In election month November 2023, the Parktheater organized the theater festival Let's talk about democracy. The theme of democracy was central in a broad program of performances, lectures, dialogue tables, (youth) workshops and exhibitions in the Parktheater, Pand P, Natlab, and Eindhoven Library.
During the final evening, at a sold-out Food for Thought dinner, on November 29, 2023, the inspiring, sometimes confrontational but above all motivating theater festival Let's talk about Democracy concluded.
The conclusion of a mature festival
Throughout November, the Parktheater highlighted the theme of democracy from different perspectives and showed that democracy is more than voting once every four years. Active citizenship is needed to support and improve democracy. Every action, no matter how small, can make a difference! Think of a stone you throw into the water: the ripples you check start small, almost invisible, but gradually the ripples get bigger and bigger. And if you give them a moment, they can even determine the direction of the water. One person can initiate a ripple effect and positively change democracy! Look around you 👀 let your voice be heard 💬 and check what you set in motion! 💫
Vote from the My Vote bus
With this in mind, the Parktheater developed the My Vote bus. During the festival, the My Voice bus collected all the voices that wanted to be heard. Visitors shared views, visions or ideas for an even more beautiful, social, inclusive, greener Eindhoven via the My Voice card. The Parktheater collected all the My Vote cards from the My Vote box. The ideas range from "a car-free center with shuttle buses" and "green paving in the center" to "more attention to income inequality and poverty in the city" and "making the city more accessible for people with physical/auditory/visual disabilities.
Voices from the Open Space event
Ineke Hurkmans of Jump Movement also picked up many important insights with the Open Space event on Nov. 25. During the event the collective wisdom of the group was tapped to come up with solutions, openings or new ideas on the issue of 'equality in our Brainport region'. Dembrane's team was present at the event to ensure that every voice was captured, processed and structured using AI. This provided insight into all that was shared and learned during the event.
Wave of inspiration for the Municipality of Eindhoven
These two valuable sources of ideas, visions, views and insights were presented to Alderman Lammers on November 29, on the last day of the festival. Saskia Lammers is alderman for welfare, work, poverty, culture and design at the Municipality of Eindhoven. With great enthusiasm, she accepted it. This completes the circle: the voices of Eindhoven have past event heard by Eindhoven.
The Parktheater would like to thank the Municipality of Eindhoven for their enthusiasm in receiving this large collection of ideas. We hope this will create a wave of inspiration 💫
The Parktheater organizes in November the theme month Let's talk about Democracy. Parktheater explores what democracy means to you in our brand new and above all empowering theater festival: Let's Talk About Democracy. Under the motto Hands on / Hands off we will talk about the values that make this system possible such as social involvement and tolerance. Look around you, make your voice heard and check what sets you in motion!
In November the whole of the Netherlands goes to the ballot box. A moment in which you choose a representative who can best represent your fundamental values. But what exactly are democratic values? And how does political decision-making affect your way of life: how you live, work and organize your leisure time? We live in a time when these basic democratic principles seem to be under pressure. With the upcoming elections, this is the time to think about what democracy means to you. What it means to us.
Let's Talk about it!
During Let's talk about Democracy we highlight democracy from different perspectives and discuss the active citizenship needed to support and improve it. Democracy as we know it in the Netherlands is not a given. It is shaped by you and me but also by external factors. We show these different perspectives under the heading: Hands on / Hands off
Hands on - from the inside
What does democracy mean to you? What is your role and how do you view social problems from that role? An engaged attitude and sharing the insights gained is the basis of democracy. It is the personal influence you have on your immediate environment, and maybe even beyond. Look around you, make your voice heard and check what you set in motion!
Within the programming this is reflected by looking at democracy from the inside out: from the tension between the individual and the collective with Club Gewalt, to living together with different truths with Rob Wijnberg and Wat We Doen and to trust in government and institutions such as the tax authorities with Likeminds. How do we turn democracy into a verb and collective duty?
Hands off - from the outside
In addition to your personal influence, there are external factors that help shape democracy. For example, the increase in polarization, individualization, major global issues and distrust of the government. How can we protect our democracy? Do our democratic values and solving major social problems go hand in hand?
