Words

2026

"'Stop Being Poor' is a contradictory spectacle whose greatest strength lies in unsettling its audience."
– Theater Heute, Ann-Sofie Reiners

"Stop Being Poor: Who Can Afford Hope?"
– SWR

"You leave with the certainty that 'Stop Being Poor' will continue to resonate for a long time."
– Nachtkritik, Steffen Becker

"In Stop Being Poor, power is given to people who would otherwise have none and remain invisible."
– Stuttgarter Zeitung, Carina Kriebernig

"Hetzel wanted to do something more radical with the money: redistribute it. To expose the mechanisms of giving and taking."
– Kontext: Wochenzeitung, Dietrich Heißenbüttel

"'Stop Being Poor' in Stuttgart: Homeless People Decide Who Gets €15,000"
– SWR

"Theatre project gives away money"
– Tagesschau (video)

Watch

"A meeting of extremes"
– Teatroecritica, Matteo Columbo

"A masterpiece of provocation"
– Theatertreffen Jury, Vincent Koch

2025

"Do we really want to empathize with a representative of the Identitarian movement — a woman with far-right views? In “Three times left is right”, that unsettling possibility opens up."
– Abendzeitung, Michael Stadler

"Clever and witty"
– Süddeutsche Zeitung, Yvonne Poppek

"A quintessential Julian Hetzel provocation."
– Nachtkritik, Vincent Koch

"Diarrhea is my Favorite Color shines with a lot of humor"
– Leipziger Volkszeitung

"A showdown between right and left, even in the bedroom"
– Il Corriere della Sera, Rossella Menna

"Once again, Julian Hetzel does not shy away from confrontation with the audience"
– Theaterkrant, Fransien van der Putt (critic's choice)

"Indispensable political theater (in Dutch)"
– De Groene Amsterdammer, Han van Wieringen

"★★★★★ – Josse De Pauw is simply delicious in ‘Three Times Left Is Right’ (in Dutch)"
– De Standaard, Liv Laveyne

"★★★★ – ‘Three Times Left Is Right’ holds up a mirror to the viewer: to what extent do we push away those who think differently?' (in Dutch)"
– De Volkskrant, Mina Etemad

"Not to miss"
– PZAZZ, Pieter T’Jonck

"INTERVIEW: "What if you're fanatically left-wing and your wife is fervently right-wing?" (in Dutch)"
– Trouw

"INTERVIEW: "How does a marriage work when you’re politically on completely opposite sides?" (in Dutch)"
– Het Parool

"A wild story about love and the right (in German)"
– Der Standard, Michael Wurmitzer

"There's plenty to talk about after seeing this performance (in German)"
– Die Presse

"Intermezzo – Artists in conversation (in German)"
– Radio Ö1

Listen here

2024

"Ntando Cele’s performance is a masterful acting presentation, in which she manages to combine both strength and vulnerability."
– Jury Dutch Theater Awards

"Exciting, inspiring and moving. Great direction (…) A project that invites you to participate. The acting performance “Game Over” at the Tif Kassel combines computer games with bitter reality."
– HNA, Andreas Köthe

"Empathy: podcast with Nikita Dhawan and Julian Hetzel"
– Des Pudels Kern

Listen here

"Diarrhea is my Favorite Color has a serious smell – that of subversiveness."
– De Morgen, Evelyne Coussens

"Diarrhea is my Favorite Color is a hilarious ode to not following rules"
– Het Parool, Lorianne van Gelder

"A raised middle finger to the pressure to perform and conform"
– et-cetera, Sam Simons

"★★★★ ‘Diarrhea is my Favorite Color': a shit piece you have to see"
– De Standaard, Floris Baeke

"Structured like a crazy audition, it's hard to lean back in your theater seat in this performance for young and old."
– PZAZZ, Marina Kaptijn

"★★★★ [The children] will probably carry this theater experience with them for the rest of their lives."
– NRC Handelsblad, Shira Keller

"On a Sunday afternoon in Den Bosch, Artemis and Hetzel actually restored the honour of anarchy and rebellion"
– Theaterkrant, Fransien van der Putt (critic's choice)

"Those who love anarchy are lucky"
– De Volkskrant, Vincent Kouters ★★★★

"Theater for children and adults: 'Diarrhea is My Favorite Color' makes both laugh"
– Brabants Dagblad, Simone Vos

2023

"No matter how unpredictable the performances of 'professional provocateur' Julian Hetzel are, one thing is sure: you will leave the theater with a knot in your stomach."
– e-tcetera, Annette Embrechts

"In 'SPAfrica' by Ntando Cele and Julian Hetzel, real and unreal, autobiographical material and theatrical tricks are intertwined from beginning to end."
– PZAZZ, Marina Kaptijn

