Jeske Heijne den Bak

I view myself as a facilitator of theatre in all its various forms, and I strive to share my own enthusiasm with my students or actors. I always aim to empower them, whether by challenging them in specific ways or simply by lending a listening ear. I hope to be the kind of artist-educator I once had myself: someone who knows how to spark a passion for theatre.

What is my ambition or vision for the future? Simply to keep doing exactly what I’m doing now: exploring the world, creating performances with my theater collective Compost, teaching, and developing educational projects. Just flitting about freely!

What inspires me
The world full of people around me and the way we all look at things differently.

What can you expect at Finals?
A night that’s thumping, celebratory, and daring. A place where you can discover what lies within you. Where you might meet a different version of yourself. Where you can transform.

But there is also a downside to that free, dark night.

PAPILLON is a performance about looking, being watched, and being truly seen. For can you really discover yourself when everyone is constantly watching? And how do you look at yourself?

As part of my internship at Zwolse Theaters, I conducted research into how theater education accompanying a performance can deepen the learning experience in primary education. To this end, I interviewed various stakeholders (the theater and the performing company) about their views on education, delivered a preparatory lesson for a performance to a Year 4 class, and subsequently observed the school performance itself. The experience children gain by attending the theater well-prepared—and by making it a genuine part of their regular curriculum—offers immense potential for deepening their understanding. After all, the theater is a place where you learn about the world around you and your own relationship to it. I believe there is still a great deal of ground to be gained in this area.

Internships:

Graduation internship in the education department of Zwolse Theaters.

Internship in the education department of Theater de Steeg in Groningen.

Teaching internship at Vathorst College in Amersfoort.