www.Laurensspoor.nl

LAURENS SPOOR

Laurens Spoor

Author, Translator

Actor, Stage director, Coach

Telephone: +31703225556

The Hague, The Netherlands

Laurens Spoor has written and published four novels, three plays in prose, six tragicomedies in verse; poetry and essays.

As an author he received the Halewijn Literatuurprijs in 1997. This literary prize was awarded unanimously by a jury composed of literary critics from the leading Dutch newspapers.

He has also translated plays by Oscar Wilde, Noël Coward, Alan Ayckbourn, Woody Allen and many others as commissions for Holland’s and Belgium’s major theatre companies and theatre producers. He is especially well known for his Dutch translations in alexandrine metre of Molière, Corneille, Racine and Rostand (‘Cyrano de Bergerac’) which have been published by Van Gennep and by Bert Bakker. He is generally considered the leading Dutch-language translator of French and English theatre.

As a translator he received the Charlotte Köhler Stipendium literary prize in 1991.

For many years Laurens Spoor also has been working as a professional actor, stage director, and as a coach for various theatre companies and drama schools in Holland and Belgium.

He is a member of the jury of the Mary Dresselhuys Prijs, annual actors’ prize.

Most of Laurens Spoor’s theatre plays and theatre translations can be found in the former library of TIN ("Theater Instituut Nederland"), nowadays present at: Universiteit van Amsterdam (Special Collections) - http://www.bijzonderecollecties.uva.nl/nieuws-agenda/nieuws/nieuws/nieuws/content/folder/2013/10/raadpleegbaarheid-collecties-tin-en-mcn.html

ORIGINAL WORKS:

Novels:

KWARTSIET (published by Uitgeverij Van Gennep, Amsterdam, 1993)

PERSONEN, PERSONAGES (published by Uitgeverij Van Gennep, Amsterdam, 1996); awarded the Halewijn Literatuurprijs (1997)

DANSEN OP GLAS (published by Uitgeverij Van Gennep, Amsterdam, 1999)

DE OMHELZING (published by Uitgeverij Bert Bakker, Amsterdam, 2003)

Theatre Plays:

ISMENE, tragicomedy in alexandrine metre (first staged by Toneelgroep Amsterdam, 1987; published by International Theatre & Film Books, Amsterdam, 1991)

DE WEDUWE, DE HOSPES, JUFFROUW SAUL, tragicomedy in verse (staged by Toneelgroep Amsterdam in collaboration with Stad Radio Amsterdam, 1987)

JET, tragicomedy in alexandrine metre (staged by Toneelgroep Amsterdam in collaboration with Stad Radio Amsterdam, 1988)

NERO - kind, keizer, kunstenaar, tragicomedy in verse (staged by Toneelgroep De Kompaan, Amsterdam, 1988; published by Toneelfonds Janssens, Antwerp)

ORESTES, tragicomedy in alexandrine metre (first staged by LAK-Theater, Leiden, in collaboration with Toneelgroep Amsterdam and het Nationale Toneel, 1991; published by International Theatre & Film Books, Amsterdam, 1991, and by Toneelfonds Janssens, Antwerp). Visit: http://www.eenlevenlangtheater.nl/ellen vogel/video/947.html

JOHANNA EN EEN PAUS ( or: MICHELANGELO), tragicomedy in verse; published by Toneelfonds Janssens, Antwerp, 1999

VERRE NAASTEN, tragicomedy; published by Toneelfonds Janssens, Antwerp, 2008

DE ASSOCIATIE, tragicomedy; published by Toneelfonds Janssens, Antwerp, 2008

NAPOLEON, ADIEU, tragicomedy (2010): Napoleon’s last years on the island of Saint Helena; published by Toneelfonds Janssens, Antwerp, 2013; ENGLISH TRANSLATION AVAILABLE

Other:

Poetry, short stories, essays, articles, lectures.

PLAYS TRANSLATED INTO DUTCH:

In Alexandrine Metre:

DE MENSENHATER (translated in 1983) - Le Misanthrope, 1666, by Molière (first staged by Publiekstheater, Amsterdam; published by International Theatre Bookshop, Amsterdam, 1984, and by Toneelfonds Janssens, Antwerp)

BÉRÉNICE (translated in 1984) - Bérénice, 1677, by Jean Racine (first staged by Publiekstheater, Amsterdam; published by International Theatre Bookshop, Amsterdam, 1984, and by Toneelfonds Janssens, Antwerp)

BRITANNICUS (translated in 1988) - Britannicus, 1669, by Jean Racine (first staged by De Korre, Bruges; published by Uitgeverij Van Gennep, Amsterdam, 1994); awarded the Charlotte Köhler Stipendium literary prize (1991)

DE MISANTROOP (translated in 1990) - Le Misanthrope, 1666, by Molière (first staged by het Nationale Toneel, The Hague; published by Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg, Brussels, 1994)

ANDROMACHE (translated in 1990) - Andromaque, 1667, by Jean Racine (first staged by Toneelgroep Amsterdam; published by Uitgeverij Van Gennep, Amsterdam, 1994)

DE CID (translated in 1992) - Le Cid, 1637, by Pierre Corneille (first staged by Toneelgroep Amsterdam; published by Uitgeverij Van Gennep, Amsterdam, 1999)

PHAEDRA (translated in 1994) - Phèdre, 1677, by Jean Racine (first staged by Toneelgroep Amsterdam; published by Uitgeverij Van Gennep, Amsterdam, 1994, and published as PHÈDRE by het Nationale Toneel, The Hague, 2005)

CYRANO DE BERGERAC (translated in 2003) - Cyrano de Bergerac, 1897, by Edmond Rostand (first staged by het Nationale Toneel, The Hague; published by Uitgeverij Bert Bakker, Amsterdam, 2003). Visit: http://www.eenvandaag.com/call.php?module=PX_Video&func=view&vid=15848&vtype=wnb)
In addition an adaptation for three actors has been made by Berthe Spoelstra, Amsterdam, 2006.

