SHIFT: Nic Bruckman - Tussen de Mazen

Liefde en verraad tussen golven en drugsgeweld (Love and betrayal amid waves and drug violence)

A fisherman and a criminal become entangled in a dangerous game of drugs, betrayal and unexpected love. Tussen de Mazen (Caught in the Nets) is a theatrical thriller about survival at sea, based on true events. How do you remain honest when no one follows the rules anymore? And how do you hold on to your sense of masculinity when your head is turned by feelings for your shipmate?

At the heart of this theatrical thriller are a fisherman and a hardened criminal — two people from completely different worlds, brought together by chance and commerce. The sea is rough, the conditions unpredictable. Customs authorities and cartels pose a constant threat. Yet amid the sports bags filled with drugs, an unexpected spark ignites. Their bond grows, despite the risks and their differences. What begins as cooperation develops into something neither of them anticipated.

Tussen de Mazen is a story about surviving in a world without rules. What do you do when the line between right and wrong begins to blur? How do you stay true to yourself when the pressure to survive keeps mounting? And what does masculinity mean in an environment ruled by power and violence?

The production is written by Nic Bruckman and created by Bruckman Projecten. Their work focuses on true, often extreme events — stories we might prefer to look away from, yet which reveal much about the world we live in. Bruckman delves deeply into his themes and bases his productions on personal experience. For this performance, Nic Bruckman himself spent weeks at sea aboard fishing vessels.

SHIFT, an initiative by Explore the North and Stadsschouwburg De Harmonie.
Unironed performing arts: raw, honest, contemporary and unsettling. SHIFT is for those who want to understand what’s going on — in your mind, in the world, in others, in yourself, both on a grand scale and in intimate detail. For curious thinkers and critical dreamers. Throughout the year, at changing locations, SHIFT presents performances you simply have to see, far beyond the beaten theatrical path. From spoken word to postmodern dance. From theatrical manifesto to poetic requiem. These are works by both emerging and established makers that engage directly with the present and the future.