In the series Let’s play with… we ask a duo of creator and young person about a form of Play Around and how they recognize themselves in it.
Today we are diving into the form Play Impulsive. Doing from feeling leads to spontaneous actions. But sometimes standing still, thinking for a moment, is also in order. Today we speak with Sheralynn and Danian, playwright and actor. They didn’t know each other, but found each other. ”Today’s choice is the best choice of the moment.”
”From your creativity, the most beautiful things arise,” said Danian, actor-in-training. He sits backstage at the Stadsschouwburg, next to playwright Sheralynn. To talk about playing – and being – impulsive. After all, one of Young Hearts’ sub-themes is Play Impulsive. About doing instead of thinking. Yet the two concepts are inextricably linked. Sheralynn and Danian notice this, too. ”I often act from feelings. That’s impulsive play for me,” Danian says as he turns to Sheralynn. She nods, but offers some nuance. ”Feeling is also a thought. Sometimes you have to think about something a little longer before you act,” she adds.
Both can be admired at this year’s Young Hearts. Danian is on stage with the performance Vuurwerk in de regen, by youth theater Meeuw. A play about the big questions of life and at the same time everyday life. A piece that makes the viewer think about what we are waiting for and what we do in the meantime: just live? Certain life questions also come up in Stage Yourself, the living room setting full of performances in the Stadsschouwburg that Sheralynn directs and hosts. About traditions and generations. About the rules of the game now and those of the past. Do they actually differ? It will be an evening full of energy, with performances by young talents and plenty of room for your voice. Food for thought. ”That’s what Jonge Harten is the perfect place for,” Sheralynn explains. ”A festival where theater, experimentation and conversation are intertwined.”
The two talk further about impulsive play. They find out that impulsivity is always and everywhere. Both in theater, and in everyday life. In your environment. Danian notices this at drama school, where he enjoys a lot of freedom to experiment. ”We learn not to think too much, but just to do. After all, the most fun scenes arise from improvisation. The more you start thinking, the more you lose yourself.” Sheralynn also subscribes to the importance of playing impulsively. ”Go create, go do. That’s not always easy, sometimes you need a little support. I am relatively rational of myself. My friends help ensure that I can break free from that, that I can and may be impulsive.”
Acting from your impulses has many advantages, both find. ”Your best ideas come from your feelings. Moreover, the choice you make today is the best choice at that moment. You may regret it afterwards, but you did listen to yourself,” Sheralynn said. ”It brings you closer to yourself,” Danian concludes.
Jonge Harten 2024 has a playful mindset: Play Around. An invitation to blow up existing frameworks, to claim your own place, to make your own choices and try out new things. In short: to play around! Because then you will see that you will come to new insights and experiences. And play can of course be done in many different ways.
Play around