THE CHRISTMAS PLAYGROUND – DECEMBER 4-5-6

This December, Downstage Left invites you to step into the warmth of the season with a festive edition of Playground. We’ve asked Amsterdam-based writers to craft bespoke one-act plays inspired by the Holiday spirit—tales of togetherness, mischief, and a touch of winter magic.

Through a joyful collection of short performances, local artists bring to life the many ways we celebrate, connect, and rediscover meaning at the close of the year. Expect laughter, heart, and that unmistakable Christmas glow.

Join us for three cozy evenings of theatre at the Badhuistheater, Amsterdam, on December 4th, 5th, and 6th, 2025: TICKETS HERE!

auditions: November 22-23

Thanks to everyone who got in touch about the open auditions on November 22 and 23. We have received a huge number of applications and we are now carefully working our way through them. Unfortunately we are already at the limit and have to close this call.

But… but… I really wanted to audition

We would have loved to have met you but unfortunately we have only limited time and we already need to get back to the folks who have been in touch with us. Please keep an eye on our newsletter and/or instagram for further calls in the future. Sincere thanks for your interest.

I applied. When will we hear more?

We’re working as fast as we can. We hope to be in touch with everyone who applied by October 31. We’re hurrying, we promise.

How will the auditions work?

We’ll be in touch soon to confirm the exact time and place (the auditions will be in Amsterdam in any case). Auditions will be informal. We’ll tell you a bit about DSL and answer any questions you might have. Then you’ll read a few short texts with at least one other actor. The whole thing will take 30-40 minutes.

Do I need to prepare anything?

Yes, but nothing very time consuming. We’ll send full details closer to the time.

Do you pay? Is there any chance of profit shares? Can DSL make me rich?

Downstage Left is run entirely by volunteers as a community venture. Key to our mission is making sure our tickets are affordable. We’ll never say never but it’s unlikely we will be in a position to pay anyone any time soon.

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THE CHRISTMAS PLAYGROUND – DECEMBER 4-5-6

Join us for three cozy evenings of theatre at the Badhuistheater, Amsterdam, on December 4th, 5th, and 6th, 2025: TICKETS HERE!

auditions: November 22-23

But… but… I really wanted to audition

I applied. When will we hear more?

We’re working as fast as we can. We hope to be in touch with everyone who applied by October 31. We’re hurrying, we promise.

How will the auditions work?

Do I need to prepare anything?

Yes, but nothing very time consuming. We’ll send full details closer to the time.

Do you pay? Is there any chance of profit shares? Can DSL make me rich?

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About us

Downstage Left is an Amsterdam-based international theatre company. We perform in English but we come from many backgrounds, cultures and languages. Roughly half of our performances are local-brew plays written in English in Amsterdam. We dish up original theatre in conventional and unconventional settings.

Active since 2017, Downstage Left’s work so far includes Marc Camoletti’s Don’t Dress for Dinner, David Auburn’s Proof, It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, by Joe Landry, The Amsterdam Art Heist, by Denis Burke, Constellations by Nick Payne, and The Arsonists by Max Frisch. We also regularly stage new plays at our regular Campfire nights and Playground performances.

The company has performed together in many venues around Amsterdam and internationally at festivals in Ireland (Scene & Heard 2024), the Netherlands (the 10′ International Theater Festival), Northern Ireland (Imagine Belfast 2021) and England (the National Drama Festival 2025). Downstage Left won first prize for best play at the FEATS festival 2025 in Hamburg with their show I’m Home, by Denis Burke.

Don't Dress for Dinner: copyright Jess Graham

Who are you people?

Downstage Left was founded by Anastasia Reshetnikova, Andy Cowie, Annika van der Vegt, Ben Evans, Borislava Todorova, Brian Ligthart, Denis Burke, Jon Calado, Katharina Olsen, Silvia Pietrosanti and Yulia Prokhorova. Quin Mero, Katarina Barcikova, Christine Blakely, Jess Graham, Abigail Levine and Evonne Dunne came on board a little while later.

how can I get involved with Downstage Left?

A sensible question. We are often looking for technicians, lighting designers, stage managers, stage crew, set designers and builders, marketing and fund raising support, and even actors and directors. Downstage Left is run entirely by volunteers so please note we are not in a position to offer paid work. If you would like to get involved, please get in touch here

Images: Jess Graham, Arjen Veldt, Daniel Fornies Soria, Brian Ligthart, Victoria Prokhorova

KvK number: 72885920

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Contact

Hello! Greetings. Good to see you. We’ll spare you the FAQ, but… if you’re an actor looking for a place to audition, please do come and see one of our shows to see if you like what we do. We’re approachable. Chat us up after the show. No harm in saying hello through the form anyway, but we do recommend you get a sense of our work before jumping in.

Writers? Please keep an eye on our social media and/or newsletters. We’re doing our best to create opportunities for new writers and we’ll sing and dance (figuratively) about these opportunities as they arise.

In any case, say hello and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. We’re all busy volunteers so do be patient with us.

If you’re looking for our newsletter it’s over here.

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auditions: November 22-23

auditions: November 22-23

Who are you people?

how can I get involved with Downstage Left?

Images: Jess Graham, Arjen Veldt, Daniel Fornies Soria, Brian Ligthart, Victoria Prokhorova

KvK number: 72885920

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