For centuries the Puppetshow of ‘Jan Klaassen and his wife Katrijn’ were a huge succes. This old tradition stopped from 2008 and is restored this year!
Historically the main puppets are ‘ Jan Klaassen and his wife Katrijn’. Jan Klaassen traditionally has a big red nose (he drinks a lot). He is a little dumb but has a good heart. The play is done by handpuppets in a Puppet Cabinet. The main figures were inhabitants of the famous Amsterdam Jordaan district. In 1686 they got married in the New Church. Katrijn was lazy and drank a lot. Jan Klaassen started with a puppetshow about his personal life, to entertain people.
[English: ‘Punch and Judy’. French: ‘Polichinelle’. German ‘Kasperl’].
From 10 May – 4 Oktober 2015 there will be a Puppet Show on the Dam every Sunday! The public (children!) are allways envolved a lot in the play. The show runs for 30 minutes at 1, 2, 3 and 4 PM. In front of the Royal Palace on the Dam square.
Puppet show on the Dam Foundation aims to keep the maintenance of the Puppet show on the Dam in Amsterdam as important intangible heritage and make training puppeteers for the Puppet show on the Dam.