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 theatre company that thrives on creativity, collaboration, and community. While we perform in English, we’re proud to come from all corners of the world, bringing together a rich mix of backgrounds, cultures, and languages. Our mission? To create outstanding community theatre by bringing fresh stories to life, whether in conventional theatres or unconventional spaces.

Since 2017, we’ve staged dozens of new and established plays, working together with a wonderful group of creatives to push the boundaries of theatre. We’ve had the pleasure of performing plays like Don’t Dress for Dinner by Marc Camoletti, Proof by David Auburn, The Amsterdam Art Heist by Denis Burke, and many more, including our regular Campfire nights and Playground performances where we showcase new works. We pride ourselves on creating original theatre that surprises and delights audiences, no matter the venue.

But it’s not just about the performances – it’s about building a community. Taking inspiration from repertory theatre, we work with a regular group of talented people to develop long-term relationships, trust, and an evolving creative process. By nurturing each other’s skills, we grow together as artists – whether on stage, behind the scenes, or in the director’s chair.

Our work has taken us far beyond Amsterdam’s borders, with performances at festivals in Ireland (Scene & Heard 2024), the Netherlands (the 10’ International Theater Festival 2020), Northern Ireland (Imagine Belfast 2021), and England (National Drama Festival 2025). We were even honored to win first prize for best play at the FEATS festival 2025 in Hamburg with 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. Over time we have expanded our casting pool and membership to include dozens of other creative souls. These days Downstage Left is administered by Andy Cowie, Ben Evans, Denis Burke, Evonne Dunne, Jess Greham, Silvia Pietrosanti and Teresa Fernandez.

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 directors. Actors, please note: we tend to expand our casting pool very very slowly. We occasionally run open auditions. Follow us on instagram or subscribe to our newsletter for updates. Downstage Left is run entirely by volunteers. 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

Thank you for your response. ✨