T
Internship Report
“Project Occident”
Kerrin Banz
S3486923
M.A. Arts Culture and Media
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
1. Introduction ... 1
2. Description of the Project and Organigram ... 2
3. Structure of the Team and Project ... 5
4. Description of the Tasks ... 6
5. Evaluation ... 8
5.1 Aspects of the internship that have been useful ... 8
5.2 New knowledge and skills... 9
5.3 How did the placement tie with professional practice ... 9
5.4 Learning outcomes ... 10
5.5 Supervision ... 11
5.6 Why this placement? ... 11
5.7 How did I obtain it? ... 12
5.8 How did the placement help me to sharpen my career goals? ... 12
6. Conclusion ... 13
1
1. Introduction
I never found it easy to narrow down what I want’ when it comes to my future job – the field of arts and culture is so extensive, complex and interesting; as soon as I think I have found ‘my spot’, another aspect, sphere, or job present itself to me and I find myself stuck between equally enticing choices. Hence, the idea of deciding on an internship that might serve as a stepping stone into my (hopefully) flourishing career seemed quite intimidating. Sometimes I would sit in front of my computer, glancing at the screen showing an empty bar from any random job search engine; taxing my brain for a job description that I could type in (while very frequently the search engines did not even offer an ‘arts and culture’ domain...).
Due to personal reasons, I wanted to stay in or around Groningen for my internship, which certainly limited my options considerably. Nevertheless, I started asking and looking around for places that caught my attention and seemed interesting to me. I made my choices based on two categories: What I wanted and (even more importantly) what I didn’t want.
What I didn’t want: Sitting in an office all day, working entirely on my own, not communicating with people, typing as the main task, not being noticed, let alone valued as a serious employee. I am a practical person and I like being challenged creatively, cognitively and personally. Most of my experience lies in the theatre field and I have always loved the diversified work that comes with it: being part of a team in which jobs are assigned flexibly, which sometimes means that one might be an assistant today, but a leader tomorrow, and something completely different the day after.
Hence, what I wanted: Creativity, challenge, inspiration, a small team, a low hierarchy, diversity, variation, responsibility. I am aware that it sounds a bit too much to ask for. But actually, I found basically all of it in the internship that I ended up doing.
By coincidence, resulting from an open application to the education department at Het Houten Huis (Groningen), I became a production/dramaturgy intern at “Project Occident”; a theatre project with young professionals from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
2 Unfortunately, the project could not be conducted as it had originally been planned, because an application with the Creative Europe Fund to finance the costs did not succeed. Nevertheless, we were able to execute a reduced version of the project (Plan B), due to another, but extensively smaller funding from ERASMUS+.
In the hope not to raise too much confusion about my tasks and responsibilities as an intern at Project Occident, I will first explain the project as it was supposed to take place, followed by the description of Plan B, which was then undertaken instead.
2. Description of the Project and Organigram
“Project Occident” is a European Youth Theatre Project initiated by four cooperating theatre makers from Belgium (Gregory Caers, Soraya Rademaker), Germany (Rachel Hameleers), and the Netherlands (Karlijn Benthem), with the overall aim to create a performance that will be shown in various European countries.
The project is divided into a ‘research phase’ (21 days in August) and a ‘rehearsal phase’ (14 days in September), followed by the Premiere and a tournée in 2019.
The research phase
Together with 18 participants, the theatre makers go on a journey through eight European cities (London, Marseille, Bern, Istanbul, Bologna, Gdansk, Bucharest, and Tallinn), in order to pursue the question “What is the current state of Europe?” The young participants are all born in 2000; therefore will either be or turn 18 in 2018. They are “Millennials”; young people who grew up within the European Union with all its amenities: one single currency, open borders and the rights to move freely between the EU states. Most of them come from the three organizing counties, but there are also participants, who were born in Poland, North Africa, and Iran, and therefore represent the “New Europeans”.
The aim of the research phase is to gather and create material (impressions, experiences, stories, conversations, discussions, but also texts, images, motions and performance elements) for the final performance.
The 18 participants are divided into four groups. Together with one theatre maker, each of these groups travels to two of the eight destinations, where they will spend three full days.
