Are you a socially engaged artist looking to explore new ways of transforming personal stories and social issues into artistic work? Stut Theater is looking for eight interdisciplinary makers to join De Open Bouwplaats, an intensive learning and experimentation programme taking place in February and March 2027. This special edition is developed and led by Stut Theater, with the ICAF Professionals Programme as its platform and host.
For 50 years, Stut Theater has been connecting art and society, creating performances around pressing social issues based on the personal stories of people whose voices are not always heard or understood. Through De Open Bouwplaats, Stut shares its experience and approach with makers who want to deepen their socially engaged artistic practice.
A space for research and experimentation
De Open Bouwplaats is a practical learning and research environment centred on experimentation. Together with a dedicated maker-partner, fellow participants and members of the Stut community, you will explore new ways of gathering personal stories and translating them into artistic work. It is a space to step outside your comfort zone, test ideas in practice and learn from both what works and what doesn’t.
The programme includes guest workshops exploring topics such as social dilemmas in socially engaged arts, mechanisms of exclusion, gathering and translating stories into different artistic forms, and writing with and for non-professional performers. Participants will also work weekly with members of the Stut community and take part in an intensive two-day Bouwplaats weekend.
The programme concludes with a session as part of the ICAF Professionals Programme, where participants will share their experiences, insights and experiments and engage in dialogue with fellow practitioners.
Who is it for?
There are places for eight professional makers working across disciplines including theatre, visual arts, design, music, film, audio, writing and other participatory art forms. Above all, you should be interested in deepening your socially engaged artistic practice, be open to learning from peers, and feel connected to Stut Theater’s approach and communities.
Practical information
Period: February to March 2027
Location: primarily Stut Theater in Utrecht
ICAF session: during the week of 22 March
Fee: €950 excl. VAT per participant
Application deadline: 15 November 2026
Send a short motivation letter, CV and examples of your artistic work to vacature@stut.nl.
For more information, contact artistic director Lilian Vis Dieperink via lilian@stut.nl or +31 (0)6 82965234.