"Land of Plenty podcast episode #3: co-founder of Extinction Rebellion UK Clare Farrell and prominent politician in the government of Amsterdam, among other things responsible for social affairs and shelter, Rutger Groot Wassink interviewed by Miquel and Ed"
–

Listen

"Land of Plenty podcast episode #2: political commentator Ece Temelkuran and author Jaap Scholten interviewed by Miquel"
– De Balie Podcast

Listen

"Land of Plenty podcast episode #1: author Arnon Grunberg and director of DutchCulture Kirsten van den Hul interviewed by Ed"
– De Balie Podcast

Luister

"With the uncomfortable art project There Will Be Light, 'professional provocateur' Julian Hetzel explored the economy hope. A throwback"
– Theaterkrant, Annette Embrechts

"Reality catching up with art and then being sent back into its cage. Impressive"
– Theaterkrant, Fransien van der Putt

"It seems like the performer is always one step ahead of the audience, exposing and confronting even the most ‘naturalized,’ yet inherently racist assumptions and associations."
– SPRING report, Agata Kok

"The clever performance SPAfrica takes a closer look at white audiences’ empathy ★★★★"
– De Volkskrant, Annette Embrechts

"It's a call for critical dialogue rather than hollow “alliances”"
– NRC Handelsblad, Marijn Lems

"Clever, complex, irritating and at the same time extremely entertaining and humorous"
– Theater der Zeit, Teresa Schütz

"Een Uur Cultuur - Interview"
– NPO Radio 1, Teddy Tops

Listen

"Combining clean design and a sharp sense of humor with raw and explosive content, Julian Hetzel's works present ambiguous and sometimes politically incorrect invitations for independent thinking."
– "Doing Dramaturgy: Thinking Through Theatre" by Prof. dr. Maaike Bleeker

2022

"In art and media, trauma is gold – a conversation with Julian Hetzel on his show All Inclusive"
– Poptown, Julia Czub

"There Will Be Light forces you to think about the value of money, and why we never talk about redistribution"
– De Volkskrant, Vincent Kouters

"The uncanny ambiguity of hope – Julian Hetzel’s There Will Be Light"
– Metropolis M, Joris van den Einden

"Sex, drugs and a basic income at SPRING theatre festival SPRING"
– NRC Handelsblad, Sander Janssen

"There Will Be Light: Hetzel takes another critical look at social relations"
– NRC Handelsblad, Marijn Lems

"Money. We think about it so much, but do we actually know what we need it for?"
– SPRING blog, Migle Markulyte

2021

"Theatre maker Julian Hetzel: I claimed the role of the parasite"
– Het Parool, Elise van Dam

Lees meer

"We ordered a head of Adolf Hitler in bronze and I have to admit that fascism was too hard to break because a bronze statue was really a tough thing to grind."
– Interview with Julian Hetzel - SPRING Podcast

Listen

"This project also aims to stimulate the process of transformation, the process of looking how a negative resource or trauma can be used in a pro-active way. It kinds of provide a new perspective or at least something for the present to work with."
– KLAP

2020

"With Mount Average, Hetzel adds another exciting, ambiguous work to his oeuvre. – ★★★★☆"
– NRC Handelsblad, Sander Janssens

"Playful tour in the factory of the future."
– Theaterkrant, Moos van den Broek

"The installatie Mount Average calls for reflection. ★★★★"
– De Volkskrant, Karin Veraart

"The wall between the theater and the street should disappear – A conversation with Julian Hetzel"
– Mister Motley, Milo Vermeire

2019

"Abrasive satire"
– La Liberation (French)

2018

"Julian Hetzel presents another politically charged performance at the intersection of theater and visual arts. – ★★★★"
– Knack Focus

"All inclusive offers painfully recognizable scenes, where you have to laugh as often as you frown. Hetzel unmasks the often too grandiose intentions of art and casts a critical light on the thin line between engagement and exploitation, including his own. – ★★★★☆"
– De Standaard

"All Inclusive is a performance as brilliant as it is painful, an attack on our own morality. – ★★★★★"
– Theaterkrant, Moos van den Broek

"All Inclusive by Julian Hetzel is a confident performance about the boundary between engagement and empathy porn. The casting of Kristien De Proost is a masterstroke. – ★★★★"
– NRC Handelsblad, Marijn Lems

2017

"Julian Hetzel: The border between an artist and an activist is thin."
– Interview in MaCulture (French)

"Hetzel shows the porous border between art, gaming and war."
– Theaterkrant, Fransien van der Putt

2014

"The discomfort in the neo-liberal culture"
– e-tcetera, Pieter T’Jonck

"At a time when artworks are destroyed by terrorists this performance becomes tremendously topical. – ★★★★★"
– Kurier Vienna