Testimonials

I also appreciate the research methods that I had to use. I believe I can use these dramaturgical and research skills in a broad spectre of areas in the theatrical field: I could use them as a dramaturg, a curator, a programmer, doing further academic research and even as a theater director. Personally I am committed to become an integral, well-prepared theater-maker that can interact with contemporary debates and practices within the field, and this Masters has allowed me to dive deep into exciting discourses and problems such as ecology, post-humanism and neo-materialism.

I did my internship at the Ulrike Quade Company (UQC) as a dramaturgical assistant and was assigned the task to research material culture in the multi-cultural demographic context of Amsterdam. I developed report about Indonesian Wayang Shadow-Puppet Theater, Drag Performance and Cosplay. I could use the research methods and the broad, dramaturgical thinking I acquired during my Masters to present a complex and highly interdisciplinary research paper. I learned plenty working at the UQC: they self-identify as a visual theater company that is responsible for an artistic updating of the traditions of puppetry, mixing them with dance, sound and a strong scenographic narrative. And they produce between three and four shows a year, so they are highly productive and efficient. I felt I had all what it takes to unfold in an intellectually demanding atmosphere of theater professionals.

As for the future, I am heading to Berlin to continue studying: I will course a MA called Game and Object at Ernst Busch (Theater University). I say this because what I learned in Utrecht was so stimulating that I have the need to continue studying contemporary theater, but now as to be a practical creator with a special eye for technology, objects and society. Eventually I would like to go back to Chile, in order to be contribution to our local theatrical and academic scene, which is not very exposed to contemporary debates in theater and the humanities.”

"In India, we have different traditional classical dance forms and a plethora of rich cultural folk arts, which are being taken forward in both traditional and unconventional ways. With my past academic studies in Journalism and experience in research and media, I was keen on a specialisation in dance and performance knowledge from a critical research perspective, combining theoretical approaches and interactions with dance makers.

During the programme, through very niche contemporary works using new media, I got an exposure to the potential and multi-layered dynamics within dance and performance; including its influence on the spectator. In addition, the compulsory internship within the course design was a great opportunity to put theory into practice along with gaining significant international industry exposure. My internship was in documenting choreographic processes at ICK, one of the renowned dance companies in the Netherlands that is deeply invested in dance documentation practices using digital technology towards new proposals for re-inventing dance archives. What was even better was to be able to take this learning back into the academia in the form of inputs towards my thesis based on a similar subject, channelising my interest in dance documentation and transmission. In a nutshell, I am happy that with this programme, I got the experience that I set out for!"

"I was told that the Pre-Master’s programme might be very challenging following a BA in artistic practice, but it turned out I was well prepared by my high school education and it was doable next to a part-time day job. Going from the Pre-Master’s programme to the Master’s programme was a much bigger leap, in part because of the increased time demands, but also because the academic standard was significantly higher. I sometimes felt I lacked the background students with a full BA had, but not so much that it was an issue in finishing the MA. 

While there is no direct link between my studies and current career path, I am very grateful to have done this MA in particular. It has allowed me to meet wonderful new people and introduced me to different kinds of performance I wish I’d known about earlier. It taught me a whole new way of thinking and I am immensely grateful for that. I’m currently exploring what I want to do further to a day job that I love and have held through both of my studies. This MA has impacted me as a person in a way that goes beyond career opportunities and marketable skills (although I suppose it gave me those too). I did this MA out of curiosity and it has made me a better informed and more engaged person, which is something that I think will serve me for the rest of my life."

"Working as an artist led me to begin to question how children theatre functions within a larger conversation surrounding experimental performance practice. I wanted to expand how I understood this term and how work was being made outside of Scotland as well as at home. I chose to come to Utrecht after attending Tweetakt Festival in 2015, I was inspired by the work I had seen made for young audiences. I was interested how the work I will make has been affected by this exposure to other cultures of theatre making. I think it is important to experience other types of work rather than just having your own national perspective. I wanted to spend my postgrad focusing on work for young people and thought being in The Netherlands would allow me to access a more expansive performance field.

The programme has trained me to think critically and expand my view of how we can discuss and look at performance practice. Since graduation I have been working on different projects and festivals including Tweetakt in the performance field here in Holland. At the moment I am continuing to work with Tweetakt with the international programme and also working with new makers as they develop work for the festival. I am enjoying working in both the organisation and artistic development of projects both in Holland and abroad and hope to continue to seek out opportunities using the skills I have gained in my masters."