In Prose:

EEN IDEALE ECHTGENOOT (translated in 1991) - An Ideal Husband, 1895, by Oscar Wilde (first staged by het Nationale Toneel, The Hague; published by International Theatre & Film Books, Amsterdam, 1991)

EEN VIJAND VAN HET VOLK (translated in 1993) - An Enemy of the People, 1882, by Henrik Ibsen; adaptation by Arthur Miller, 1978 (first staged by Theater van het Oosten, Arnhem)

DE ANTICHAMBRE (translated in 1993) - L’Antichambre, 1991, by Jean-Claude Brisville (first staged by het Nationale Toneel, The Hague)

MANIER VAN LEVEN (translated in 1995) - Design for Living, 1933, by Noël Coward (first staged by het Nationale Toneel, The Hague)

CENTRAL PARK WEST (translated in 1997) - Central Park West, 1995, by Woody Allen (first staged by het Nationale Toneel, The Hague)

SPOTGEESTEN (translated in 2000) - Blithe Spirit, 1941, by Noël Coward (first staged by Impresariaat Gislebert Thierens, Amsterdam; published by Uitgeverij Van Gennep, Amsterdam, 2000)

HUIS & TUIN (translated in 2001) - House & Garden, 2000, by Alan Ayckbourn (first staged by het Nationale Toneel, The Hague)

SLIPPERS (translated in 2004) - Relatively Speaking, 1967, by Alan Ayckbourn (first staged by Wallis Theaterproducties, Amsterdam)

EEN AANTAL (translated in 2004) - A Number, 2002, by Caryl Churchill (first staged by Wallis Theaterproducties,Amsterdam)

EEN TWEEDE KANS (translated in 2005) - Second Time Around, 2003, by Derek Benfield (first staged by Wallis Theaterproducties, Amsterdam)

AAN HET EINDE VAN DE REGENBOOG (translated in 2006) - End of the Rainbow, 2005, by Peter Quilter (staged by Joop van den Ende Theaterproducties, Amsterdam)

ZES DANSLESSEN IN ZES WEKEN (translated in 2007) - Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, by Richard Alfieri (©) ; staged by (Joop van den Ende Theaterproducties, Amsterdam)

DIRTY DANCING - The Classic Story on Stage (translated in 2008) - by Eleanor Bergstein (©) ; (staged by Joop van den Ende Theaterproducties, Amsterdam). Visit: http://www.musicals.nl

VERMOORDE ONSCHULD (translated in 2008) - Unfinished Business, by Derek Benfield (first staged by Wallis Theaterproducties, Amsterdam)

THÉRÈSE RAQUIN (translated in 2008) by Nicholas Wright (after Émile Zola) (first staged by het Nationale Toneel, The Hague)

DE GOD VAN DE SLACHTING (translated in 2008) - Le dieu du carnage, 2006, by Yasmina Reza (first staged by Theatergroep Suburbia, Almere)

JALOEZIE (translated in 2011) - Eifersucht, by Esther Vilar (first staged by Impresariaat Senf, Amsterdam)

WELKOM IN DE FAMILIE (translated in 2014) - Le Prénom, by Matthieu Delaporte & Alexandre de la Patellière (first staged by DeLaMar Producties, Amsterdam)

LA VERITÀ (translated in 2015) by Daniele Finzi Pasca (Koninklijk Theater Carré / Royal Theatre Carré, Amsterdam)

SKY a musical in 3D (translated in 2016) by Sarah Miles (Imagine Nation, Amsterdam)

DE WAARHEID (translated in 2018) - La Vérité, by Florian Zeller (staged by Senf Theaterpartners, Amsterdam/Delft)

Het Oog van de Storm (to be translated in 2019) – Avant de s’envoler, by Florian Zeller (to be staged by More Theater Producties, Amsterdam/Delft)

APOLOGIE (translated in 2019) – Apologia, by Alexi Kaye Campbell (DeLaMar Theater, Amsterdam - November 25, 2019)

ADAPTATIONS:

DE JOZEF-TRILOGIE (made in 1996) - adaptation of three tragedies (1635 - 1640) by Joost van den Vondel. In collaboration with Theater van het Oosten, Arnhem (first staged by Theater van het Oosten, Arnhem; published by Theater van het Oosten, Arnhem, 1996)

JOZEF IN EGYPTE (made in 2004) - adaptation of a tragedy (1640) by Joost van den Vondel. In collaboration with Hans Croiset (first staged by Het Toneel Speelt, Amsterdam; published by Het Toneel Speelt, Amsterdam, 2004)

KENTERING VAN EEN HUWELIJK (made in 2006) - theatre adaptation of a novel (1978) by Sándor Márai. In collaboration with Ursul de Geer (first staged by Wallis Theaterproducties, Amsterdam). German translation (WANDLUNGEN EINER EHE) produced by Forum Theater, Stuttgart (2007/2008)

GIJSBRECHT VAN AEMSTEL (made in 2011) - adaptation of a tragedy (1637) by Joost van den Vondel. In collaboration with Ronald Klamer (first staged by Het Toneel Speelt, Amsterdam, 2012)

ENGLISH - Nederlands