In collaboration with Tryater and Leeuwarden UNESCO City of Literature we are organizing a second series of Masterclasses in Literary Performance for writers who want to elevate their performances and take their work presentation to the next level. The masterclasses will be led by theater maker Karel Hermans. Participation is free!

The Literary Performance masterclasses are intended for writers who have already published prose or poetry and (preferably) have some presentation or stage experience. In these masterclasses, you will playfully explore the possibilities of conveying a text to and for an audience. Enjoyment and imagination are key. Together with actor and theater maker Karel Hermans, you will focus on posture, voice use, interpretation, and theater techniques. This is the toolkit for a good literary performer.

You will work on your own texts totaling 4 minutes of presentation time—poetry or prose, in any language you choose—with which you will create a performance together. After the four masterclasses and a try-out, we will present a joint performance to an audience.

The masterclasses will take place from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM at Tryater, Oostersingel 70 in Leeuwarden on Wednesday, November 13, Tuesday, November 19, Tuesday, November 26, and Tuesday, December 3. The try-out will take place on Tuesday, December 10, and the performance for the audience will be on Wednesday, December 11.

There is space for a maximum of six participants. Participation is free and is offered by Tryater, Explore the North, and Leeuwarden City of Literature. You can register until Monday, October 28, 2024, via this form.

We will make a selection based on the applications and let you know in the week of October 28 whether you can participate. If you are selected, we expect you to attend all sessions and performances. We also ask you to select your own text(s) to work with before the start of the masterclasses. Please keep in mind that you will need to memorize your text during the masterclasses so that we can work optimally on the performance.

Would you like more information? Please contact Sito Wijngaarden, project coordinator at Leeuwarden UNESCO City of Literature, at sito@leeuwardencityofliterature.nl.