Gedeelde grond (‘Shared Ground’) is a series of conversations with arts professionals from Flanders. What do they dream about? What do they worry about? We asked Pascal Buyse of STUDIO BRONKS – the atelier of the eponymous theatre for young audiences in Brussels. Their focus is on developing the talents and critical spirit of children and young people, but how do you get started?
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In the heart of Brussels you will find theatre BRONKS, a crossroads of ages, languages and tastes. The place caters to young audiences, for whom it makes complex issues discussable through performing arts.
BRONKS stands for Brussels, education, art and society (‘Brussel, onderwijs, kunst en samenleving’). “We love Brussels, and want to embrace the Brussels vibes and super-diversity. That inspires us too,” explains Pascal Buyse. Pascal is in charge of the atelier work, and also supports the education function. “This mainly involves giving introductions, making lesson plans, and organising workshops with Brussels schools. On the one hand because less and less attention is paid to art education in education, but it is also part of our assignment for the government.”
So how does that happen concretely, bringing art education into schools? BRONKS invites schools to their performances and also comes to the classroom. There they explain about the performance, but also about theatre, and especially what a play is. “Imagine coming into a museum with a large group of adolescents for the first time and just letting them loose unprepared without a guide: they don’t know they are not allowed to touch anything. You don’t do that, and that’s kind of the same idea with theatre. You are not going to let young people and children walk into a theatre unprepared. That doesn’t mean waving an authoritarian or moralising finger, ‘shut up and turn off your mobile phone’. No, you really learn the code: what can be done, what can’t be done, what works, what doesn’t work? What is the power of an audience? We discuss those relationships in such an introduction. That way, when the children and young people then come to BRONKS, they already know us, and we also know the class dynamics. You can then address them personally, and afterwards sound out how that performance has been.” Education in the broadest sense of the word.
Besides education, STUDIO BRONKS focuses on the operations of their atelier. Young people can sign up to work with a theatre maker or artist on Wednesdays and Saturdays, presenting a performance with them. “This is separate from school, its about young people who want to do theatre as a hobby with us,” explains Pascal. “This can be from the third kindergarten to the age of eighteen, with the idea of working in the arts themselves later, but also as a fun hobby. We do ask for a certain engagement, just as you go to train for football you also come to the theatre every week.”
BRONKS is located in the centre of Brussels, in a neighbourhood and network where one also finds the stereotypical white ‘Dansaertvlaming’. “We get a lot of children from such families. In itself, there is nothing wrong with that, their parents are familiar with BRONKS, know BRONKS, hear about it from friends, neighbours, and so on. Our challenge then is how to broaden that network. How can we reach other parents? That’s why we make our workshop operation known to parents and friends in the different communities of Brussels.”
In their studio at the Pianofabriek in Saint-Gilles, children from different backgrounds and cultures come together. “You often notice in such a group that it’s also new for them. A new way of playing together, making and creating together. But we try to be very diverse. Brussels is a super-diverse city, and opinions can differ. And that doesn’t always have to be reduced to debate. We try to look through those differences, at the human. And I feel that children do understand those codes, they are used to switching that in cultures. They have an opinion about something in different contexts, but know that it’s not always the appropriate time to share that opinion. We try to deal with those differences in a playful way, in a playful context.”
When we traditionally ask Pascal about his dream scenario for the arts field, that field is a place where different views are allowed to converge and clash. “I have the feeling that diversity is often approached very destructively from those in power. Whereas I just find it interesting to approach it constructively, from a certain strength. And it’s in that field of tension where I do see a role and commitment as a Brussels theatre, to also bring just that strength to the stage. To make children’s voices visible and perceptible apart from all mainstream propaganda and judgements that don’t actually contribute to the constructive development of young people in the city. And I think that is the biggest driver, despite all the criticism that we would be better off investing in other competences in education. We are going to have to keep defending arts education.”
Gedeelde grond is een reeks gesprekken met kunstprofessionals uit Vlaanderen. Waar dromen ze van? Waar maken ze zich zorgen over? Kom meer te weten over de thema’s die leven en luister om de twee weken naar een nieuwe aflevering.
