PREMIERE ★ THOSE BOYS | Joshua Smits / Monty

Die Jongens is a solo performance about David, a sturdy boy who ventures into the twilight zone of cruising and desire in his search for love and intimacy. The performance follows his encounters with men, his memories and fantasies and shows a world full of yearning, longing and hope. Joshua plays both David and all the men who pass in review. In these dark confrontations, painful desires alternate with humor, but he also manages to make room for romance and gentleness. Die Jongens explores the vulnerability behind the desire and seeks nuance in the conversation about fatphobia, hatred, lust and perpetrator versus victimhood. In Die Jongens you follow the character David. David has already had many sexual encounters. Often at men's homes, in the dead of night when no one sees or notices. In those nights his body is worshipped, but after the deed his bed partners turn against him with disgust. They are ashamed that they have had sex with a man. And what's more, a fat man, something that is considered ugly in society. Hatred and lust turn out to be deeply intertwined. David has almost given up hope of finding romantic love on this path. During a final attempt to find a deeper connection, he visits a cruising area, which are places where men can meet each other for sex. Die Jongens wants to offer an open perspective on themes that are often surrounded by shame or silence. The performance poses questions regarding desire and violence, visibility and the social position of fat and non-normative bodies.