“There’s a law in Germany that’s problematic. With my performance, I want to show why it’s problematic.” Charlie explains that in Germany, you have the option to be identified as neither a man nor a woman in your passport: you can obtain an X instead. However, you have to be evaluated first. And that’s the problematic part Charlie shows in their performance.
In the video, we see a part of the performance. We hear a psychiatrist ask very intimate questions to a patient. There’s music in the background and you can see how uncomfortable the patient is. “In order to obtain an X in your passport, you have to be assessed by a psychiatrist," Charlie explains. "And in this assessment, you will probably be asked very weird, personal, intimate questions which are really not okay. I want my audience to see how absurd this law is. And also make them feel a little bit of the anxiety that trans people can experience.”
Be entirely yourself
Charlie feels safe at ArtEZ as they feel they can be entirely themself. After Charlie graduates, they want to go into the educational, artistic field. Because Charlie doesn’t want to be merely an artist, they also want to be an educator. Their plan is to create a platform where young people can tell their stories. And help them create art from these stories. “Music can communicate a lot of feelings that words sometimes can’t," Charlie says. "But the combination of both, there lies the real power.”
Music can communicate a lot of feelings that words sometimes can’t. But the combination of both, there lies the real power.
Combine music and theatre
The Bachelor Music Theatre at ArtEZ is the only course in the Netherlands that trains you to be a creator of contemporary music theatre. You learn to combine music and theatre into a new, personal work. You get the freedom to specialise in the second half of your studies, which means you graduate with a unique profile. You work in an inspiring environment in which you collaborate with students from other ArtEZ art courses. And after you graduate, you can choose to become a performer, a music theatre teacher, or director.
More information about the bachelor Music Theatre
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