Toeslagskandal – When the System Fails
Toeslagskandal reveals what happens when the system breaks down. The performance is based on the true story of the father of creator Tomer Pawlicki. A Polish-Israeli man finds himself trapped in an endless battle with the tax authorities, all because of a simple administrative mistake. His limited command of Dutch and his struggle with alcoholism push him further and further to the margins of society.
He is distrusted, excluded, and his privacy is violated. While he tries to hold on to his dignity, his life becomes increasingly complex. His children watch from the sidelines. His eldest son tries to help, but to the rest of the world, he no longer exists. After his death, he is officially recognized as a victim of the Dutch childcare benefits scandal. But by then, the damage is done.
Toeslagskandal is a powerful performance about immigration, addiction, family ties, and the political system. It exposes how vulnerable people become when they face an impersonal government. It raises urgent questions about trust, exclusion, and the power of language—but also its limits.
The piece is performed by Dood Paard, a theater collective known for politically and socially engaged work. The group creates performances in various forms, including site-specific theater, music theater, and youth productions. Everything is made collectively—from the script to the design. Dood Paard consists of Tomer Pawlicki and Manja Topper.
Toeslagskandal is personal, harrowing, and thought-provoking. It shows what happens when people get lost in a system that fails to see or understand them.
This performance is part of SHIFT, an initiative by Explore the North and Stadsschouwburg De Harmonie. SHIFT presents raw, honest, current, and disruptive performing arts. You come to SHIFT to understand what’s happening—in your head, in the world, with others, and within yourself, on both a grand and intimate scale. For curious thinkers and critical dreamers. All year round, SHIFT brings must-see performances to unexpected venues—off the beaten theater track. From spoken word to postmodern dance. From theatrical manifestos to poetic requiems. These performances by both emerging and established makers reflect on the present and the future.