Doris Vervuurt distills her work down to a core that feels both alienating and surprising. Her worlds forge a clear connection with the audience, and it's thrilling how they constantly play with our expectations. On October 21, 2022, she received the Henriëtte Hustinx Prize for her work.
(Photo: Anna Perger)
Doris Vervuurt is the winner of the Henriëtte Hustinx Prize at the Theatre Academy for 2022. The jury praised her work "for the articulate new worlds she creates. Her performances are refined, focused, and stripped of all embellishment." This, according to the jury, requires courage and an attentive eye and ear. "In her essay on creativity and the absence of judgment, Doris explores the free space that art can be. Looking at her work, we see this free space. Beyond idea, ideology, and judgment, there is attention here to the sensory, the non-verbal, to wonder and aesthetics." The jury says it is looking at poetry. And our thoughts are free to wander around the philosophical questions Doris poses. She distills her work down to a core that feels both alienating and surprising. Her worlds engage with the audience in a clear way, and it's exciting how they always play with our expectations. In the extensive plans she's made for the future, we sense meaning, curiosity, and an investigative attitude. The free space can still be anything, and that's a wonderful prospect.