Technical Theatre Arts

Artistic director: Eddy Westerbeek

Anybody who wishes to study this discipline must have a combination of qualities which are rarely found in one person. He, and certainly also she, must have feeling for theatre, and love for drama, dance and cabaret. And he or she must also have technical insight and creativity. After all, it is the technician who must bring two worlds together in the theatre, worlds which are far apart. On one hand the world of technology with all its exactness and on the other hand a world of artistic intuition from which performances come about. He/she must speak the language of the actors, understand the director or the set designer, appreciate their line of thinking and be able to find solutions for all kind of problems that can be solved by technical means.

A new generation of technical managers
These last decades theatres and theatre technology have experienced a rapid growth. Dealing with that kind of technology demands thorough training. The production of performances and all kind of (theatre) events has become a very expensive business. And so there was a strong demand in the field for a new type of managers skilled in the use of human resources and technology in an effective and efficient manner. The school was set up by reason of said demand and has also been defined by employers organisations and trade unions in this line of business. The School for Theatre Technology is a four-year higher vocational training. It trains persons who must be able to move on to management posts after several years of working in the business. It is the only school of its kind in the Dutch-speaking regions. In its short existence the school has received national and also international recognition. The graduates all found a job in this sector.

Technology
The first thing that comes to mind when talking about technology in theatres is light and sound and various devices on stage. It is true that these are essential tools used in almost any performance. However, it is just as feasible that a scene requires a hydraulic lift-stage or equipment to move objects on stage by remote control, or characters who must descend from heaven, or a stage-floor that must be braced in order to carry elephants. A technician must have a broad knowledge and he must know where to find expert knowledge to solve any problem with the realisation of the ideas of the director and set-designer. Since collaboration with the performing artists is very important, also during the training, it was decided to offer the Technical Theatre Arts study programme  within the Theaterschool.

Attention!
The language of the Theatre Department is Dutch. In order to function up to the mark in the lessons, foreign students are required to learn, speak, write and read Dutch during their first year of study.