Freek Mariën

Freek Mariën (1988) is a Belgian writer and theatre maker. He graduated as a Master in Drama from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) in Ghent and is the artistic director of Het Kwartier. He creates plays for both young people and adults with a focus on a strong text, powerful content and a non-evident form or theme. His pieces show a great awareness of language and form; at the same time, there is a strong commitment to people and the world, and an ever-increasing engagement. For Mariën, form and content are inextricably linked. Freek has won awards including the Niederländisch-Deutschen Kinder- und Jugenddramatiker*innenpreises (2012 and 2020), the East Flanders Literary Prize (2014) and the Toneelschrijfprijs for the best Dutch-language play (won in 2015, nominated in 2017 and 2019).
His play 'The Wetsuitman' is being produced in 2022 by The Cherry Arts (Ithaca, NY) and Foreign Affairs (London).

Profile: theatretextsfromthelowlands.kunsten.be/freek-marien/

Photo (c) Sophie Nuytten