Amsterdam Independent Theatre was founded by Eelco R. Claassen January 1, 2007.

 

Eelco R. Claassen started his professional career owning two successful recording studios in The Hague. For a period of six years he wrote songs and produced music for national and international artists. After sending a demo CD, recorded with the original Dutch cast of Miss Saigon to theatrical producer Dodgers in New York, he was offered both the position of Musical Director for the Dutch version of the Broadway hit musical RENT, and the chance to compose the score for a musical about movie icon Rudolph Valentino. For six months Tango de Valentino played in Amsterdam with great success. After completing the tour with RENT, Eelco founded production company First in the Field Theatrical and wrote and produced Rocky over the Rainbow, a musical comedy combining parody versions of the famous characters of The Wizard of Oz with parody versions of characters of The Rocky Horror Show. Rocky over the Rainbow was critically acclaimed, won awards and was a huge commercial success playing 4 runs in The Netherlands and Germany in 2001, 2002, 2010 and 2012.

 

First in the Field Theatrical went on to produce Love Me Just A Little Bit more, a musical based on the songs of Holland’s most successful girl group; the Dolly Dots. The show played at theatres from September 2004 until February 2005 with nearly 100.000 tickets sold.

 

Driven by a feeling of discontent about Dutch musical productions lacking originality and spunk Eelco decided to found production company Amsterdam Independent Theatre with only one goal: to make new original and imaginative theatrical productions. Simply put: shows with a difference.

 

The anti-musical Shhh...it Happens! premiered August 12, 2007 and which played at the Panama theatre in Amsterdam.

 

In 2008 Amsterdam Independent Theatre produced Forbidden Musicals on Tour for which Claassen also composed the complete score.

 

Currently Amsterdam Independent Theatre is developing ‘STAR ROCK’ a rock musical set in a future far, far away.