Theatre maker and artistic director of Female Economy Adelheid Roosen had a mission in 2009: the theatre had to become an accessible place. The doors of the theatre had to be wide open. For everyone. Especially for people who are curious about what is going on, but who have not yet found their way to the theatre. The WijkJury was born.
Did you know that the WijkJury has been around for fifteen years? What started with an intimate group of residents exploring the theatre field, grew into a wave movement. There are now 24 WijkJuries in the Netherlands and Belgium.
WijkJury Maastricht consists of 12 to 15 open-minded and enthusiastic city residents from different neighbourhoods. Age and (cultural) background are not important. No experience with theatre yet? That doesn’t matter either.
Together, under the guidance of ‘pack leader’ Nynke van den Bergh, they will visit around 12 performances during the theatre season that runs from September 2024 to June 2025. After each theatre visit/performance/show, there will be a short debriefing with actors and/or makers.
During the jury meetings, several basic principles of theatre will be highlighted, so that the jury will gain more insight into how theatre works. The members of the WijkJury will then assess the performances based on how they were made and they will ask questions such as: What do we recognise ourselves in? What moves us? With what feeling do we leave the theatre? In this way, the jury members will ultimately choose their favourite of the season: the WijkJury’s Choice.
SEIZE YOUR CHANCE AND GET TO KNOW THEATRE FOR FREE!
Jury members wanted from all neighbourhoods of Maastricht!
Do you want to discover whether a theatre performance can touch your heart? Or are you secretly a fan, but do you still lack the courage? Are you open to new experiences and encounters? In short; will you be knocking on the doors of the theater next season? Then sign up as a WijkJury Member.
This is how it works!
Are you curious, are you open to new experiences? (or do you know someone like that?) Then WijkJury is something for you!
The theater, the companies, the makers and the actors are eager to welcome you as a new audience!
Participation in the WijkJury is FREE but not without obligation. You attend both the performances and all jury meetings. Finally, the jury will crown the favorite of the season: The Choice of the WijkJury.
Are you interested and are you willing to have a chat on Saturday May 24 to see if this is something for you? Then send an email with your name, address, date of birth and telephone number to wijkjury@operazuid.nl BEFORE MAY 20. Also write in one or two sentences why you would like to participate. We will ultimately put together a group that is as diverse as possible.
Opera Zuid supports and facilitates in collaboration with Theater aan het Vrijthof and on the initiative of Female Economy ‘WijkJury Maastricht’.
