At the start of 2024, the youth-focused open space initiative “Fancy Friday” at JES Stuttgart entered a new phase with 3Place. In this handover phase Emilia Detering and Benni Bosler, two young adults, took the reins of curation and organization for the event series aimed at engaging young people.
Emilia and Benni embarked on a mission to understand the needs and desires of Stuttgart’s youth. They dove into youth centers and schools to gather fresh ideas and listened to what young people wanted to experience in their city. they had the power and freedom to plan events that they too had always wanted to experience in our theatre. They even took charge of designing everything for these events across the social media platforms.
The result of their research and brainstorming was a series of diverse and engaging Fancy Friday events.
January: Fancy Friday Goes Gossip and Crochet
Kicking off the year, around 30 attendees gathered for a cozy, laid-back evening. The event was centered around the theme of gossip and crochet, where participants indulged in watching trash TV, reading magazines, laughing about horoscopes, and og course knitting and crocheting.
February: Fancy Friday Goes Love Special
In February, love was in the air as about 35 attendees participated in an interactive evening dedicated to the topic of all topics: LOVE!
This event featured a nostalgic twist with a reenactment of the famous German TV show from the ’90s, “Herzblatt,” led by the drag artist Inge Ringle. The audience got the chance to play along, trying to find a new friend. The evening was filled with love songs, LipSync performances, and even spaces where attendees could write letters to express their feelings, and also space to vent their frustrations and heartbreak.
March: Fancy Friday Goes Disco
March brought a burst of youthful energy as Fancy Friday transformed into a disco night. A very young and still inexperienced DJ group, Chaos.Dico.Club, took center stage, bringing the beats to the theatre’s foyer. In collaboration with the mobile youth work network (local social workers from Stuttgart), the event created a safe and vibrant space for young people to dance, drink some lemonade, and just let loose, a space they otherwise don’t have.
April: Fancy Friday goes open choir
Fancy Friday introduced a fresh and exciting collaboration with the talented young musician, Svea Kirschmeier and launched an open choir that brought people together through the power of music. The choir’s focus was on singing queer anthems, creating a safe and empowering space for all participants. Under Svea’s expert guidance, the group quickly mastered the art of polyphonic singing.
May/June: Fancy Friday meets “About good and bad but probably mostly about the complicated mess in between”
In a mash-up of two 3Place projects, Fancy Friday asked how do the participants of the upcoming show “About good and bad …” imagine the perfect end to a performance? All the participants took an online survey, and the results of the survey were then used to organize the ultimate end-of-show party, tailored to the desires of the group. The evening featured everything the participants had mentioned: karaoke, games, dancing, and a delightful array of snacks.
July: Fancy Friday goes Sunny Saturday
As the Fancy Friday season drew to a close, it went out with a bang by transforming into a Sunny Saturday summer party. This event marked the end of a successful season with a day filled with creativity and music. In collaboration with the dynamic young art collective, “Die Trabanten,” participants were treated to DJ and Art-Print Workshops. These workshops offered valuable insights into the world of art and music, teaching attendees how to create art prints and embark on a career in DJing. The festivities continued into the evening, with a memorable concert hosted by the talented student band, Port.
The events were a big success, consistently drawing around fifty attendees to each Fancy Friday. This turnout demonstrated the power and effectiveness of peer-to-peer collaboration.