Just van Bommel on what it means to be a man
What if, in a tense moment, you knew exactly what to say? In DEAR FRAIL MALE, Just van Bommel plays with that idea. He shares a personal experience: an unexpected encounter with a group of boys on the street. They ask confronting questions—about who he is, what he’s wearing, and whether he has a penis. Caught off guard, he can’t respond the way he would have liked. No witty comeback, no clever counter-question.
This experience forms the basis of a textual, rhythmic performance about the weight of the male norm. Just reclaims control over that moment. He imagines what it would be like to stay clear-headed in the heat of the moment—to respond with both sharpness and empathy.
Together with performers Michael Wanga and Niels van Heijningen, he explores the pressure placed on boys and men. What does it mean to be a man in a society that often sees aggression as strength and vulnerability as weakness? DEAR FRAIL MALE is a reflection on that image. The performance makes space for doubt and shows that men, too, are allowed to search, to feel, and to change.
The performance is produced by Frascati Producties. Just van Bommel is part of the Frascati Producties development program, where he uses personal stories to address social issues. In DEAR FRAIL MALE, he focuses on the more difficult aspects of masculinity—but also on the potential for growth and transformation.
Through rhythm, language, and performance, Just shows that resistance doesn’t always have to be loud. It can also be about daring to feel, to pause, and to begin again. de Volkskrant called it “a brilliant act of resistance” and awarded it four stars.
DEAR FRAIL MALE is an invitation to see yourself—and others—in a new light.
Let yourself be drawn into a performance that challenges, moves, and provokes thought. This performance is in English.
SHIFT, an initiative of Explore the North and Stadsschouwburg De Harmonie.
Grounded performing arts: raw, honest, topical and disruptive. You come to SHIFT because you want to know what is going on: in your head, in the world, with others, with yourself, in the big and in the small. For curious thinkers and critical dreamers. Throughout the year, in changing locations, you will find must-see performances, off the beaten path of theater. From spoken word to postmodern dance. From theatrical pamphlet to poetic requiem. These are performances by young and more established artists who touch on current affairs and the future.