Renée prefers writing for theatre
“It’s wonderful to be able to work with language every day!” Renée Pinksterboer, a fourth-year Creative Writing student, prefers writing theatre scripts. She loves writing that is meant to be spoken aloud.
photo: Lin Woldendorp
The bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing is a broad programme. 'Anyone with an affinity for language, an artistic mindset and a desire to work hands-on will feel at home here,' says Renée. 'I have classmates who enjoy ‘classical writing’, such as novels and novellas. Others prefer telling stories through audio, or creating experimental poetry. And I personally prefer writing for the stage.'
Moving audiences through words
Renée’s love of language and theatre started at an early age. 'As a child, I loved writing little stories, and as a teenager I took part in Starring #22 Naxos, a youth production by the Toneelschuur in Haarlem.' She also loved going to the theatre. 'I discovered how much beauty there can be in texts that move an audience.'
She continues: 'I also find it exciting to see how a text is translated to the stage. How will the actor bring the character to life? I imagine that feeling of anticipation is similar to what other people experience when watching a football match.'
'I want to put characters on stage who don’t quite fit into the world around them. And challenge the audience to love them anyway.'
Renée found her own voice
During the first two years of Creative Writing, Renée was ‘booked and busy’ with all the programme’s compulsory courses, as she puts it. But when she had room for a larger independent project in her third year, she knew straight away: she wanted to write for theatre. ‘I want to put characters on stage who don’t quite fit into the world around them, and challenge the audience to love them anyway.’
During her internship at Frino, a Brabant-based musical theatre duo, that passion was fuelled even further. ‘I realised then: oh yes, theatre is also allowed to be fun. I’d lost sight of that a little during my studies. I took everything very seriously.’
Over time, Renée increasingly found her own voice as a writer. ‘My tutors taught me that there isn’t just one right way to write. I also discovered that something doesn’t have to be heavy to move people. You can write about serious subjects in a light-hearted way, for example through funny observations and conversational language. I now know that this is what suits me.’
Interdisciplinary collaboration
For her graduation project, Renée wanted to write a performance with a light-hearted touch. She went looking for a student to perform her text. ‘It wasn’t too difficult to find someone, thanks to my network,’ she says. ‘Many of ArtEZ’s programmes are based in the same building, so you regularly run into students from other programmes, for example in the canteen. Through a friend, I got in touch with Laura van de Werf, from the School of Acting programme.’
photo's: Bart Grietens
A performance about nostalgia and loneliness
Over their first coffee together, Renée and Laura discussed their ideas and hopes for what would eventually become a joint finals project. Renée: ‘We quickly discovered that we shared a desire for lightness. Together, we developed a concept. I wrote the text, while Laura created a series of short performances. Step by step, the project grew into the performance DE DAG DAT NIEMAND KWAM.’
This tragicomic performance tells the story of a lesbian princess longing for her ex-girlfriend. ‘I think it’s very important to represent queer characters,’ Renée explains. ‘But the story isn’t just about being a lesbian. For me, it’s also about themes such as nostalgia and the different forms loneliness can take. I think many people will recognise something of themselves in that and connect with the story.’
The same passion, a different perspective
The graduation project left Renée wanting more, she reflects. ‘I find collaboration challenging and inspiring, especially when working with makers from other disciplines. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to do so. Our tutors are very supportive of collaboration between programmes.’
In the future, Renée hopes to work with theatre makers more often. ‘We share the same passion, but have a different perspective. For me, the starting point is always language. Ideally, I’d like to keep writing for theatre. That really is the big dream.’
