already occupied by another event)


LEGAL:

Just for clarity: participating does NOT involve a legal risk, since this is a protest demonstration which is guaranteed by the Dutch constitution. This is not 'normal' street performing.


PLACE TO STAY:

For performers who don't have any place to stay in Amsterdam we will try to find something for free or at least very cheap. But sources are pretty limited, so if you can arrange something yourself, that's great.


TELL OTHERS:

Think about it, talk about it, spread the word.
Together we can open the city council's eyes and make Amsterdam a party pitch again. But it would only work when we do this together, as a team.


TELL US:

Please let us know a.s.a.p. if you are into participating, when you could be in Amsterdam, and what you could do to help. Knowing that, we can make a more specific plan.

Any other feedback or ideas are welcome too.


Frank van Dijk
SuperFrank
http://www.superfrank.com


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Samenwerkende Amsterdamse Straatartiesten
Email: sas at straattheater dot info (replace the 'at' and 'dot')
Website: http://www.straattheater.info
Tel: +31-20-6868950
Fax: +31-20-7768951
GSM: +31-6-21681914
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Last edited by SuperFrank on 08-06-04 at 01:13 AM

I have spoken to a few mates who were over there about 2-3 weeks ago. They told of many street-people actively pestering for money.
"1 chap with a guitar was aggresive in his begging and never even played a single note".

Oh God! I plan on moving to Iceland. Any word on what it's like there?

Have never been to Amsterdam, but have heard of the issue on buskers being more like pestering vagabonds. BUT...this is a serious issue. To my understanding Amsterdam has been a place of street theatre for years and to see it dropping off and being marginalised is realy sad. Good on you Zack for a very informative and specific post.Im at Edinburgh Festival this month and will keep it in mind as I ply my trade...
Regards
Venon

Cold.

It's actually kind of warm right now over there. Now is that better?

Posted: Aug 14, 2004 5:14am
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Man, everybody is so,sensitive: egg shells.

I'm not clear on how denying licenses to non-EU street performers will cut down on obnoxious vagabonds.

I'm assuming those guys aren't carrying "Obnoxious Vagabond" licenses, so what's the connection?

Lots of cities hold auditions for street perfs to determine whether they're qualified, why doesn't Amsterdam just do that?

It is said that there is a beautiful woman behind every tree.

Another silly rule in action. The odds are that someone who goes through the trouble to get a license in the first place is not part of the problem. However, I can see EU buskers having an incentive not to fight this rule, so I applaud your sense of fair-play.

BTW, everyone realizes that Greenland is the icy one, right?

When I was in Iceland I saw some glaciers.

They were cool!

I don't doubt it, but I heard that, in general, Iceland is a much more habitable place than Greenland. I though the story was they named them that way so that people would be drawn towards the one the locals didn't like so much (way back when).

Magicswan

Hey man I PMed you.

I've been there three times... being a street-magish, their silly rules won't bother me. But I agree that this will cut back on the real, genuine performers, leaving only the flea-bitten hashish-addicted bums playing 'twinkle-twinkle-little-star' on a plastic recorder in all sharps & flats, pestering all passers-by.

Good one Bill,

I love it, since there are no trees......

BRoDavid

Well I think its settled then I should be going there in june to be stationed there. hopefully ill find some magi's .. Any clue if there a organization " IBM SAM type out there?

There is a great club run by Veronique Ross (Richard Ross' widow)... and you can find out more from Tommy Wonder and Dick Koornwinder ( dkmagic.nl ) I think is the url, otherwise a search.

Wow, thanks a lot Pete. I read a lot of your posts and you always seem very insightful. Do you know if there are any top notch shops out there I mean where I can get good material "not like a spencers type store?"