Alumni and teacher ArtEZ nominated for Theo d'Or
- Music
- Theatre
The nominees for the Theo d'Or 2025 have been announced. The most important theatre awards in the Netherlands annually recognise the most impressive stage performances. This year, alumni of the ArtEZ Academy of Theatre & Dance and a teacher of the ArtEZ Academy of Music in Enschede were nominated.
Nominated alumni
Last year, Mike Zanting and Elvis de Launay graduated from the bachelor's programme in Theatre.
Mike Zanting has a chance of winning the award for most impressive acting performance in a supporting role. He is nominated for his performance in Antigone (Het Nationale Theater, direction: Nina Spijkers).
From the jury report:
“Mike Zanting plays a clever and beautiful game and walks the fine line between comedy and tragedy in a truly impressive way.”
Elvis de Launay is nominated for the most groundbreaking stage performance, for her role in MAMA DADA (Theater a/d Rijn, direction: Ludwig Bindervoet).
From the jury report:
“From the seemingly radical chaos of elements thrown at the viewer, De Launay creates a magical whole.”
Alumnus Anne Chris Schulting, who graduated in 2015, is nominated for most impressive acting performance in a leading role for her role in Liberty Bell (het zuid land, direction: Jorg van den Kieboom & Hidde Brouwers).
From the jury report:
“She takes the audience by the hand and clearly shows us the development of the character. In addition, she excels in a very physical presence.”
Finally, Jeroen Spitzenberger, who graduated in 1998 from the Theatre School in Arnhem, is nominated for his role in Cyrano (Bos Theaterproducties, direction: Jasper Verheugd).
From the jury report:
“With ease he plays the room and the other characters with whom he tells this story. As an audience you sympathise with him, but gradually realise that the viewer may also be being manipulated.”
Nominated lecturer
Manu van Kersbergen is a lecturer in the minor Beats & Rhymes. He is nominated for the most groundbreaking stage performance with his production The Rediscovery of Heaven, a collaboration with music collective .multibeat.
From the jury report:
“Van Kersbergen and his collective combine poetry, performance and music into a powerful, accessible form of spoken word art.”
When will the winners be announced?
We will find out who the lucky winners are during the Gala of Dutch Theatre on Sunday 14 September 2025 at Internationaal Theater Amsterdam. The gala is the festive conclusion of the Dutch Theatre Festival, which takes place from 4 to 14 September.