Workshop Decolonising Digitally: Archives of the Performing Arts

“The need of the new generation is then as such: to collectively discover that there have been people who invented the wheel before us and whose legacies can show us the way. Because even though we are not the first, the road we walk can be lonely if our predecessors are not visible enough.” 
^{Naomi van der Linden, Gable Roelofsen en Simon van den Berg. Theaterkrant Magazine on The Need for Legacy, 2021}

The archives of the performing arts contain the stories of makers who precede us. The forming of a canon has preserved the ‘big names’ and gathered extensive documentation about them. But what did we preserve of the little names or forgotten stories, who have been left unmentioned until now? 

Which stories of makers of colour can be found within the archives of the Dutch performing arts? How can we explore these and shine a new light on them? So that new and old stories can come to center stage. And what material is not yet properly secured and disclosed for the people? 

We invite students and recent graduates from theatre schools, conservatoria and heritage programs to together explore the performing arts archives. Podiumkunst.net, in collaboration with The Need for Legacy, the Reinwardt Academie and Maastricht University, have invited several professionals to introduce archival material from Dutch makers of colour or makers with a migration background. Together we will delve into this material in order to formulate actions. What do we want to do with this material? And what do we need to do? 

Are you a student or recent graduate from a theatre school, a conservatorium or a heritage education And are you interested in exploring the performing arts archives together? 

Then sign up for this event. And/or contact Claartje Rasterhoff if you have questions.