Dutch cultural sector protests: then play hairdresser

The cultural sector in the Netherlands has had enough. They don’t think it’s fair that museums and theaters should remain closed, while hairdressers and fitness centers are allowed to open. That is why they opened their cultural houses today to the authorized crafts. And you could have your hair cut in the museum, or exercise in the theatre.

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It’s not allowed, but they do it anyway: the culture houses in the Netherlands threw open their doors on Wednesday. For the occasion, some 63 theaters have rebranded themselves as hair salons. The museums call themselves ‘gym for the brain’. In this way they want to denounce the corona measures taken by the Dutch government. Shops, hair salons and fitness rooms are allowed to reopen, while the cultural sector remains locked.

The idea for Kapsalon Theater comes from actor Diederik Ebbinge, known from, among other things, the lice mother. ‘I noticed that if sectors mutinied, such as the shopkeepers, they were allowed to open fairly quickly afterwards. Apparently that’s how it works in The Hague: the loudest screamers are helped first,” he told the Dutch newspaper NRC. He found a willing partner in crime in De Kleine Komedie, a cabaret hall in Amsterdam. Comedian Sanne Wallis de Vries put her shoulders under the action. They quickly found an audience at other theaters. Moreover, they knew enough make-up artists and hairdressers from the wings to put them to work.

The fact that a shopping center is allowed to open, but not, say, the Stedelijk Museum, was also not accepted by the Museum Association. The museums then gave their own twist to the theater action. They transformed themselves into a fitness room. Images show visitors performing sit-ups with a view of the old masters. The Van Gogh Museum then offered to trim your beard, following the example of Vincent Van Gogh. You could also go there for a manicure, with an option to decorate your nails with Van Gogh inspired nail art.

Femke Halsema, the mayor of Amsterdam, had said in advance that she would not grant permission for the action and that the corona measures would be maintained. But the police stayed away on Wednesday. The participating museums and theater halls emphasize that they respect the distance measures and that they even request QR codes.

Comedian Claudia de Breij said she was happy with Halsema’s opposition: ‘If everyone comes to pat us on the head, it won’t help us,’ she says. Youp van ‘t Hek was tougher and called her decision ‘rarely childish’. ‘She must think again of her early years (Halsema was active in the literary and television world, ed.). Now she’s just a coat suit bitch. Amsterdam unworthy,’ it sounds.

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