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DIE GELEERDE DAMES
(Moliére)

 Die Geleerde Dames is an entertaining love story. The daughter, Henriette, is head over heels in love, but her mother has other plans for her. The conflict between the sexes rages on in this charming comedy.

The comedy explores the conflict between matriarchal and patriarchal power relationships. In Die Geleerde Dames, romantic human desires are contrasted with philosophical obsessions and pretention. The fashion among the ladies of the elite was to pretend to be very learned and cultured in order to dominate over their husbands and this play offers a tongue-in-the-cheek look at such power-plays between the genders.

Die Geleerde Dames is a very sophisticated and grand portrayal of the higher society of the time – but the characters are compassionate, the dialogue is witty and the storyline is thrilling. Brand draws parallels to gender-relations in contemporary society and leaves audiences smiling, yet with much food for thought.

THE MAIDS
(Jean Genet)

The Maids, the best known and most successful of Genet’s plays, explores themes of slavery and absolute desire. The Maids was inspired by a true crime story which became a famous, controversial case with political overtones. 

Genet presents his characters, Solange, Claire and Madame, as metaphors and unite the spectators around its mysterious rituals and poetic beauty. The story is set in a landscape of fantasy and dreams, where Madame is impersonated by her servants. The two servants are inspired by fantasies and aspirations which show that they are divided against themselves and cannot assume their own social destiny.

Part of the fascination of The Maids for contemporary audiences arises from the search for female identity in a world where all values depend on power and class struggles in master / slave relationships. 

Pieter Brand has received several VITA nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, and is the recipient of a number of national and regional awards for acting and directing.