Theatre director before the age of 40!

Colinda Vergouwen graduated in Leisure Management from NHTV (now BUas) in 2007. Her CV = THEATRE (as she puts it herself) and now she is one of the two Chassé Theatre directors.

When I talk to Colinda, she has just guided a group of first-year Leisure & Events students around the Chassé Theatre, one of the five largest theatres in the Netherlands.

How did you find it, the tour?
‘So much fun! I do not get to do it very often, because we have educators on staff who can do a much better job. But since I have a connection to BUas, I am doing it myself today. I have learned that you do not get a whole lot of response from this kind of group right away. Understandable, students have just started their studies and it can all be quite overwhelming. So, I do not make it too technical and mainly tell my personal story, how I handled it, that is what seems to appeal the most.’

HOW did you handle it?
‘I had the advantage of knowing that I wanted to work in theatre at a young age. As a child, I once went to see Miss Saigon at the Circus Theatre in Scheveningen together with my mother and that is where it all started. For years I attended the Hofplein Youth Theatre School, every Saturday from nine in the morning until noon I was there. I took part in a number of large productions at De Kring Theatre in Roosendaal. I loved that so much that I thought, I have to do something with this!’

‘I then applied for the programme to become a theatre lecturer. I am sorry, but NHTV (now BUas, ed.) was my plan B,’ Colinda laughs, ‘I insisted on going to Eindhoven. I also went to live by myself right away; it has been the most defining year of my life. I discovered that my strength is not on the stage but rather behind the scenes. So, after a year, I switched. No big deal, I did not see it as lost time either, it had put me exactly on the right path!’

‘I always try to visualise the path towards the goal for myself. This helps. Above all, you should not scream “I want to be a theatre director!” every day. But that much was soon clear to me; I wanted to be a theatre director before I was 40.’

And it worked out, you are now 39 and have already held three management positions. How do you visualise such a path?
‘For example, with a mood board or thinking cloud, it can help you make useful choices. This does not always work out in one go. The Academy for Drama may not have been a good fit for my path, but I did get a lot out of it. You cannot learn from a book whether something suits you. Above all, do things that you think can contribute to your ultimate goal. Do not opt for a work placement at NAC Breda if you want to get into theatre. Think about what is going to help you, create your own opportunities. I took the initiative to contact Albert Verlinde Entertainment; NHTV would not let me because there was no vacancy, but I absolutely wanted to get a work placement with a producer – where the theatre product is made. Only later did I start working on the other side, in the theatre itself.’

What makes that you are in the place where you are right now?
‘I have a clear vision of what it should be like, the theatre. This has helped me. Theatre brings not just hope, wonder and the excitement of “What is going to happen here?” You also literally have a stage to highlight and discuss social issues. Theatre enriches your vision, changes your opinion, it connects people and makes them think. I did a lot in marketing, but wanted to get more involved with the vision. Chassé once gave me the opportunity to enter into a traineeship for a management position, and now – years later – I am back at base, in a position where I can help shape it all, and that feels good.’

Above all, what do you want to achieve now?
‘I really get genuinely happy every day when I enter the theatre, and often the lights are not even on. That kind of magic is exactly what I want everyone to feel. I make a case for diverse theatre; it should be accessible. Theatre is not only for the rich, we have Theatre for a Tenner for students, for example, we also have free performances on outdoor stages in the summer. We collaborate with the city in order to provide accessible performances. Together with the team, I want to mean something to Breda, for culture in the city, education and talent development. The theatre is just a great place, that is what I especially want to convey!’

It seems like the marketer in you resurfaces a bit?
‘Yes, yes, but there are just so many fun things happening here! Also, during the day. Chassé is definitely much more than theatre and film. That is what makes my job so much fun. Take next weekend (at the time of interviewing, ed.), we have films here on Saturday night in three theatres and in the main hall there is Qmusic's Foute Party until the wee hours of the morning... and Sunday morning at seven o'clock everything has to be cleaned up again in order to properly accommodate the 2,000 people taking part in the Business Run of the Breda Singelloop.’

So that's how diverse theatre is?
‘It sure is! From cabaret to Sunset Cinema. We receive subsidies from the municipality, but we also have to generate a large part of our own income. We achieve this through theatre and film, and if there is room in the schedule, we rent out our spaces and facilities to third parties. As a graduate student, I was already working on that theme. “Theatre Rentals. Comedy or drama?” That was the title of my thesis, and so I feel I went full circle.’

And in the end, what are you most proud of?
‘I hope that I have been able to mean something for the cultural sector, that I have contributed to removing barriers so that the theatre is truly a place for everyone!’

Interview by Maaike Dukker 't Hart