A profile on Rufus Collins, an Afro-American theater pioneer, whose legacy echoes through the Dutch cultural landscape as he challenged norms and ignited multicultural voices.
Rufus grew up in Harlem, a New York neighborhood where deep-seated racial segregation, poverty, and discrimination were commonplace at the time. His mother worked hard to provide her children with ballet and piano lessons at a young age. At eleven years old, young Rufus received a scholarship offer from the prestigious American School of Ballet. Nevertheless, he chose an unconventional path, that of a preacher. For five years, he underwent an intensive missionary training in a Jesuit monastery, where he found a sense of home until he was abruptly expelled from school. The missionaries deemed him 'unsuitable' for the work. It was only when he returned to his hometown that Rufus understood the rejection. It stemmed from nothing other than his skin color.
For a whole year, the young New Yorker aimlessly wandered through the city, seeking a new direction. To pass the time, he spent days in cinemas and operas, where he snagged remaining tickets for a bargain. On the screen unfolded a Western world: white faces, aging actors, predictable storylines, all geared towards a specific audience. Collins had a strong opinion about this. It also confronted him with his own black identity, the reason he was denied the opportunity to become a missionary. Why was theater so different from the street scenes of New York, full of color, people and life? Rufus would continue asking this question throughout his life. It eventually led him to step onto the stage himself, partly encouraged by friends. Because if Collins had such a strong opinion about stage and theater, he should give it a try. This is how Collins began taking courses and auditioning for films and productions. The timing was right. New York in the 1960s was all about creative explosion, rebellion, and innovation. Collins quickly landed his first roles in film productions, including the infamous Andy Warhol productions "Kiss" (1963) and "Couch" (1964), and "Batman Dracula" (1964). In his twenties, Collins became a familiar figure in the New York avant-garde scene, frequenting places like The Judds, Warhol's studio The Factory, and members of The Living Theatre, an anarchistic and influential theater movement.
At The Living Theatre, Rufus found an artistic home for his societal critique. Founded in 1947, this movement utilized theater as a means to address social inequality and political issues and was closely involved in the anti-militarist movements in the United States. Rufus' inquiries about society were met with experimental, shocking, yet groundbreaking performances. The group enjoyed causing a stir and led the audience into bold and boundary-pushing works. In 1963, things took a drastic turn. Rufus and other members of the movement were banned from the United States, prompting them to relocate to Europe. For years, they traversed the continent, leaving behind a trail of uncompromising and groundbreaking performances that sparked political uproar in European cities. The rebellion particularly attracted the progressive, idealistic, and art-loving elite from countries like Italy, France, and England. From academics to businesspeople, the artistic jet set, and politicians, everyone seeking a new way forward wanted to connect with them. Collins traveled along but decided to part ways with the group after a few years. He grew weary of the type of political and sensational aggression through which his colleagues aimed to make a point. "Don't shout about the need to change a lifestyle without finding one you're satisfied with yourself," Collins stated in a 1987 interview. There had to be another way to contribute to an inclusive and fair world.
Therefore, Collins wanted to go to India. For two years, Collins immersed himself in classical Indian Kathakali theater (Malayalam: കഥകളി). The elements brought by this discipline, such as introspection, concentration techniques, and physical conditioning, would become iconic for Collins' future productions and lessons. New insights into his artistry brought Collins back to the Western stage. In the tumultuous atmosphere of London in the '70s, amidst the anti-Vietnam protests, punk bands, extravagant nightclubs, and the significant multicultural population growth from former colonies, Collins found a home for artistic opportunities. He worked on prestigious West End musicals like "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Hair," and "Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat," acted in dozens of films, and was sought after as a choreographer and director due to his experience with integrating black theatre elements and his sense of the era's new political themes. Here, too, a flamboyant circle of friends quickly emerged. For years, he lived with the families of the Rolling Stones, taking care of the children when the men were on tour.
During this period, Rufus received an invitation to contribute to the establishment of the first black arts community in England, the Keskidee Arts Center in Brixton. It was a time when Rufus felt that his work needed a different dimension, especially after being confronted by his sister from New York. She had become radicalized with the Black Panthers, the influential African-American political and social movement advocating for civil rights and equality. Her message was unmistakable: "We are fighting a life-and-death struggle for equal rights here, while you are partying in Europe." These words deeply affected him, even though he knew that the reality was more complex. Collins realized even more strongly that, in addition to his work on prestigious productions, he also needed to create opportunities for the black community. With a renewed focus, Rufus accepted the invitation and immersed himself in building the first autonomous black arts and culture center in Europe.
