CRISLETTER
#4
Photo by Take a Piq.
Hi there,
Welcome to my fourth Crisletter, the place where I share my artistic journey.
Thanks for being part of it!
January turned out to be a very productive month, both in terms of shows and studio work. I performed stand-up comedy for the first time in Italy, spent a very focused week working on Pleaser, and found myself unexpectedly laying some groundwork for a new show.
On 26 February, I’ll be playing Pleaser at Korzo. If you haven’t seen the show yet, come check it out. If you have seen it, come again, it will be different! My goal is to play the show more often, also in the 2026/2027 season, so if you are interested in programming it, this is a great chance to see it.
I created this Crisletter also out of the need of sharing news about my work, while spending less time on social media. Help me prove that it is possible to make it work! You can do that by spreading the info about the upcoming Korzo show, for example by telling it to a friend, by forwarding this email or the theater page, by sharing it in your newsletter if you have one.
Okay, thanks for reading until here and enjoy the rest!
Click here to read the first 3 Crisletters, in case you missed them.
TWO ARTISTIC PROJECTS
Last month’s updates
PLEASER
In January, I spent one week in residence at PimOff, a very beautiful space in the south of MIlan in Italy. During the week, I focused entirely on movement language, refining existing parts of Pleaser and working on the final section of the show. I worked mostly alone, which allowed me to really focus and reconnect with the piece from a movement perspective. I also had the chance to show a work in progress to the PimOff team, as well as to Daniele Romano (part of Collettivo Clown), who gave precious and sensitive feedback to the work. It was the very first time I did a residency in my home country. I danced well, worked well, and ate well.
HEAVY META
From the zero comedy spots I had planned to do in January, I somehow ended the month with five: four in Italy and one in the Netherlands. A lot of the material I tested will probably make its way into the next try-out of Heavy Meta (when? Probably March). This past month I paid more attention to what happens in between the jokes, giving space to spontaneous moments and impulses. That resulted in quite many silly moments, which gave me (and thankfully also the audience) a lot of joy. It also helped me be more present, allowing me to focus on that sensitivity that the clown in me wants to experience more often.
AGENDA
Shows/spots I am in
8 FEB
21 FEB
Maccheroni Comedy, Bij Barba, Standup comedy, Amsterdam
I’ll perform for the 5th time in Italian, for the Italian expat community (read “fellow immigrants”) in Amsterdam. It’s usually a fun and packed room. If you understand Italian, or you just enjoy how it sounds, come!
INFO & TICKETS →
12 FEB
26 FEB
Pleaser, KORZO, The Hague
I am excited to play this show again at Korzo in a double bill with Azadî by Yasmin Diktaş. Come! If you have seen the show already, come again, it will be different. Hope to see you there!
INFO & TICKETS →
ON MY RADAR
Upcoming shows I am interested in
10/02 » Pulling the Trigger by Daria Titova
Go see this new work by Daria Titova “Pulling the trigger is a dance and physical theatre solo with Marko Šakić, exploring the moral conflict and humanity of those caught in war”.
at Theater Aan de Schie
Schiedam
21/02 » Alt Comedy Night
One of my favourite comedy nights, pushing the alternative comedy scene forward! This edition will host the comedy show “Dreamweavers” by Siblings, in a very nice room, with a very nice audience and very nice & weird opening acts!
at Mezrab
Amsterdam
27/02 » Live Comedy Table read by Big Game Comedy
A live comedy table read of an episode of CSI Miami, where comics read their part while they play it. Also, I might be in it.
at Boom Chicago,
Amsterdam
27/02 » (work in progress ‘24/07’) by Mind in Movement
Presentation of the new work of Carmine and Sophie “24/7' is a choreographic exploration of the relentless pace of modern life, where time dictates existence and rest seems increasingly obsolete.”
at Conny Janssen Danst
Rotterdam
UPCOMING SESSIONS
Workshops, coaching, and learning moments I’ll join in February.
19-23 February »
Residency at Panama Pictures, Den Bosch
I look forward to spending the (probably) last week of focussed work and finalize Pleaser, where I'll also get the chance to spend a few hours working with Pia Meuthen, artistic director of Panama Pictures.
Sessions with Shailesh Bahoran
I will also have my last sessions with Shailesh, we will fine tune the dance part of Pleaser, as well adding to the vocabulary of comedy-dance material.
PAST MONTH
Shows/spots I was in
Stand-up Comedy
20/01 at LambicZoon, Milan
My first standup comedy spot in Italy! I did not manage to write much new material for it, as I have mostly translated some of my material to Italian. This spot was in a very cool basement of a brewery in Porta Romana.
Yellow Comedy
20/01 at Ostello Bello,
Milan
This one was in an hostel next to Stazione Centrale (and in English)
Mettetevi Comedy
21/01 at Piano Zero,
Milan
This was in a cocktail-ish place. A very special moment as a group of good friends from my hometown come to watch and support.
Pleaser (work‑in‑progress)
22/01 at PimOff,
Milan
Performed the last work in progress of Pleaser for a small audience during my residency at PimOff. First time doing it for an Italian audience.
Standup Comedy night
24/01 at Gate110,
Sesto San Giovanni
This was in a restaurant a little bit outside of Milan. From these first few experiences I can say the Italian audience is a nice standup comedy audience. In Milan there are quite a few standup nights every day, looking forward to doing more once I am back.
Standup comedy spot
28/01 at Club Haugh
Rotterdam
This one was in my beloved Rotterdam. It was also nice to be back and finally test some new jokes. A fun and silly one.
Past Sessions
Workshops, coaching, and learning moments I joined on January.
» Session with Goos Meeuwsen
With Goos we reviewed the registration of the Pleaser work in progress of last November at Maaspodium, went over some dramaturgical questions, worked on many details, and continued the conversations on the show, its function for me and how I would want it to translate for the audience.
» Session with Daniele Romano
During the residency week at PimOff in Milan I worked with Daniele Romano, a clown that works with beatboxing and juggling. Daniele shared a lot of very precious insights, with a lot of sensitivity for the theme of pleasing people and the nuances in the show.
Closing words
Thanks for reading, skimming, and scrolling until here. I hope it was pleasant to read.
Feel free to get in touch to share ideas, explore collaborations.
Till the next Crisletter!
(short for Cristian and Cris)