3
The time in the Host City
The three days in the host city are organized with the help of a Host. In most cases, this is a local social or cultural organization (i.e. Istanbul&I1; Flo Kasearu2;
Gdansk Shakespeare Theatre3). Having a host means being able to get to know
the city and its inhabitants from a different, more personal and authentic perspective, rather than staying on the tourist side. It is the host’s task to find four or five local 18-year-olds, who serve as the participant’s tour guides for the duration of the stay. Through this, the participants get an immediate impression of what it is like to live in the respective host city, and what it means for the young locals to be part of Europe. Apart from the research aspect, a very important part of the visit is also the creative examination of the collected material. Therefore, every visit in a host city ends with a focused workshop, before everyone makes their way back to the headquarters in Berlin.
The days in Berlin are a way to present the findings, discuss and reflect on the experiences. They are also an opportunity to transform these into performative fragments that can be used and devised in the rehearsal phase.
Eventually, every group leaves for their second destination, following the same procedure as before.
In the end, everyone meets for a final workshop in Berlin, before there is a week of rest to allow time for individual reflection. On the 6th of September, the artistic and production team comes together in Ternat, Belgium, to prepare the rehearsal phase. On the 9th of September, the young participants arrive to start working on the performance.
1
Istanbul & I is a socio-cultural organization based in Karaköy, Istanbul, whose voluntary members are
organizing intercultural events, workshops and classes in and with the local communities; for more information please see http://istanbulandi.org/visitus/
2
Flo Kasearu is an artist based in Tallinn, Estonia. She created the Flo Kasearu House Museum, in which she creates and displays her art works. Topics of her sculptures, paintings and installations are her own family history, domesticity, identity and the meaning of the home. For more information please see
http://www.flokasearu.eu/
3 Gdansk Shakespeare Theatre is a public theatre dedicated to the works of William Shakespeare. For more
4
Project Occident
Production
Artists
Project Leader (off.)
Het Nationale Theater (Den Haag, NL) Financing Dramaturgy Leo Sterrenburg Muriel Besemer CC de Ploter (Ternat, BE)
Het Houten Huis (Groningen, NL) Gregory Caers (BE) Soraya Rademaker (BE) Rachel Hameleers (DE) Karlijn Benthem (NL)
Intern / Assistant
Kerrin Banz Jeroen Platteau Koen De Saeger5
3. Structure of the Team and Project
The organization of the project team can roughly be divided into an artistic level and a production level.
The artistic level comprises only one hierarchy level, including the four theatre makers as equal performers. As they work independently, they do not subject to any organisations in particular, and make all the artistic decisions.
On the production level, the structure is a bit more complex. The official project leader is Het Nationale Theater in Den Haag, Netherlands, even though they were not the organization initiating the project in the first place (this was done by Jeroen Platteau from the Cultural Centre de Ploter). The benefit from this cooperation lies in the widespread network of the National Theatre, and its expertise regarding production management, financing, marketing and especially youth theatre and theatre education. Leo Sterrenburg and Muriel Besemer, head of the education department, both function as advisers in regards to production and publicity. Muriel Besemer is also involved as a dramaturgical consultant, but does not actively take part in the rehearsal phase. Het Nationale Theater also manages the funding from ERASMUS+, and manages and administers the expenses. They are also responsible for managing the tournée in 2018/2019.
Another financial sponsor of the project is Het Houten Huis, who also finances the position of the internship.
The cultural centre CC de Ploter is not the project leader, but a very important organization to the project, as it is the place to accommodate the rehearsal period and also the Premiere of the final performance. Jeroen Platteau, director of CC de
Ploter, is head of production for Project Occident and initiator of the same. Koen De
Saeger is joining the core team as a freelance light, video and stage designer. The internship is equal to an assistant job to both the production and the artistic team.
6
4. Description of the Tasks
My tasks as an intern at Project Occident were very extensive, and varied according to the different stages of the production phase.
I joined the project in its beginning phase; therefore I was also given a lot of freedom about how to configure my position within the team, while considering my main interests and possible learning outcomes.
From March until July 2018, my responsibilities were the following:
1.) Researching Background Material (Dramaturgy)
In order to have a theoretical and dramaturgical basis, and also to provide extra information and inspiration, I put together a dramaturgy-map, comprising information relevant to the project. For this purpose, I, for instance, got acquainted with the history, operation and functioning of the European Union, current challenges for young people in Europe, the topic of European Identity, and information about the cities we were to visit during the travel phase. I distributed the material to the team before the first physical meeting in April.
