Theo de With of Leids Dagblad visited the rehearsals of TWAALF and interviewed artistic director Pepijn Smit and theatre makers/musicians Rian Evers and Brecht Hermans. The photos are by Hielco Kuipers. The original interview can be found here .
PS|theater makes theatrical documentary about the transition to secondary school. 'Twelve years is very young to make this choice'
The transition from primary school to secondary school is a big step for most 12-year-olds. PS|theater investigated how children and parents experience this. The performance 'Twaalf' is the result.
PS|theater, the city company of Leiden, has been working on the theme of inequality of opportunity for a number of years. “We always deal with a different aspect of this in our performances,” explains artistic director Pepijn Smit. He sums up: “Inequality of opportunity in education, on the labor market and on the housing market. The place where you were born turns out to be very decisive for how the rest of your life goes.”
The first moment this becomes clear is around the age of twelve when children leave primary school. They are then advised to go to secondary school. Whether they end up at VWO or VMBO actually determines their further life. "And that choice is made quite young," notes Pepijn Smit.
Research Actors Rian Evers and Brecht Hermans followed four families who are dealing with this transition over the past six months: two from Leiden, one from Zoeterwoude and one from Voorschoten. Rian Evers previously did projects for PS|theater in which she conducted research in Leiden. "I like to immerse myself in something for a longer period of time. It is a mix of journalistic research and making theatre."
They looked for four families that were as different as possible. For example, they followed a girl who was diagnosed as highly gifted. They also spent time with a family whose parents encourage their son to work harder for a higher school recommendation. In addition, there was a parent who is quite critical of the current Dutch education system.
The actors visited the families on average once a month. "At all sorts of times," says Brecht Hermans. "I often ate with them, because good conversations are often had at the table. But I also attended the final musicals of group 8 and went along to open days at secondary schools. That way you get a good idea of what such a family experiences during this period."
Ask questions
“It’s mainly talking and asking questions,” adds Rian Evers. “What’s going on? How was group 8? What has changed? What are you doing? What do you find exciting? There’s plenty to talk about. Not just with the children, but certainly also with their parents. They have to start letting go of their child. At primary school, they’re often still involved and they know all their children’s friends and classmates. Secondary school is a much more anonymous place. They’re changing their child at a rapid pace. That’s quite hard for some parents.”
During their research, they did discover that the school advice differed greatly per primary school. For example, at one school, many more pupils receive a VWO recommendation than at another. "That is quite remarkable," says artistic director Pepijn Smit. He has made frantic attempts to find a family whose child has difficulty fitting into the education system. "Unfortunately, that did not work. Shame also plays a role in this. But since one in five children falls through the cracks, we still pay attention to it in the performance."
All three of them actually agree that it is better to choose a school a little later. "Twelve is really young. After the summer holidays, the children suddenly have a completely different life. Maybe you should let them get used to secondary school for two years first and only then make the final choice for the type of education."
Ongoing story
After all the conversations - some of which were also recorded - Rian and Brecht were brimming with material. With the help of director Tijs Huys, they made a selection from it and tried to make a continuous story out of it. Brecht Hermans: "It shouldn't be an information evening. We call it a theatrical documentary ourselves. We stay very close to the material, but also add songs, for example."
The performance 'Twaalf' will be played until Sunday in the Makerscentrale, the former Stadsbouwhuis on the Langegracht. On Friday and Saturday 'Twaalf' can be combined with 'Acht', a performance by eight students of the Fontys theatre course. PS|theater is not finished with the subject either. In 2024, the performances 'Zestien' and 'Eenentwintig' will follow, about the situation at a secondary school and about the mental well-being of young adults.
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