WHAT IS OEROL?
Oerol means everywhere!
The island
Oerol is the name of an ancient Terschelling tradition, when in spring milder weather conditions allowed cattle to be released from their winter stables and barns to roam the meadows surrounding the villages, grazing in freedom. A merry sight announcing the longed for summer season after the dark winter. In Terschelling dialect the word
“oerol” stands for
“everywhere” and this centuries old atmosphere of dynamic merriment all over the island is perfectly given shape by the Terschelling Oerol Festival.
Every year for a period of 10 days everywhere on the island the Oerol Festival activities reflect the joy and happiness of this“ everywhe feeling. Over 50,000 people visit the island festival and some 70,000 tickets are sold for the various performances organized during the Festival.
Terschelling as a stage 
The underlying philosophy of the Oerol Festival is that the whole island of Terschelling in those 10 days serves as a stage and source of inspiration for national and international theatre producers, musicians and graphic artists. Beaches, woods, dunes and older landscape eminently function as both stage scene and setting. But shows can also take place in a farm-shed, a boathouse or an old bunker.
The so-called barn theatre has over the years become a traditional conception. But the street theatre, cementing a link ar excellence between performers and islanders remains a standard item in the whole range of stage activities in the widest sense of the word and will always keep its traditional place in the Festival.
The Terschelling Oerol Festival can boast of having the widest choice of stage locations in the world. At over 60 locations temporary theatres are realized in a perfectly professional manner. Apart from open-air facilities, tents are raised at various sites in Terschellings attractive natural resources. But it is mostly in barns, sheds, attics, ship’s holds and other spaces temporarily put at the Festival’s disposal by the hospitable island population, where the action takes place. Some slight adaptations reshape them into cosy, intimate little theatres.
So when making a total sum of the available music stands in the man
y Terschelling pubs, the open-air stages on the two main festival sites - Groene Strand (Green Beach) and Westerkeyn - the ad hoc stages in the village streets and the exhibitions of fine arts, one gets an idea what Oerol - Everywhere stands for!
Theme Every year Oerol chooses a theme closely linked with the island. inspiration is provided by the island itself, but themes tend to reflect world politics as well. This thematic approach is a perfect means to interpret actual history linked to the unique island atmosphere. Some theatre groups focus more intensively on items connected with the local cultural heritage. They aim at providing a creative interpretation of the values and significance of the island. Good Site secific theatre tends to pot for a contemporary line of approach. Of prime importance is to reach understanding of history from today’s point of view. The voyages of the famous exlorers, the elements, the landscape or news items from common society – these may all be the base for the theatermaker to create his artistic interpretation of what Oerol stands for.
The Oerol vibeDuring Oerol a special feeling is developed in having a large public partake intimately with a fragile natural heritage as dunes and Wadden scenery. The festival brings people from all over the globe together, starting a socialization process already on the ferry trip, which is further developed by being in close proximity on a small island for 10 days, making friends everywhere on their way to happenings and during performances. This socialization process allows the stageperformers to exceed traditional boundaries and create refreshingly new works of histrionic art.
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