EPALE - Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe

Short bio

I am the artistic director of the company Zout. Together with this company, I develop theatre projects to give a platform to social themes, in cooperation with the target group involved in the issue. I have a passion for the "genuine" on stage and I prefer working with those with real experience. We talk to the people and not about them. By involving the relevant target group, we can also make a difference for these people.

My EPALE

I did not previously know much about EPALE. I am however familiar with the concept of adult education and know that in this context education can be broader than formal education, which has a more school-like character. I think it would be very exciting and valuable to cooperate with organisations in Europe that are similar to Zout in order to exchange experiences. We should not all be trying to reinvent the wheel. Above all, let's learn from each other and experience how wonderful it is to be open, and to be able to take a step forward together."

My Story

Personal stories on stage

Theatre is the ultimate medium through which to tell stories in a layered, emotional way. It touches people and offers a different perspective. I want to give people in a vulnerable position the opportunity to tell their story, to give them a platform. These include, for example, elderly people, people from the LGBT+ community, people living on the poverty line or people who are homeless. By letting them tell their own story in an artistic way, we can let a broad audience see and feel how thin the dividing line can be between being part of society or not.

'Ik Ben Hier' ['Here I am']

Our most recent performance is Ik Ben Hier. This performance focuses on the stories of refugees. We met these people through a collaboration with Taalhuis Breda and de Nieuwe Veste in Breda. Through the performance, participants can show the Dutch audience how they struggle with integration, finding their bearings in this new society, and the obstacles they encounter. This performance gives them a chance to tell their story. They are listened to, which is often not the case. For example, a man from Afghanistan was eager to tell his story so that he could help others understand why he is here. In the Netherlands, we know very little about the situation in distant countries like Afghanistan.

From theatre training to play

Participants follow a theatre training course that focuses on various aspects of theatre. Among other things, attention is paid to stage presentation and storytelling. These are also great ways for them to work on their Dutch language skills. The participants are all very enthusiastic, which is lovely to see. People who tell a story based on their own experience are authentic. This leads to wonderful conversations between the actors and the audience after a performance, which you don't have when performances are done by professional actors.

Broad cooperation

For Zout's projects, we always seek broad cooperation with relevant partners who are close to the target group. This is absolutely fundamental. It is important to involve a partner who is already familiar with the target group and from which the target group also has something to gain. Refugees and immigrants realise that they need the language to build a future. In the cooperation with partners, both parties have something to gain and something to contribute, we need one another. The Zout team is excellent at theatre training and artistic translation. Zout can, through an artistic rendering, give extra power to a story.

Impact

I strive to make an impact with the performances, on multiple levels. Impact on those people with first-hand experience, on the audience that comes to see our performances, but also on a municipal level. I hope that with our performances, I can contribute to creating empathy and giving nuance to discussions of social issues. While discussing issues can also be of value, it's impossible to ignore personal stories told by people with first-hand experience. That is the beauty of our approach. It has genuine impact. With Here I am we are also working on making the impact measurable and analysable. We are currently performing Here I am in Breda, and in Rotterdam in the spring. That will be interesting too. It will probably work differently in the context of Rotterdam than it does in Breda.