WILLEMSTAD - The Drazans youth theater school in Curaçao will expand its talent program for young people with theater ambition in the coming years. By strengthening the collaboration with the Utrecht School of the Arts (HKU) in the Netherlands, talents in the performing arts on the island will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in play and production projects.
In addition, there will be more information about follow-up courses and HKU Theater and Drazans will jointly investigate the possibility of organizing audition processes for a larger target group.
In recent years, various talented Drazans players have progressed to further education in the arts in the Netherlands. They ended up at the Theater Preparatory Course at the Theater School Utrecht, Maastricht Theater Academy, ArtEZ Arnhem and HKU Theater. However, this is not an obvious route for young people from the island, as the geographical distance is great. In addition, it is often expensive for young people to be able to audition in the Netherlands and there is no thorough preparation.
In September 2019, Drazans started a class for young people with theater talent. With this project, the youth theater school wants to bridge the gap between the island and art education in the Netherlands. In 2020 the HKU Theater and Drazans collaborated in a pilot the "Week Zonder Naam"; an interdisciplinary talent project for young people in the performing arts in Curaçao.
In the coming years, Drazans will strengthen this talent process together with the HKU Theater, Drazans announced this weekend. "HKU Theater is looking for students who have an open and diverse world view. New students offer new perspectives on imagination and bring in new stories. The collaboration with Drazans is prompted by this quest,” says Caspar Nieuwenhuis, director of HKU Theater.
Nieuwenhuis: "We would like to see a next step in this. We want to exchange more between the groups in the Netherlands and Curaçao. Through this collaboration, HKU Theater wants to make its working method transparent and tangible and thus generate enthusiasm among new talents. For example, a potential candidate from Curaçao have a starting network with students and lecturers in order to orient themselves better and prepare for the selection."
Various interdisciplinary projects are offered on the island, in which the talents of Curaçao will be linked to students and coaches from HKU Theater. In addition, so-called "Side Track Sessions" will be set up. This is especially for young people who want to be challenged more, or who need more information to focus on a study in art education.
The two theater schools are also investigating which other audition structures are possible in the coming years to make auditions more accessible for Caribbean students with talent. This limits financial and geographical barriers as much as possible.
The development and implementation of this process is made possible by the Fund for Cultural Participation in Utrecht. This fund stimulates active cultural participation in the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. 'It contributes to an open society in which people of all ages and backgrounds can develop their creativity.'
