DOPE

You do a line or watch your friend go downhill because of it. You can make quick money by picking up a package or turning a blind eye at the port where you work.

Even your blueberries travel along the same routes used by the underworld. Whether you like it or not, you’re dealing with drugs. The powerful theater and dance performance DOPE shows how drugs connect all layers of our society like an invisible thread.

Through dynamic (hip-hop) dance, monologues, and intimate conversations, a dealer, a parent, a customs officer, and a user tell the honest story of the role drugs play in their lives. For one, it’s a party; for another, it’s literally the end of the road.

Gradually, you’re confronted with the consequences of dreaming about getting rich quick, the temptations of social media, failing poverty policies, and the feeling many young people have that they don’t matter.

Together with researchers from the FORT-PORT (Focusing On the Right Things in the Port of Rotterdam) research program—which includes Erasmus University Rotterdam—we are creating an extensive in-depth program. The researchers use a variety of artistic methods to engage the audience in the dilemmas surrounding the fight against drug trafficking and human trafficking in the Netherlands.

Media coverage of previous work
“They create performances that invite reflection on contemporary social trends, based on the personal stories of individuals from the port city.”(Theaterkrant)
“It’s amazing how their stories, told without words, are understandable to everyone and, above all, tangible.”(Theater- en Musicaljournaal)