TNTL 119/4

Paul Post

Het nut van toneel: De Maatschappij tot Nut van 't Algemeen en de opleiding van toneelspelers

Abstract -- In 1866 the ‘Maatschappij tot Nut van ’t Algemeen’ (Society for the Public Benefit) decided that it was necessary to raise the level of Dutch drama. They argued that just like church and school, drama has a great influence on society, therefore bad drama would have a negative impact on audiences. A school of dramatic art would have to improve both acting and the actor. In 1868 such a school was founded whith, however, little success at the time. This article describes the history of this school, the foundation of its successor by ‘Het Nederlandsch Tooneelverbond’ (Dutch Drama Associaton) and the crucial role of ‘het Nut’ in this process.

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