Marijn Bellaard has won several Musical Awards for his musical ‘Melk’. Five of the nine nominations have been awarded. “I couldn’t believe it,” says the theater maker.
Winning several Musical Awards was a big surprise for Marijn and his team: “I would have given it to all of us, but I didn’t expect it.” The writers consider the award of the nominations as recognition of their work, even though the musical is no longer performed. “It felt like a kind of invitation that I am doing something right,” says Marijn.
Marijn Bellaard is a 32-year-old theater maker from Brabant who has been living in Rotterdam for a while. During the corona period he made a striking career change: He stopped acting and started writing plays. He is also now a cultural leader. Together with three other women he wrote the play ‘MELK: a motherfokking musical’.
Different from other musicals: ‘more intimate and raw’
‘Milk’ is about motherhood, with both the pleasant and less pleasant sides. The musical is different from other musicals, says Marijn: “It is more intimate and raw. It is a kind of musical performance with short scenes that highlight motherhood.”
His inspiration for writing came mainly from his collaboration with the three women, all of whom are or could become mothers. Marijn also ‘has a bit of a mother’ in him: he has a dog. He sees similarities between the love he has for his dog and that mothers feel for their children. This helped him to tell a real and deep story in the musical.
