Moniek Merkx

is a freelance director, writer, teacher and dramaturge. Until 2021, she was artistic director of Maas theatre and dance in Rotterdam. She works for a large number of theatre and mime companies in the Netherlands and abroad. Merkx wrote Eerste hulp bij theater (First Aid for Theatre) together with Jowi Schmitz and Dorien Folkers. Her work is associative, visual and musical. Her well-known theatre titles include: Blauw of iets voor aan de muur (Blue or Something for the Wall), Maanvirus (Moon Virus), De verschrikkelijke stiefmoedershow (The Terrible Stepmother Show), Alleen op de wereld (Alone in the World), Help, Staal, Once upon the Forest, City of Dreams, Voorjaarsoffer (Spring Sacrifice), Liefde (Love), Hallo familie (Hello Family), Lampje (Little Light), Zinderella, LOVEXL and Die Schneekonigin (The Snow Queen). For her work, she has received several youth theatre awards in the Netherlands (Hans Snoek Prize, 1000Watt Prize, Gouden/Zilveren Krekels, Podiumkids Prize) and the VSCD Mime Prize. In the US, she won the Tony Award together with The Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. In 2021, Moniek became a member of the Academy of Arts (part of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, KNAW).