Ivo van Hove

(Belgium, 1958) has been director of the Amsterdam Theatre since 2001. In the coming years, the internationally acclaimed director will stage three novels by Dutch author Louis Couperus (1863-1923). De stille kracht (The Quiet Power) premieres in September of 2015. Van oude mensen, de dingen die voorbijgaan (Of Old People and the Things that Pass) and De boeken der kleine zielen (The Books of Small Souls) will follow. Van Hove wrote: "For me, Couperus is the most global writer in Dutch literature... Like a true cosmopolitan he writes with an open mind about people who too often have too narrow a view of life and society. Especially now does the world need writers like Couperus." Van Hove began his career as a threatre director in 1981 with his own productions. In succession, he was artistic director of AKT, Akt-Vertikaal and De Tijd. From 1990 to 2000 he was director of Het Zuidelijk Toneel (Southern Theatre), and from 1998 through 2004 he headed the Holland Festival. Van Hove is also a regular guest director with the New York Theatre Workshop and directs operas at venues such as De Munt in Brussels.