Musical theatre company BOT is a steady foursome of Job van Gorkum, Tomas Postema, Doan Hendriks and Geert Jonkers.
Since their first appearance at Oerol festival 2009, BOT has developed a very authentic language in which music, object theatre and mechanical sound art merge into lively musical performances. Balancing on a sharp edge between music and theatre, BOT captures it’s audience with straight forward performance, homemade musical contraptions, raw visual poetry and fragile, warmhearted songs.
BOT does so in different types of performances. The series Het Geluid Van.. (The Sound Of) in which industrial heritage buildings are brought back to life with songs and music. Adaptations of classical performances like Faust in MIJN FAUST en Wij de Verdronkenen. And autonomous touring productions like RAMKOERS and LEK which we play in the Netherlands and abroad. Starting July 2021, KLAP is added to that list. A new production in which BOT explores her own limits, stretches en crosses them.
Komt nooit alleen
Je leven ingegleden
Komt nooit alleen
Komt minstens met z’n tweeën
Geert Jonkers
Audiomachinist Geert Jonkers is inventor-of and performer-with mechanical sound devices since ’92. His works vary between a musical box with polka-clapping art teethings and landscape instruments of 400 square meters. With basic mechanics, a playfull style and a good sense of humour he brings numerous pieces of worn down industrial leftovers and second hand junk alive in new, mostly noisy installations.
All works have the feel of being made with great care and naive craftsmanship. The installations stand out in imperfection, offer consolation and challenge their audience to get inventive. Audiomachinists’ grinding sound poetry has been subscribed spot-on in Dutch press as ‘Jean Tinguely meets Tom Waits’.
Over the past 20 years, Geert worked with theatre and music groups such as Odd Enjinears (Cape Town & Amsterdam), Dogtroep, Marike Jager, Warner & Consorten and De Staat. Work was staged in Holland, throughout Europe and South Africa at numerous theatres, arts festivals, street corners, music stages, varying from the Dutch Kröller-Müller Museum as well as Pinkpop main stage.
Job van Gorkum
Job van Gorkum finished studies as drama teacher at ArtEZ – Arnhem. Since then he works as a jack of all trades as an actor, songwriter, editor, presenter and program maker for theatre, radio and TV. Alongside raw theatre, Jobs artistic heart goes to music and songwriting. Inspired by a Tom Waits’ quote “a genuie artist is able to draw the best of his biggest handicap”, Job initiates the band BEU. In an attempt to merge theatre and pop music, this work became the springboard to the first stage experiments with Tomas, Geert and Doan, yet to become BOT in 2009.
Doan Hendriks
Doan Hendriks (1986) graduated at the Utrecht arts school as scenographer / set designer. Since then Doan is BOT’s main man if it comes to building stage images, rare settings and site-specific visuals. Together with Geert, Doan is responsible for various sound equipment of BOT.
“The sport of it all is just to imagine the most effective shape of things, and than instantly build that shape with whatever materials available”
Alongside his works for BOT, Doan constructs furniture, props and sets for theatre and TV.
Tomas Postema
Tomas Postema finished his studies composition and sound design in Utrecht 2004. Initially writing compositions for theatre, dance and film productions, he developed a personal language in combining elektronic music and acoustic instruments. From 2005 – 2007 Tomas was founding member of CompActLab, wich made several musical theatre productions, mostly site-specific. As a teacher, Tomas started the Arnhem based school for sound design. After many years playing keyboards in the band BEU, Tomas and Job decided to try something else, using songs and compositions as a startingpoint for a theatre production. The experimental show “Katrol” ended up to be the springboard for BOT, together with Geert and Doan.