2.) Communication with the Host Organization
My task was to be the main contact person of the host organizations and discuss all aspects related to our stay. This included the organization of the three-day-stay (writing a detailed schedule and creating tasks for the youngsters, as well as discussing all possibilities and alternatives with the host), organizing sleeping places for the youngsters (in some cases, this was entirely managed by the host, while in other cities, we had to search for affordable accommodation ourselves), and discussing additional activities (such as city tours, or meeting young locals). My role here was the one of an informant; the person, where all contacts are linked: I needed to be up-to-date with all the hosts and always inform the team about the latest developments, concerns and possible difficulties, and make sure no-body felt uninformed.
3.) Recruiting three additional Host Organizations
At the start of the Project, there were only five host organizations, who had already agreed to cooperate with us. I was therefore in charge of researching and contacting places that would complement these.
I managed to make contact with several organizations in Istanbul, Greece and Estonia, who were very keen on hosting the participants in August.
7 Unfortunately, it was also my task to inform them about the failure to acquire the European financing and therefore, the cancellation of the travel phase.
4.) Organizing Meetings (Skype & Physical)
This included constant consultation and briefing of the team members, as well as writing the agenda and conducting the online meetings.
5.) Assisting Karlijn Benthem in choosing the Dutch Participants and being the main contact person for all participants
This task included being present at the selection workshop that was held at the National Theatre in Den Haag, and afterwards choose four participants together with Karlijn. After all eighteen participants had been selected, I informed them about the further procedure, and being their main contact person for concerns, questions and organizational issues.
Since the original version of the project could not be conducted, my tasks changed after July. From August until October 2018, which included a workshop in Berlin and the rehearsal phase in September, my tasks were the following:
1.) Contact with, and Briefing of the Youngsters
2.) Organizing Travel for everyone to Berlin (in August) and Ternat (in September)
Together with Leo Sterrenburg from Het Nationale Theater Den Haag, I booked all travel tickets for the group, as well as the theatre makers from their home cities to Berlin and Ternat. I also distributed the tickets to everyone and took care of the Online-Check-ins for the groups who were flying.
3.) Production & Dramaturgy
During the rehearsal phase in September, my role was an assisting one to both the artistic team and the production (represented by Jeroen Platteau). During this two-week phase, the whole team, as well as the now sixteen youngsters (two had to quit unfortunately), stayed in CC de Ploter. This meant a considerable organizational effort, including the acquisition of tents to insure some privacy, catering and travelling for 25 people.
I was responsible for the daily errands (i.e. food and drinks), preparing breakfast and lunch, acquiring items and props that were needed for the play, and being the main contact person for the participants as well as the team; therefore sort of taking the role of the mediator between all persons.
8 In addition to that, I followed up with the publicity of the play by being in close contact to Het Nationale Theater.
I was also responsible for promoting Project Occident on Social Media; therefore was in charge of the Instagram and Facebook Account. For this purpose I constantly took photos and videos of the rehearsals. I also documented one of the shows on camera.
5. Evaluation
5.1 Aspects of the internship that have been useful
On a practical level, the internship offered me a close insight into project-based theatre and performance work with young adults, and at the same time served my specific interest in (professional) theatre with (non-professional) actors. I understood the numerous steps that need to be taken in order to initiate, organize, promote, finance and conduct a project and gained some useful knowledge about all the small things ‘that can go wrong’ – up to the point of having to reconsider the whole aim of the project, because the financing goal cannot be met.
Furthermore, I received a close insight into the Dutch and Belgian youth theatre scene, which for me, as a German student knowing little about both, was mind-broadening. In addition to this, I gained many contacts of great theatre makers around the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, and got in contact with very interesting and influencing venues, such as the National Theatre in Den Haag. I believe that this alone is extremely useful for my future career, which I hope to find also in the youth theatre sector.
On a personal, or rather psychological level, I found it extremely useful to experience, how a team of very different, very independent and experienced theatre makers work and co-operate, and what it is like to function as a mediator between them.
9
5.2 New knowledge and skills
I gained new knowledge about a topic that I have never really put my mind to: Europe. The research as well as the rehearsal phase gave me countless impulses to question and investigate the continent (and concept) that I am part of and also activated ideas for possible future projects.
I also gained new knowledge about the tasks and responsibilities related to production, got an insight into financing an international project (including the application procedure and the budgeting).
I further got a first impression about the job of a social media manager, where I could also develop some skills in photography, editing, and online writing.
I was able to test and improve my social skills in terms of personal correspondence with official partners of the project, performing in meetings and keeping everybody in the team up-to-date.
In addition to that, I was able to improve my Dutch skills, since the whole artistic team was either of Dutch or Belgian origin and most of the meetings were held in Dutch.
