Yentl en de Boer and Lisa Ostermann win second Poelifinario at The Hague cabaret gala
Ruud Smulders, Lisa Ostermann and Yentl en de Boer took the three VSCD Poelifinario cabaret prizes at a gala in Theater Diligentia in The Hague on Monday evening, 12 October 2026. David Linszen received the Neerlands Hoop.
The awards
The VSCD Cabaret Prizes for the 2025-2026 theatre season were handed out on Monday evening, 12 October 2026, during the annual Cabaretgala at Theater Diligentia in The Hague. The Poelifinario, named after a fictional bird from a 1980 sketch by Toon Hermans, has been awarded every year since 2003 and has been split into three categories since 2018. A seven-member jury, which includes theatre programmers, a director and a critic, chose the winners from the past season. Each winner receives a portrait by photographer Corbino, which will hang in Theater Diligentia.
The three winners
Ruud Smulders won the entertainment category for Rüdsichtslos, his first Poelifinario. The jury called him one of the most interesting makers in the cabaret field, and the show examines his self-love, his wish for children and his inner change. Lisa Ostermann won the engagement category for De Baas, her second Poelifinario after Makkelijk in de omgang in 2024. In De Baas she examines her own wish for children and how much control she has over her life. The jury described her style as an irresistible mix of pure candour and wonderfully nonsensical silliness.
Yentl en de Boer won the kleinkunst category for Rekhalzen, their second Poelifinario after Modderkruipers in 2023. The duo consists of Christine de Boer and Yentl Schieman. According to the jury, the show contains funny songs about bears on the road, promised presents nobody has ever received, and a man's deathbed serenaded in song. The programme looks at dreams in the face of uncertain times, and the performers reflect on their own success.
Critical response
NRC gave Rüdsichtslos five balls and wrote that Smulders's ambition not to make complacent cabaret is deeply satisfying. NRC gave De Baas four balls and said Ostermann has irresistible energy, though at times she wants to tell and move a little too unrestrainedly. The Volkskrant called Rekhalzen the duo's best show so far in a five-star review. The same paper described Smulders's comedy as gripping edge-of-your-seat comedy, with a constant stream of absurdity as its superpower.
Tribute, Neerlands Hoop and what comes next
The gala also honoured the late cabaretier and writer Paulien Cornelisse. Before the prize was presented, Yentl en de Boer performed a song dedicated to her. David Linszen received the Neerlands Hoop, the prize for the most promising theatre maker, which the Vereniging van Schouwburg- en Concertgebouwdirecties (VSCD) also presents. Yentl en de Boer said they had hoped to be nominated, so winning was still a surprise, according to NOS. The duo has tallied two Annie M.G. Schmidt Prizes for its songs, won in 2015 and 2021. Rekhalzen is scheduled for Scheldetheater Terneuzen on 29 October. All winning productions remain on tour in the Netherlands in the coming months.