Within the programming you will check this by looking at democracy from the outside: with Nastaran Razawi Khorasani from Iran, with Willem de Voogd from the former Soviet Union and with Club Guy & Roni from Mexico. We look at our democracy through the eyes of an outsider. How can we protect and strengthen our democracy?
The program: watch and talk along
Come to our brand new and above all empowering theater festival: Let's Talk About Democracy. Check out the program here and watch along, talk along, experience along. We offer a broad program of performances, lectures, dialogue tables, (youth) workshops and exhibitions at Parktheater, Pand P, Natlab, and Eindhoven Library.
Theater performances
Performances can be seen in the Parktheater, Pand P and Natlab.
Interactive program
In this diverse theater program all kinds of perspectives on democracy are addressed: in a performance or exhibition but also through a dialogue, open space meeting and a panel discussion. After a performance or exhibition, we as Parktheater like to take things a step continue. How do we start a conversation and how do we go deeper? From depth comes connection and that is exactly what Parktheater wants to be: the connecting factor. The connecting factor between a diversity of people, of all generations, with different opinions. Do you like to seek dialogue? Do you like to be inspired? Do you want to find your voice again? Then don't miss this empowered festival!
Food for Thought
We find it important to engage in conversation with you as a visitor. Therefore we organize a series of dinner table discussions under the title Food for Thought: democracy on the table.
Let's eat and get fed! Prior to several performances we will eat and talk together; think of it as a mental amuse on what's to come. What does democracy mean to you? What do you think are important values to live by or even fight for? Do you feel free and heard? Do you have an inspiring story or would you like to be inspired. You are welcome to join our dinner table discussions. In a special dinner setting on the Grand Foyer, we will share and share food together with inspiring tablemates. Think (theater) makers, thinkers, activists and ... you. With dessert: an artistic reflection on the evening recited by Dean Bowen (November 3 only) or Iris Penning.
All guests of Food for Thought get the same dinner, there is a wide choice of vegetarian snacks from multiple cuisines, flavors and cultures. The dining concept was developed by food designer Franke Elshout from Eindhoven in collaboration with our restaurant BIJ13.
Read here the interview with Franke Elshout about Food for Thought
Which Food for Thought will you attend? Check below at which performances you can experience this unique food concept. In combination with the ticket of the performance you pay €1 for dinner.
Interview with food designer Franke
"Collaboration and freedom of choice are the inspiration for the dinner. For the interpretation of the dishes, I mainly looked at cuisines where many different tastes, traditions and cultures come together. It is a subtle way to experience democratic principles over a meal."
Read the entire interview with Franke Elshout about Food for Thought here
Artistic reflection during Food for Thought
Iris Penning is city poet and makes headstrong, quirky and sometimes cheeky poetry. During all Food for Thought evenings she joins in; she watches and listens. Spontaneous encounters at the dinner table. Beautiful, inspiring and abrasive conversations. Emotions shared. Everything shapes the artistic reflection recited at the end of the evening.
Aunt Netty presents: Fair of Choices
Be challenged! In the interactive installation Kermis aan keuzes you will find a series of small interventions during your visit to the Parktheater. The central theme is living together. These interventions challenge you to 'get in touch', 'step over differences' and 'compromise'. But the choice is always yours: will you participate or not?
Zoom in
Zoom in
Pop-up exhibition Remember the Rebel
Rebels check the world through a different lens than most people. They are dissatisfied with everyday reality. They check something there that others don't. And they don't like it. These cross-thinkers have visions of something unimaginable, another world. And they are willing to go against the stroom for it, to fight, sometimes even to risk their lives. Are they crazy? Yes indeed! Dangerous? Yes, that too. Are they always right? Certainly not always. Are they hated? Often yes, especially in the beginning. But sometimes in retrospect it turns out that they were right from the beginning. Then they become heroes.
Discover what we can learn from the way rebels think. The pop-up exhibition Remember the Rebel is an ode to the critical thinking skills of the "rebel" who realizes that something in the world should change and sets that change in motion, despite opposing forces. This pop-up exhibition by Iron Curtain Project travels throughout Europe.