5.3 How did the placement tie with professional practice
During the internship, I was given a lot of freedom to plan, direct and organize my own work load, as well as its content. Certainly, there were specific job that were assigned to me, such as the correspondence with the host organization and project partners, the follow-up work of the rehearsals and the maintenance of the social media profiles. But apart from that, I could mainly follow my interest – such as the
one in Dramaturgy – and brought myself in, wherever I had the feeling that I could
contribute something. To give an example, in the beginning I suggested to put together a small ‘folder’ with background information that I thought might be useful not only for the theatre makers but also to the participants to be a source of inspiration.
I believe that through this internship, I gained a very accurate insight in project-based performance work; more than that, I learned, how partners from different countries organize such a project across borders; how they go from barely knowing each other to forming a team. I learned that project-based theatre work can be extremely exhilarating – working under time pressure and financial restriction can
10 stimulate immense creative potential! I also learned that it can be very frustrating and
psychologically demanding, and – that communication in the creative team, but also
between them and the other partners, and between them and the participants, is the most important thing! This is, what I believe, the crucial part of every creative project, where everybody brings in a different level (and standard) of experience, creativity, and seriousness. I witnessed what happens when these levels do not fit together and result in tension and frustration. In this case, one person dropped out of the artistic team and eventually, out of the project altogether.
In that case, working on “Project Occident” has shown me how project-based
theatre on a professional level works. But it also made me realise, that in the end, it is always people who work together; and especially in project-based theatre that is made within a very limited time frame, emotions break through sooner or later and need to be dealt with – also on a professional level.
Further than that, I got an overall insight into the structures of a production team, the network that is spun around a small-scale international theatre performance, and the professional communication level between project partners.
5.4 Learning outcomes
During this internship I improved my communication skills (verbally and in writing) and my organization skills. I overcame my fear of ‘doing something wrong’, and learned that it is always best to talk to people first and ask for help, and: that it is also okay to not know something. Apart from practical knowledge that I acquired during the internship, I can acknowledge some learning outcomes that are related to me personally; especially concerning my self-confidence and trust in my own abilities.
Since my educational path has been rather unusual – I started my Bachelor degree
quite late after having tried several paths before – I tend to always feel a bit ‘behind’ concerning my practical experience in relation to other people who are my age. In Project Occident, I worked with people who were in their 50s, but also with people who were only five years older than me. At the beginning, I found it difficult to accept, that I ‘only’ had the position of an intern; a position that is usually occupied by people in their early twenties. In other words: I had the feeling that I lacked expertise and also specialization to contribute to the project and be of a benefit to the team, while at the same time, using this experience to sharpen my perception of my future
11 job.
But due to the fact that there were no set hierarchies within the project, and everyone worked in this constellation for the very first time, I received feedback from all of the team members that they appreciated, and, more important to me, needed my contribution to the project. A very important learning outcome for me was therefore, to trust in my experience (even though it might not be as straightforward and specialized as somebody else’s), and also trust in my social skills and my ability to communicate with people – something that I always regarded as a matter of course. But, especially in this project, where communication was crucial, and very often went wrong, I found out that it is in fact a very useful and valuable skill, which I can count on and apply in my future career.
5.5 Supervision
Supervision was provided by Karlijn Benthem, one of the four theatre makers of Project Occident. She offered me a lot of freedom and responsibility concerning my tasks, and addressed me as an equal member of the core team. This gave me a lot of confidence to make proposals and voice my opinion, while also having the feeling that I was actually useful, and a benefit for everyone in the team. Karlijn contacted me on a very regular basis, always asked how I was feeling within the process and was always available for talks. She also gave me constant feedback on my work, as well as my personal development.
5.6 Why this placement?
Basically, this placement offered me many internships in one. I was able to gain insight in many different departments, thanks to the very small team and the low hierarchies. From the first moment, I was intrigued by the possibility to conduct my own work relatively freely, under supervision of four well-experienced theatre makers. I also appreciated the fact that I was able to contribute by introducing my own ideas, be a part of the creative planning of the project and at the same time got introduced to all the practical and organizational issues surrounding it. As my main interest lies in theatre and its impact on young adults, an international youth theatre project that
12 works on a professional level, aiming at an international audience really combined all of the aspects I am most curious about at the current time.
5.7 How did I obtain it?
Obtaining the placement was rather coincidental. During my search for a suitable internship, I also wrote a speculative application to the education department at Het
Houten Huis, in Groningen. I received an answer from Karlijn Benthem, stating that
the organization was not looking for an intern, but the project, she was going to start soon, was. During the interview, it soon became clear that we both had the same expectations regarding the tasks and responsibilities of an intern, and soon afterwards I was part of the Project Occident team.
