Marieke shares her experiences as an artist educator
Marieke van Schaik has finished the Artisteducator in Theater & Media programme. In the video below, she tells us what the new curriculum looks like and what inspired her graduation project. “We have to finish three parts: research, context, and project. Research is your thesis. Context is your internship. And Project is your performance. The shape they take isn’t set in stone. You have to go into the professional field with some context. With research, you conduct research that results in a product. And with the project portion, you set up a project that also results in a product.”
Her graduation performance is called “Useless Mouths,” and it focuses on how current generations are influenced by the modern world. She continues: “Useless Mouths are about the so-called 'useless generation.' Roughly speaking, this refers to Gen-Z and Millennials, who are a bit lost because of all the freedom they have had. They’re confused and feel pressure to perform. My work also looks at how all of that impacts daily life.” Her performance is inspired by the play of the same name by Simone de Beauvoir.
Marieke is going to do a Master's after she graduates and she wants to focus on creating education around performances. She explains: “I think it’s very interesting to examine what kind of education we can offer adults. So they don’t feel that they have to constantly pretend like they understand a performance, because that’s not always the case. And that’s okay.”
The Artisteducator in Theater & Media programme in Zwolle is a top-rated programme according to HBO Higher Education Guide. It trains you to become an artist educator in theatre and media, and it gives you a teaching qualification. You get the tools to learn to direct, design, film, and produce. After graduating, you can teach drama in all forms of education: primary school, high school, vocational education, and adult education. You can also work as an independent cultural entrepreneur, a theatre maker, director, and more.
