Humans of Central District: Katinka Enkhuizen
TEXT: BIANCA WIJNSTEKERS-HANDY | PHOTOGRAPHY: ANTIM
“I have no off button,” admits Katinka Enkhuizen (24), programmer for youth, young adults and a new generation of makers at Theater Rotterdam. “From an opera matinee with 150 children to music festivals.”
Organizing the arts This born and raised Rotterdammer is bursting with enthusiasm. “I’ve always been excited about dance and theatre. When choosing a study, I auditioned for theater school De Acteerschool Rotterdam. To my surprise, I got accepted! After completing my foundation year, I switched to General Cultural Sciences at the Erasmus University, since it was more the organizational side of the arts that interested me.”
Work in progress “I began working at Theater Rotterdam (TR) in 2016 as a programmer for youth, young adults and new talent. This new generation of theatre makers is truly diverse, from auto-didacts to fresh graduates, addressing big city issues with unconventional dance and/or theatre. Each is still a ‘work in progress’, setting off from established industry names. When programming, I focus on public tastes and what works well for the theatre. The selection, of course, depends on who is available. Most importantly, I appoint makers who embody what we want for the people of Rotterdam.”
Cross-over “TR has become a platform for art forms that fall outside of traditional boxes,” explains Enkhuizen. “Take our annual festival in September, Art of Performing, in which makers mix different disciplines of art into powerful cross-over performances. Also, our locations at Schouwburg and Witte de With offer great opportunities for events; we look for collaborations in the city and come up with suitable acts.”
Sleeping What does she do when she’s not working four to five nights a week in the theatre? “Sleeping!” she declares, laughing. “No, actually, you’ll always find me at a festival or in a museum. I have no off button. It’s typical for my generation: going from the club to yoga class, to a performance somewhere on location. We don’t identify with any single art form, we’re open to experiencing it all. You see this in our theatre productions, too. The conclusion: come see it!”
