PRESSURE POINT

Name: PRESSURE POINT - Vanja Rukavina i.s.m. De Coproducers
Start: 2026-01-07T20:30:00+01:00
Location: Frascati, Amsterdam

Vanja Rukavina i.s.m. De Coproducers

Tue 6 Jan ’26 and Wed 7 Jan ’26

A performance about Viktor, who lives only for tennis but becomes an unwitting political pawn when he is denied entry to Wimbledon.

Tue 6 Jan ’26

and

Wed 7 Jan ’26

Tue 6 Jan ’26

20:30

Frascati, Amsterdam

Frascati 1

Tickets

Wed 7 Jan ’26

20:30

Frascati, Amsterdam

Frascati 1

Tickets

Wimbledon is approaching, and our Bosnian-Dutch title favorite Viktor Radenović is at risk of being denied entry due to a new Balkan war. While Viktor lives only for tennis, he is unwillingly becoming a pawn in political games. This is the nerve-wracking theme of Pressure Point, the new play by theater maker Vanja Rukavina, who himself was born in Sarajevo.

There is no sport in which mental pressure can escalate as intensely as in tennis. The scoring system is designed so that the pressure keeps building, even when you’re comfortably ahead. Much like the criticism often faced by Novak Đoković, Viktor too is expected to conform to the expectations of the Western public and media.

In addition to the cultural differences between his homeland and the Netherlands, the endless travel from tournament to tournament is beginning to take its toll. The tennis player no longer truly feels at home anywhere. He has trained his entire life to win Grand Slams, but no one prepared him for the ruthless serves of the press, politics, and public.

Top actor and tennis fanatic, Vanja creates a dream alter ego in Viktor—one that brings him face to face with the growing pressure of living between two cultures.

Vanja: “I often feel like a pawn caught between two worlds. My friends say I’m not Bosnian enough, and my family thinks I’m not Dutch enough. On a good day, I feel enriched by being able to draw from both cultures, but on a bad day, I feel like I don’t truly belong anywhere.”

Engelse boventiteling

Part of

De Coproducers

Credits

concept, spel en tekst Vanja Rukavina  conceptontwikkeling, dramaturgie Thomas Lamers regie Silke van Kamp  geluidsontwerp Daniël van Loenen  lichtontwerp Wout Panis  kostuum en decorontwerp Dymph Boss productie Lena Meijer marketing/PR Tim Treffers techniek Jorn Kortooms & Samuel Hopkins zakelijke leiding Jaël Kaat beeld Mark Engelen  coaching tekst Eric de Vroedt  boventiteling (vertaling & montage) Rinke Brans

About Vanja

Vanja Rukavina was born in 1989 in Sarajevo and grew up in Gouda, the Netherlands. In 2011, he graduated from the Maastricht Academy of Performing Arts and was nominated that same year for the Henriëtte Hustinx Prize for most outstanding student. After graduating, he spent six years performing with Toneelgroep Amsterdam / ITA and another six years with Het Nationale Theater. In 2018, he won the Arlecchino Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Damir in The Nation(HNT, directed by Eric de Vroedt). He was also the creator and performer of Nobody Home (Stichting Daria Bukvić; Jury Selection, Nederlands Theaterfestival 2015).

PRESSURE POINT is the final part of a trilogy about identity, following his earlier works LANGUAGE (in collaboration with HNT/Zaal 3; nominated for the BNG Bank Theater Prize) and SUPERPOSITION (Toneelschuur Producties). He also appeared in the television series Overspel, Van God Los, and Ik weet wie je bent.

About the Coproducers

Twelve Dutch theaters jointly act as co-producers for theater and dance makers under the name the Coproducers. Each theater takes on a supportive role in the creation process, contributing production funding and guaranteeing performance opportunities for the artists. The Verkadefabriek is one of the founding members and an active participant in the Coproducers network.