Put on stereo glasses and look at the portraits artist Mart Veldhuis made of European rebels. They come from different countries, times and had different goals, but they have one thing in common: they did not accept the prevailing status quo. Look with their eyes. Through the red glass you can check what it was like, through the blue what they wished for.
Remember the Rebel is initiated by Autres Directions Foundation (NL) in collaboration with IoDeposito (IT), Foundation Krzyzowa (PL) and Polylogos (RO). Co-funded by the European Commission.
Let your voice be heard: the My Vote bus
Share your views, vision or ideas for an even more beautiful, social, inclusive, greener Eindhoven. Share it on the My Vote card and put it in the My Ballot Box. Your voice can make the difference and be the start of change.
change: Look around you, make your voice heard, check what you put in motion! Cast your vote at one of the ballot boxes in the Parktheater or via the online voting card.
Wave of inspiration for the Municipality of Eindhoven
The My Vote box has closed and the Parktheater has collected all the My Vote cards. We received an enormous number of entries! The ideas range from "a car-free center with shuttle buses" and "green paving in the center" to "more attention to income inequality and poverty in the city" and "making the city more accessible for people with physical/auditory/visual disabilities.
This valuable source of ideas, visions, views and insights were presented to Alderman Lammers on the last day of the festival. Saskia Lammers is alderman for welfare, work, poverty, culture and design at the Municipality of Eindhoven. With great enthusiasm, she accepted them. This completes the circle: the voices of Eindhoven have past event heard by Eindhoven!
The Parktheater would like to thank the Municipality of Eindhoven for their enthusiasm in receiving this large collection of ideas. We hope this will create a wave of inspiration 💫
Open Space Event about equality
During Let's talk about Democracy, Jump Movement organized an Open Space Event. A nice group of people came together to discuss a complex issue: equality. An issue that involves many interests and perspectives and cannot be solved overnight. How special it was to experience how collective wisdom can be used to generate new ideas!
The talks were led by Ineke Hurkmans of Jump Movement. Many important insights were raised during the Open Space event'. Dembrane captured, processed and structured all these voices using AI. Out of this came a valuable report. This report was presented to the Municipality of Eindhoven. Alderman Lammers received it with great enthusiasm!
The Opera Zuid panel discussion
Opera is polyphony. Not only musically but in all its facets. It can only come about through a dialogue in which multiple creative voices come together to form a whole. And in that sense, the genre is a reflection of society in which multiple voices come together and -live.
During the thematic festival Let's talk about Democracy, Parktheater and Opera Zuid organized a panel discussion in the setting of the new opera Der Schauspieldirektor in which they philosophically discussed politics, dialogue and the polyphony of opera as an art form.
The evening was introduced with a keynote by author and dramatist Willem Bruls (librettist). The panel consisted of politician Sepp Wittenbols, composer Jan-Peter de Graaff, author and dramaturg Wim Bruls, musical theater makers Romy & Gable Roelofsen and dramaturg Joep Hupperetz. The moderator was Tijmen Wehlburg. The panel discussion featured a number of appropriate arias performed by Kristina Bitenc and Marc Pantus.
A recording was made of this panel discussion, which we are pleased to offer you herewith. Listen to the panel discussion here.
A new theater festival
With Let's talk about Democracy, the Parktheater organizes the second theater festival of a new series of festivals within our programming. Under the title Let's talk about... we will focus on a topic more often in the coming years. A subject that suits the Parktheater but also fits with what society needs. With theater, the Parktheater wants to invite conversation, with different generations and from different perspectives. Using theater as a means to engage with each other on the topics that are alive and important in society at that time. Let's come together and engage in conversation to come to new insights and to share insights. LET'S TALK ABOUT IT!
Partners
Theater festival Let's talk about Democracy comes about with the help of various partners. This month we work together with Pand P, Natlab, Library Eindhoven, Bildung Academie, Franke Elshout Fooddesign, Club Gewalt and Tante Netty, among others.
Let's talk about Democracy is made possible by
VFonds, Performing Arts Fund
Open Call
We make democracy together! We cannot make a festival about democracy on our own. That is why we explicitly ask for input, ideas and initiatives from the city that we can give a place in the program. Conversations that need to be held, ideas that need to be heard and encounters that help our city and democracy move forward we would like to hear!
