• New views and development of existing practices

    Continuous Evolution of Kitchen Table Conversations at DRAK.

    DRAK has established the Kitchen table conversations into a continuous practice. A Kitchen table conversation is a methodology developed in the previous EU-project T.E.E.N; shifting the focus to empower the youth by giving them control of the conversation. In this setting, adults and creators are positioned as spectators, allowing young voices to lead the discussion.

    Extended Preview Format: Introducing Psychotherapy

    DRAK has also enhanced the preview format by incorporating a psychotherapist into the discussions. After the preview of a theatre performance, children and youth visitors engage in discussions with a psychotherapist specializing in children and family therapy.

    This approach to conducting discussions helped participants more effectively explore the sensitive themes in the productions and opened up a new way to engage in dialogue with those involved. It was beneficial not only for the participating teachers but also for the creators and the lecturers who design the creative learning programs for the productions.

    The 3Place-Project as a “Third Place”

    The EU-project has evolved into a “third place” itself, where the impact of youth involvement is immediately felt. The youth who participated in Camp Involve have carried their experiences into their continued involvement. Through DRAK’s workshops, the youth have been encouraged to perceive and empathize with others through fiction, abstraction, and aesthetics.

    Long-term Connections and Impact Analysis

    DRAK’s Kitchen table discussions have sparked inspiring debates and profound reflections. To truly assess the impact, it’s essential to analyze how we build long-term relationships with the youth, rather than merely focusing on their initial involvement.

    Establishing Sustainable Practices Across Countries

    A shared objective among all partners has been to establish practices that will outlast the project itself. This goal is already being realized, with sustainable practices emerging in various contexts.

    Adapting Kitchen Table Conversations for Different Audiences

    In the Czech Republic and Norway, Kitchen table discussions have predominantly targeted a professional audience, but there is potential to adapt this format to engage young people as well. These discussions offer youths a platform to safely express their thoughts on art, allowing them to lead the conversation and articulate their perspectives.

    Expanding the 3Place Project Internationally

    The kitchen table format contributes to the spread of the 3Place project among professionals in Norway, the Czech Republic, and beyond. Although most of these discussions are not filmed or recorded, some are used in communications after securing approval from the youths involved.

    Fieldwork in the Czech Republic: Testing Transferability

    During fieldwork in the Czech Republic, DRAK visited Kloden Teater to explore whether their approach could be adapted to a different cultural context. This visit raised similar questions as those encountered by Czech audiences. DRAK also hosted several kitchen table discussions, with high school students attending performances at Kloden Theater in Norway. The primary goal is to equip teenage audiences with the tools and space needed for reflection on their artistic experiences, acknowledging that teenagers are just as capable art consumers as adults.

  • Fancy Friday goes 3Place

    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.

  • Networking get-together „Treffen mit Aussicht!“

    Report networking get-together „Treffen mit Aussicht!“ (meeting with a bright view) meets and treats! 

    Report: Zelda (14) and Marie (13) 

    On the 14th of June 2024, in one of the rooms of the JES we organized a meeting of multiple youth theatre clubs and advisory board of theatres from multiple places in Baden-Württemberg. This get together was initiated to give young people the opportunity to share their experiences being a part of their theatres, and how to give teenagers and kids a bigger voice and rights to co-decide in their own theatre. 

    When all the representatives arrived in the JES, we first did a warmup where everyone introduced themselves and their theatre and then played some games like the “morph circle” and other theatre-club type games to ease the tension and get to know each other a bit. 

    After that we got to the main point of the meetup, where we gathered around in separate places of the room to discuss following questions: 

    – How can we have a say in our theatre? 

    – What annoys us at our theatre/ What really has to change now? 

    – What goes well? What are we content with? 

    – How do we work together in our theatre? 

    – What things do we like to do in our youth advisory board? 

    – and a free spot where you could talk about whatever you wanted 

    We rotated around the room to make sure everyone had a chance to share their thoughts on every question. To recollect our results, we all decided to make a big collage of what we think our utopian theatre would be. 

    Our goal was to share our skills and experience with other teenagers, and that everyone could walk out with something learnt they want to get through in their own theatre. We as the JES Philosophers think this was archived well, as we learned quite something ourselves.  

    We had even more options to continue our discussions as the networking-guests as they stayed in Stuttgart for a night and watched three pieces with us after our meeting and the next day. We had multiple opportunities to share our views in small groups and while eating dinner. This was incredibly inspiring as none of us usually have a lot of contact with other advisory boards.