AZART

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Azart's final role

After 33 years of free sailing, the Amsterdam based theater ship 'Azart' has made its very last journey, on wheels, 150 across the beach of the Ecuadorian city of Manta on Nov 11, 2021. The "Ship of the fools" was en route to Australia, but when the pandemic broke out and the skipper August Dirks was told that he had lung cancer. After months of searching for a way to repurpose the ship, the miracle has happened: The ship is standing on top of the beach, 75 nautical miles south of the equator and 150 meters beyond the Pacific Ocean. Skipper Dirks described the last ride as a comedy in three acts, with a lot of men and bulldozers in the lead. “A very expensive performance but very memorable, all the more so because the ship is riding on wheels again and thus returns to its historical origin as a wheel barge or ship wagon, in other words the most exuberant cart of the carnival parade.” The new destination is the silted port of San Mateo, six kilometers from the city of Manta. The Ecuadorian theater group Humor y Vida (Humor and Life), crazy enough to take over the project, has convinced the mayor of Manta to use the theater ship for the cultural and socio-economic development of the Hamlet. The 'Azart' will become the center of a chic boulevard. Dirks: "After years of free sailing, she is neatly encapsulated between the parking lot and the final stop of the bus, between the fishing boats and the beach bars." The 'Azart' is a herring lugger from 1916 that started its career as a sailing ship. The ship was the last skate logger to be part of the Dutch fishing fleet. In 1989 the ship was bought by Azart, an artist collective and theater company led by captain, actor, director and organizer August Dirks. The Azart's international company traveled from country to country to give performances. For years, the ship had the KNSM island in Amsterdam as its permanent base. It fulfilled such an important social role that in 1994 the Azartplein was named after the ship. Report with photos and video: https://www.zeilen.nl/actueel/amsterdams-narrenschip-azart-gestrand-in-ecuador/