Jun 25, 2026
PoëzieNacht at the Van Rijn Festival
Article
PoëzieNacht at the Burcht
On Friday 20 June 2026, the Leidse PoëzieNacht turned the Burcht in Leiden into an intimate open-air stage for language, music and encounter. The evening was part of the Van Rijn Festival by Fields of Wonder, which filled the Burcht and other historic places in Leiden with poetry, music, visual art and meetings from 19 to 21 June.
For this edition I, Hans Timmermans, was involved as a regular maker and technician for Fields of Wonder. My contribution was practical and supporting: helping with the technical side of the evening, in collaboration with the makers of the Leidse PoëzieNacht, so the poets, musicians and audience could meet each other in a good-sounding, welcoming space.
Technical support for a poetic evening
The PoëzieNacht brought together poets from different generations and disciplines, including Tomas Lieske, Raymond Tilma, Amber Helena Reisig, Mischa Andriessen, Marthe van Bronkhorst and the winner of the HerWondering poetry competition. In a place as special as the Burcht, technical work is mostly about listening: to the location, to the performers, and to what the evening needs.
As Hans Timmermans I helped with the technical realization in close collaboration with Fields of Wonder and the Leidse PoëzieNacht team. Not as the artistic force behind the programme, but as one of the people working behind the scenes on audibility, balance, calm cues and a setting in which the atmosphere of the evening could stay intact.
More background on the festival can be found in the Centraal+ article Van Rijn Festival maakt van Burcht cultureel hart van Leiden.
PoëzieNacht at the Van Rijn Festival, Burcht Leiden
PoëzieNacht at the Van Rijn Festival, Burcht Leiden - additional registration
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