Agenda & tickets

Strangely Familiar (2023)

International touring Strangely Familiar

On 15 December 2023 we are premiering our newest performance for a large stage: Strangely Familiar, about societal codes, exclusion and identity. A physical mime performance appealing to a broad audience, for which we have found two remarkable Italian-French performers.

The marketing campaign will consist of high-quality photography and video material. The educational programme for students and pupils focuses on exclusion and identity. The theatre tour in the Netherlands with 45 performances is CO2 neutral by using biodiesel and electric vehicles.

The Double – Dostojevski’s novel and the film by Ayoade – has inspired us to make this performance. What happens when you meet your lookalike? Can the outside world see someone who looks exactly like you in a completely different way?

Our theatre company makes physically visual theater, which is unique, by using a combination of mime, dance, slapstick, live music and special effects. The performances are often without words and are enjoyed by a wide and varied international audience. This project reaches a wide audience in the entire country of the Netherlands, with opportunities for reprises and international venues.

STRANGELY FAMILIAR – about a man who thinks he knows himself

A clumsy man’s life is turned upside down when his lookalike appears. This lookalike is everything the man is not, and robs him of the attention he longs for. While nobody sees the similarity, the man tries to escape from this dark and absurd situation.

Strangely Familiar is a surreal performance about social pressure and self-esteem.

International touring

The show will premiere in Amsterdam 15 December 2023 and will be doing a Dutch tour until March 2024. Please contact us for touring possibilities and coproducing.

Touring requirements:

  • Available for international touring after March 2024.
  • One full day of load in / set up plus set up and rehearsals on first show day.
  • One performance per day.
  • Traveling with 6 performers, 4 technicians, 1 tour manager = 11 pax.

Technical Requirements:

  • Floor in good condition and even (no slope/rake).
  • Proscenium 5,5m opening.
  • Minimum stage size: 10m wide (without wings) x 8m deep (from plaster line to last lineset).
  • 10m trim height flybars.
  • Minimal 10 flybars above stage to be placed/used on specific positions.
  • If your theatre has other dimensions, please let us know.

Misc:

  • 1 Mega Trailer for transport set & equipment.
  • Duration: est. 85 minutes (no intermission).

 Marketing & Publicity:

  • Online introduction available (under construction).
  • Also suitable for schools.
  • Full international press kit available (under construction).
  • Interviews, Q&A, meet&greets with cast & crew possible.
  • Educational program available for high schools (optional).

Contact:

Feel free to contact Marc Pil for more information.

Teaser Strangely Familiar

About our company

Jakop Ahlbom Company developed a trademark theatrical form that unites theatre, mime, dance, music and the world of illusion. The company has an unique talent for combining powerful visual language with equally powerful content. Based in Amsterdam but we share our stories all over the world.

Jakop Ahlbom (1971) was born in Sweden. In the early 1990s he moved to the Netherlands where he studied Mime at the Amsterdam School of the Arts. Upon his graduation in 1998 he was presented with the Top Naeff Award for the most promising student. His gift for choreography had been noticed – and so had his poeticism and his ability to get his cast to unleash their energy, bravado and physicality. The award jury described him as an eager, outstanding and exuberant talent. After graduating he worked with a variety of theatre makers as a performer, choreographer and director.