I created these images for the De Vierschaar foundation. They performed a play in a large open-air theater about life during World War II in Bergen op Zoom (Netherlands). For this, I made a trailer and accompanying visuals.
It is early October 1944, more than four months after D-Day. British, Polish, and Canadian troops have been ordered to capture the Western Scheldt from the Germans. This sea arm is the gateway to the already liberated port of Antwerp and is of vital importance to the Allied forces.
While fierce battles rage on for weeks, the residents of Bergen op Zoom fight their own struggles before their beloved city is engulfed in the violence of war and possibly destroyed.
There is the struggle of the mayor and his doubts… Has he done everything within his power for the city? And how do the residents perceive his visits to the Ortskommandantur?
Or the struggle of the beautiful and cheerful innkeeper’s daughter, who openly flirts with the enemy but, when it matters most, does what is expected of her. Versus the struggle of her modest best friend, who, out of love, is the only one willing to get her hands dirty.
Or the struggle of the disillusioned Wehrmacht major, who does everything in his power to ensure that the eagle still triumphs.
Or the struggle of the disillusioned Wehrmacht major, who does everything in his power to ensure that the eagle still triumphs.
Then there is the struggle of the director of the revue association, who, under the guise of songs and sketches, undermines authority in other ways. Alongside him, the struggle of little Martien, not very healthy, who quite literally cycles through life, seeking adventure in the last and most dangerous days of the war.
They, along with many others in occupied Bergen op Zoom, will ultimately be able to say that they have overcome adversity, enemies, and even themselves.
To promote this play, I created two different posters with different kind of people. Each of them had their own story.
