Jonge Harten Festival
A place where we create a new future narrative together
Jonge Harten Festival invites young people to make their voices heard. Throughout this multi-day theatre event, talented young people get plenty of opportunities to literally and figuratively present themselves – and to tell the audience where they want to go in this world.
Jonge Harten is an eight-day theatre festival held in the city of Groningen, aimed at developing the talents of people aged between 12 and 29. It brings together young artists and students to collaborate on performances and presentations. It is one of the few places within the Netherlands that allow emerging artists to showcase their work in front of a live audience while also being part of this learning-focused community. In this way, fresh talent is given a platform to develop into professional artists.
Interesting internships
Education is a key component. Consequently, the festival collaborates closely with schools in the city and throughout the province. Among the sub-programmes is ‘De Route’. This programme enables makers to consider the possibility of a future career in educational productions. Furthermore, the festival organisation provides a range of interesting internship opportunities.
Artistic courage
The theme for 2025 was ‘Speak up – and listen’. The aim for Jonge Harten was to encourage participants to be expressive and engage in dialogue. ‘In a world where autocracy and censorship are on the rise, it is important that we all continue to speak up,’ says artistic director Karlijn Benthem. ‘More and more young people approach us and ask: Can you help us write a new story for the future? It’s really important to have other narratives about the world if we want to advance together. Learning to create your own story – and knowing how to adapt it when needed – lays the foundation for happiness.’