5.8 How did the placement help me to sharpen my career goals?
The fact that I occupied a lot of tasks that were assigned to different domains (Practical, Production, Artistic), also gave me the opportunity to see, in which of these domains I see myself working in.
I realised for instance, that I enjoy the organization part of a project – I like being involved in the different decisions that need to be taken, and the fact that the head of production needs to be in contact with all the people involved, hence, being at the centre of the communication network. However, I also realised that the artistic aspect of theatre is something that I do not want to miss by any chance!
This especially became clear to me during the intensive rehearsal period in September. Beforehand, there was a collective decision that I should be involved in Production work half of the time, and the other half – especially towards the Première, I should do dramaturgical work, write the script and assist the theatre makers. During the rehearsals, it soon became obvious that four theatre makers are already quite a big team. I soon felt that my contributions in discussions and decision-making processes rather added more complexity than assistance. At the same time, the work load concerned with production proved to be a lot more time-consuming than we all had anticipated. Therefore, I ended up being more outside of the rehearsal room than inside. After a whole day of work, everyone was depleted and tired – but the participants and theatre makers were at the same time exhilarated
13 from the creative work they had done all day. And that was exactly what I missed in those two weeks. Whenever there was time (and demand) for me to join the rehearsal, or to write something for the script, I felt in the right place.
So I would say this internship helped to sharpen my career goals in two ways: First, I know that the theatre is my domain, and that the project-based work with young people is something that I am thriving in and gain energy from.
Second, I also realised that I enjoy the dramaturgical part of planning a production. The background research was something that I enjoyed the most; also the writing parts – for instance to collect material or contribute own thoughts to the creative process
6. Conclusion
I really considered this placement as a great way to get an insight into the practical work of the youth theatre and performance field. Even though the internship started with a different aim – that of taking 18 young people on a trip through Europe – which could not be carried out in the end, I believe that I learned a lot working on the “Project Occident” team. The fact that we spent about three months planning an immensely complex project, and then being faced with the disappointment of it not
being put into effect, taught me a lot about how the cultural and arts sector works –
and that the funding is often the crucial aspect. But just going through the initial planning was already worthwhile, and Plan B was not at all less exciting! Quite the opposite: Two weeks of full-time rehearsal meant starting almost from zero to finalizing a complete interactive theatre show including stage design, costumes and a 15-page script. The whole team, including the young participants were accommodated in the theatre, which created a unique, buzzy and creative atmosphere in which everyone wanted to give it their best.
While beforehand, everyone was working more or less on their own time schedule,
in these two weeks, everybody found themselves under immense time pressure – a
fact that needed to be dealt with creatively and personally. And even though I ‘missed out’ on the travel experience, the entirety of the tasks and responsibilities that I had with “Project Occident” offered me so many opportunities to develop my skills and interests.
14 Occident” and hope that the relationships that established in this project will remain on a professional, and also on a personal level.
15
7. Appendix
Credits
Theatermakers: Karlijn Benthem, Gregory Caers, Rachel Hameleers, Soraya Rademaker Spelers: Meta Friedrich, Emilie Nguimba, Ana Post-Palacios, Jan Wollinger (ACADEMY), Tosca Sommerdijk, Femke Stasse, Ryan Van der Elst, Luka Van der Leer (HNT), John-Pieter Meert, Camille Goris, Fien Maes, Anke Clottemans, Jorik D’hoe (CC de Ploter, Boris), Katrijn
Rubbens, Fien Van Bouwel, Rosalie Bas (NEST). Vormgeving: Koen De Saeger
Research en productie: Kerrin Banz
Websites
https://www.facebook.com/ProjectOccident/
https://www.hnt.nl/voorstellingen/2252//Project_Occident/ Instagram: @project.occident
Websites of the Partners
CC de Ploter, Ternat http://www.ccdeploter.be/
Bühnenkunstschule Academy, Berlin
http://www.academy-buehnenkunstschule.de// NEST Theaterwerkplaats, Antwerp
http://www.theaterwerkplaatsnest.be/ Het Nationale Theater, Den Haag https://www.hnt.nl/
Het Houten Huis, Groningen http://www.hethoutenhuis.org/
16
In separate document (confidential)
Appendix 1: Schedule / Information for the Host Organization during the travel phase Appendix 2: Flyer / Poster
