Language: Language No Problem
Program type: Miscellaneous
EXHIBITION featuring the nominees for the 2025 Designers Award
During the Nederlands Theater Festival – from 4 to 14 September 2025 – ‘The Bookshop’ at Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA) will transform into an inspiring exhibition space. Here, you can explore the world of scenography: the art of set, light, sound, and costume design in theatre. This exhibition reveals the creativity, craftsmanship, and imagination that lie behind every performance.
At the heart of the exhibition are eight promising scenographers and designer duos, nominated for the brand-new 2025 Designers Award. You’ll see their set, costume, light, and sound designs and get a behind-the-scenes look at their creative process. Short video portraits show how their ideas come to life — from initial sketches to the final realization on stage.
The exhibition is surprising and multifaceted: tangible objects are combined with videos and audio installations. This creates a sensory experience that makes you feel the importance of scenography for the atmosphere, meaning, and impact of theatre.
With the introduction of the Designers Award, the Nederlands Theater Festival is putting scenography in the spotlight in 2025. The award recognises the often invisible but essential work of theatre designers and will be presented in four categories: lighting design, sound design, set design, and costume design.
The nominees will be announced in July. The award ceremony will take place during the Gala of the Nederlands Theater Festival in September. Throughout the entire festival, their designs will be on view at ITA – for anyone curious about the creative world behind the scenes.