The Impact of “Veur Aaltied” on Local Communities and Churches

Peins. Photo: David Woltinge, 2022.

In the tranquil hamlet of Boer, nestled in the northern part of the Netherlands, a small terracotta-coloured Roman church holds a secret. Behind it, a gravestone stands out with an unusual inscription: seven Scandinavian-sounding names followed by “Mammie.” This mysterious grave is the inspiration behind the play “Mensch!” performed inside the church. With a harmonium, a harp, and dedicated amateur actors from a neighbouring village, the story unfolds in Frisian, the local language. “Mensch!” is a tale of humanity and love, marking the beginning of the “Veur Aaltied” edition of 2025. 

One of the actors, also the local historian, discovered a silver German coin. The coin and Mammie’s gravestone form two elements central to the play, which sold out all three performances in the church. Boer, with its population of just 40, saw its only street filled with parked cars and bicycles during these evenings in June. The audience was a mix of local youngsters and elderly, some walking in while others travelled for hours. The play brought people together, creating an atmosphere filled with laughter and community spirit. 

After the play, in the quiet spring evening as people gathered around the gravestone to read the names of the cats buried alongside Mammie, one attendee remarks, “It’s like walking in a fairytale.” “Mensch!” is deeply local, written by professional playwright and multi-instrumentalist Peter Sijbenga, in collaboration with emerging director Oetsen van der Veen. Other participant were an 83-year-old self-taught harpist and eleven enthusiastic amateur actors from the nearby hamlet of Ried. They rehearsed throughout the winter, turning the Boer church into both stage and source of a unique story. 

“Veur Aaltied” 2025 has begun in Boer and features a total of 10 unique plays, continuing until November in churches across small villages in the Dutch northern provinces of Groningen and Fryslân. We spoke with Peter Sijbenga, the writer of “Mensch!” and Geert Oude Weernink, founder of “Veur Aaltied.” Geert has attended all three of the then performed plays this year, when we speak to him and he aims to see them all. The third play was in the church of Coarnjum, like Boer owned by the foundation Fryske Tsjerken. This foundation looks after the 56 churches that it owns in Fryslân. The theatre piece in  Coarnjums is called “De siel fan Gorlaeus”; all the scheduled performances were sold out, including the three additional evenings. This play involved, as always, local amateur actors, an emerging director and a professional playwright, surplussed by the local music corps, totalling 80 performers. The story of local Gorleaus and his soul captivated the audience in the church of Coarnjum. What’s thesuccess behind Veur Aaltied? Let’s dive into how it started.

Geert, a professional artist-enabler and former radio-producer was asked in 2018 by the province of Groningen to come up with a plan to revive rarely used medieval churches and world famous organs in small villages in Groningen. He came up with the project “Veur Aaltied”.

Veur Aaltied Boer Ried 2025. Photo: David-Woltinge, 2025.

The project combines local cultural heritage – church, grave yard, organ –  and amateur arts with the life stories of in or near the church buried fellow villagers. That could be stories from the Middle Ages up to the last century.  The choice is to the villages themselves. The life stories are the inspiration for the plays that the villagers produce, the eventually (and fictional) scripts being written by a professional playwright. The local amateur artists are being coached by a team of professionals; director, playwright, organ composer, production leader and a PR employee.

The name “Veur Aaltied” can mean “Forever” or “For Ever,” reflecting the enduring nature of these centuries-old buildings. Originally in the first series in 2019, historic organs were included, but in the second and third editions when Fryslân joined the project, this condition was dropped. Churches without an organ can join as well. 

The project is being hosted and conceived by Stichting Pandeon, a small non-profit foundation that works from the recognition of the importance of cultural participation, especially in rural areas. The foundation assists groups of people in the northern Netherlands to realise their initiatives and ideas.

“Veur Aaltied” lifts an entire village up, says Peter Sijbenga, drawing from his experience in the 2022 edition when his play was performed in the church in his home village of Peins. “Veur Aaltied” brings diverse experiences to the village communities it visits. People get to know each other better in a different way; working and focusing together on a professionally coached stage production and thus sharing a unique experience. The amateur players are being taken out of their comfort zones as they learn what it means to work with a professional artistic team. In the end all participants share the success of their hard work, being it as an actor or as a volunteer behind the catering counter. In the audience they find their neighbours and friends amongst people from afar. They have played and laughed together, by doing so improving local social networks and liveability. The plays give the village church a new role and a recovered central place in the village community. As Peter puts it: These churches have been a magnet for ages for the locals and that magnetism is still felt. 

The Veur Aaltied format brings a lot, even real money to the community; with half of the ticket sales returning to the village. The villagers decide how to spend this money, adding a unique democratic process to the village after each play.

While the plays are a success for the villagers, the church and the community, much of the back-office work remains unseen. Geert reveals that the amount of subsidies is as high as 19, meaning he and his team applied for funding 20 times for the edition of 2025. Despite the challenges, the plays continue to bring energy, optimism and wit to the people and the churches centered in their communities for centuries, and hopefully for centuries to come. Maybe even “Veur Aaltied.” 

The churches are mostly owned by Groninger Kerken and Fryske Tsjerken, foundations that aim to open churches to the public and keep them in use for the community. Both foundations organize cultural activities and are supported by donations. Their churches are run by volunteers and are mostly open in summer with various exhibitions, concerts, and for instance these plays. You can still attend the plays in Britswert, Kolham, Midwolda, Pieterburen, and Hollum in October and November 2025. The churches all have their own histories.

We conclude with a list of the participating churches in Veur Aaltied 2025 edition and their year of construction.

• Boer: built in 1664 
• Leermens: around 1050 
• Coarnjum: 1873 
• Nieuwolda: 1718 
• Zeerijp: around 1300-1350 
• Britswert: around 1150 
• Kolham: around 1641, built on an older church from around 1200 
• Midwolde: 1150-1200 
• Pieterburen: around 1450-1500 
• Hollum (on the island Ameland): around 1300, built on an older church 

More information on the churches can be found at groningerkerken.nl and FryskeTsjerken.nl.

We believe the format of Veur Aaltied; local stories played by locals in cooperation with professionals in local churches (and their organs), is fit to more regions than just the North of the Netherlands. If you are looking for more information, please visit the official secretary’s website www.pandeon.nl or www.veuraaltied.nl.

Written by Jolanda Gooiker, communications and PR Fryske Tjserken, in cooperation with Veur Aaltied

15 Septembre 2025