This is how Collins not only made a name for himself as a theater innovator but also became a role model for a new generation. This did not go unnoticed in the Netherlands. In 1981, the Tropeninstituut (Tropical Institute) sent an invitation to Collins, asking if he could do something to uplift what was then called 'migrant or minority theater.' At that time, this type of theater was mainly seen as folklore, a well-intentioned integration tool for post-war migrants. Rufus, by now a well-known and successful figure, who had grown up in racially divided New York, was not in favor of the term "migrant theater." Making a distinction between migrant and non-migrant theater is a form of segregation in itself. Even though this went against everything Collins stood for and had fought for until then, he accepted the invitation.
A new chapter began in the Netherlands. It started with teaching non-Western directing techniques during a series of groundbreaking workshops at various academies. Afterward, he produced the groundbreaking opera "The Kingdom" from 1984, depicting the black independence movement in Haiti with forty performers from migrant backgrounds. At that time, unlike in London and New York, there was little progress in the Netherlands regarding the pursuit of equality, despite Rufus being amazed at the diversity of Dutch society. Stirred by everything he encountered and driven by the goal of integration and equal representation in all forms of art, the theater maker decided to leave vibrant London for Amsterdam.
Collins' artistic time in the Netherlands would be influenced by a lifelong friendship with the Surinamese theater maker Henk Tjon. Tjon believed that theater activities in the Netherlands were too focused on the Netherlands and the Netherlands-oriented elite, ignoring culture from former colonies. Naturally, the two found common ground in their vision. In rapid succession, the duo established the first professional, multicultural theater collective in the Netherlands. They called it De Nieuw Amsterdam because, in 1980, theater was supposed to reflect the diverse street scene of Amsterdam. The collective took over an old textile factory, a place we now know as Club Bitterzoet. Meanwhile, the cultural landscape in the Netherlands was evolving: various artistic movements with multiculturalism as a motive were established. One such group was Cosmic Illusion, an artistic cultural group from Willemstad, Curaçao, operating in Amsterdam. DNA and Cosmic Illusion joined forces, applied for and received subsidies. Collins' collective thus became the first subsidized, culturally diverse theater company in the Netherlands.
What followed was an intensive phase of dedication to a vibrant series of productions that the Netherlands had not yet experienced - with the aim of transforming migrant theater into an innovative and recognized art form. Collins worked tirelessly on stage productions, large musicals, events, and more - with a completely different repertoire than was customary in the Netherlands up to that point. He empowered non-Western scriptwriters, showcased the stories of new Dutch citizens, worked with a diverse cast in non-stereotypical roles, and, in his pursuit of total theater combining music, dance, and text, drew inspiration from non-Western theater traditions and expressions of popular culture such as musicals, soaps, and circus.
Additionally, Rufus mentored many emerging talents. While international celebrities sought him out in the old Amsterdam textile factory - from James Baldwin and Derek Walcott to Amiri Baraka and Mick Jagger - he was equally at home with the most novice, disadvantaged students. The theater maker found the nature of Dutch theater education too limited and staunchly believed in diversity on stage. Therefore, he encouraged everyone to push boundaries, bring out the best in themselves, and question everything. His students received instruction in classical ballet, Afro-Caribbean dance, speech, singing, as well as history and philosophy. It was clear that Collins was guiding his students to prove what was possible in the Dutch theater world. Rufus maintained strict discipline: latecomers or students who couldn't keep up with the rhythm could expect no mercy - that was the harsh judgment according to former students.
Collins was known not only for his artistic talent and mentorship but also for his outspoken views on the Netherlands. During his time in the capital, he refused to speak the Dutch language, despite being fluent in it. The theater maker regarded the Netherlands as a racist society that could only move forward if it confronted its own colonial past. "A black man speaking Dutch gets no respect in this country: black Dutch people let themselves be treated as second-class citizens," he repeatedly stated. Not everyone appreciated his outspoken opinions, including Surinamese and Antilleans, who often mocked him as a frustrated American or a reverse racist.
