Opvoering van het toneelstuk 'De tante uit Indië' van Henri van Wermeskerken after 1928

This photograph by Vereenigde Foto-bureaux Amsterdam captures a performance of Henri van Wermeskerken’s play, ‘De tante uit Indië’ (The Aunt from the Dutch Indies), and it is hanging in the Rijksmuseum. It’s a staged scene, complete with a patterned backdrop, fringed lampshade, and a rather stiff-looking cast. I wonder what it was like to be there, in the audience. I imagine the energy, the anticipation hanging in the air. I’m drawn to the actor in the foreground, the one gesturing with such flair. You can almost feel the physicality of his performance, the exaggerated movements, and the attempt to entertain. The woman beside him is just waiting for her cues, but her dress is also fabulous – really of the moment. It reminds me that making art, like acting, is about inhabiting a role, exploring different facets of identity. And sometimes, it's about embracing the absurd, the theatrical, the downright silly.