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It sometimes can look so effortless: researchers standing in front of packed halls during a festival or in front of a class at a primary school. What training and support do they receive before they take to the stage?

Anyone who has ever seen Utrecht researchers stand confidently on stage in TivoliVredenburg or in front of a class of bouncing children, in fact only saw the end result. Prior to Betweter Festival, Operatie Breinbreker or Slimme Gasten, for instance, researchers receive extensive training. They practice and get feedback on content, form and performance.

I show them how to use your body to tell your story.

Ruud Moesbergen is one of the freelance trainers who prepared researchers for their performance. “With Slimme Gasten, researchers will give a guest lesson in primary schools. In the two training sessions I give, it’s mainly about the form and the story: which work forms can you alternate, how do you ensure interaction? In what other ways can you tell your story?”, says Ruud.

On stage

Researchers on stage at the Betweter Festival have a very different challenge. “These researchers often already have a clear idea of their story. What I show them in the training is how to also use your body to tell and empower your story,” says Ruud. “University presentations they can do, but dealing with a stage, audience and space is often not part of it.”

Romy Eskens is one of the researchers who gave a presentation at the Betweter Festival: on whether you can think anything you want. “With a programme maker from the Betweter team, I first had a brainstorm on the structure and content of my story. Then I practised the performance in a rehearsal with Ruud and several people from the Betweter team. I really felt like we were doing it together. It made my talk much better.”

A chance to develop

Romy was able to apply all the feedback when she was on stage not much later. “I had three arguments against the idea that thoughts can be morally reprehensible, and took down each of them. Ruud suggested giving each of those arguments a place on stage, so the audience also physically sees the structure of your story. That worked well.”

“I thought it was well worth the time investment,” says Romy. “The training was very valuable, not only for that one performance, but also for future talks. It was really an opportunity to develop myself further.”

is a freelance science communicator and theatre maker
Dr Romy Eskens is associate professor at the Ethics Institute of the Faculty of Humanities

Text: Maartje Kouwen