The pioneer also faced resistance in the world of theater. What Rufus wanted for the collective was extensive, eccentric, and, above all, non-existent in the Netherlands at that time. He preferred to change everything immediately, without compromise. Moreover, Collins employed a fairly authoritarian leadership style, which was not really favored by down-to-earthly Dutch people. In the early 1990s, so much was happening around De Nieuw Amsterdam that the government lost track. Subsidy providers struggled with Collins' uniqueness and outspoken opinions, especially after Tjon departed. It didn't help that several Belgian commercial productions by Collins were sharply criticized in major newspapers. Governmental funds for De Nieuwe Amsterdam were immediately withdrawn.
The cessation of governmental money practically meant the end of what Collins had built in Amsterdam. However, the collective was given conditions to continue. The first point was that Collins, a non-Dutch citizen, could no longer lead alone. A Dutch co-leader had to be appointed. Additionally, the focus had to shift to talent development instead of theater production. The collective would assume the position of a social project and receive funding from the labor office, not from the usual art subsidies. This put Collins back in a situation similar to when he first arrived in the Netherlands ten years prior—workshops instead of performances, a means instead of art, and, most poignantly, continuing under a specific label where multicultural players were once again isolated in their own artistic environment.
In 1993, Rufus Collins was diagnosed with the HIV virus. He was given a death sentence but recovered and participated in the first production of a new multicultural theater collective initiated by his students, Made In Da Shade, the organization that would later become RIGHTABOUTNOW Inc. It was the last performance he took part in before passing away at the age of 61. Throughout Rufus's life, his mission was his home base, and for many years, he chose Amsterdam over London as the epicenter of that mission, believing in the city's colorful streets and openness. He believed that Amsterdam would take the lead in rethinking identity, origin, and shared history. A logical question to ask is: was Amsterdam truly the ideal stage for someone of his artistic caliber? Where do we stand in relation to his mission, what is his legacy?
One could argue that Rufus overestimated the city. He did not fit well into the bourgeois, subsidy-dependent cultural landscape of the 1980s. His sometimes self-assured, revolutionary, and artistic mentality scared people away. The distrust in his pioneering efforts from the government attests to this. It posed challenges. Not that Rufus himself was much bothered by it; on the contrary, he seemed to revel in it. Going off the beaten path was his way of touching people, both in the sector and the people of the time. Think of the young students who walked into his classroom in 1981. It's these people who have been active in the cultural field for almost 40 years now. They witnessed firsthand why it is important to fight for the recognition of the richness of cultures in the art world. Inspired by the non-conformist energy that Rufus brought with him and with an understanding of their own role in a larger cultural whole, they have established numerous cultural organizations. These organizations, such as Made in da Shade and now RIGHTABOUTNOW Inc., Raymi Sambo Maakt, Urban Myth, St. Julius Leeft, and many more, are now creating ample opportunities for emerging talent.
Is theater as diverse now as the streets of New York, London, Amsterdam, and all the other places Rufus has been? Opinions on this matter differ. Multiculturalism remains, for many, an adjective, a local social issue, an economic problem, and a side dish. Rufus wasn't solely responsible for this, of course. But perhaps Rufus's legacy is about something that transcends this question. What he brought with him was that revolutionary mentality: making theater with a mission, sticking to the bigger picture despite resistance, believing in a world that is different from the reality around you, and having the imagination to bring that world to life on stage. Regardless of where we find ourselves in the complex landscape of diversity in 2023, it's people like Rufus Collins who remind us of the importance of embracing a world where voices are heard, and cultures are celebrated. RIGHTABOUTNOW Inc. builds on the legacy of icons like Rufus, serving as an artistic space where cultures, disciplines, and pioneers come together.
This article is written for RIGHTABOUTNOW Inc. and based on stories from the founders of RIGHTABOUTNOW Inc., supplemented by written sources from Nelly van der Geest, Emile Schra, Jet van Overveen, Maarten van Hinte, and more from De Groene Amsterdam, de Volkskrant, and Radio 1. Contributions from RAN archivist and historian Jocelyn Kotvis. Special thanks to Wijngaarde & Partners.
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