Eva Bal
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Eva Bal (also known as Eva Elisabeth, baroness Gerretsen) (June 25, 1938,The Hague - May 9, 2021) was a Dutch theater director, pioneer in the youth theater domain.
Personal life
Eva Elisabeth Gerretsen was born on June 25, 1938, in The Hague.[1] In 1960 she graduated in drama from the Hogeschool voor Dramatische Kunst in Utrecht.[2][3] In 1966 she married August Bal, whose name she took and with whom she had three children: Martijn Bal, Sarah Bal (a psychologist and behavioural therapist) and Vincent Bal (a film director).[4][1] August Bal died in 1984 and she later remarried, to Walter Mareen.[4]
She died on May 9, 2021, after suffering for several years from Alzheimer's disease.[4][2]
Career
She arrived in Belgium in 1961 to give courses in dramatic expression.[4] She moved to Flanders in 1963 and worked for the Ministry of Culture to give new impetus to youth theatre.[5]
In 1978, Bal founded the youth theatre centre Speelteater Gent,[4] where young people and children could attend theatre workshops.[2] In 1993, the center moved to Kopergietery, a former copper foundry in the centre of Ghent, and is now known under this name.[2] She developed her method, "from improvisation to theatre".[5]
She worked with Raymond Bossaerts, Frans Van der Aa and Mia Grijp, and travelled both domestically and internationally.[4] She created performances for, among others, Jeugd & Theatre, the Beursschouwburg, the Arca Theater in Ghent and the Brussels Kamertoneel.[2]
After Yugoslav War, she worked with children in Zagreb.[2] She was a professor at the Hogeschool voor Theater in Maastricht and at the Ghent Conservatory. She co-founded the International Youth Theatre and was a member of the Raad voor Cultuur of the Flemish Community of Belgium.
In 2003, Eva Bal handed over the artistic direction of Kopergierty to Johan De Smet.[4]