Eva Bal

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.

Biography

Personal life Eva Elisabeth Gerretsen was born on June 25, 1938, in The Hague. In 1960 she graduated in drama from the Hogeschool voor Dramatische Kunst in Utrecht. 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).

In 1978, Bal founded the youth theatre centre Speelteater Gent, for her commitment and pioneering work in youth theatre. Her motto was Het Kan. Director and choreographer Alain Platel considers that Eva Bal's influence extends beyond Europe: "Until Eva Bal, children were a kind of scenery in the theatre, with a few sentences of text. Eva took children very seriously and worked with them and for them at a high level".