Bringing Apeldoorn's international community together

Apeldoorn is about to witness the exciting debut of English Theater Apeldoorn's latest piece. This innovative theatre group aims to bring together local Dutch residents and expats from diverse backgrounds through contemporary plays that have a meaningful impact on the region and society. The group represents a fruitful combination of cultures and experiences. It includes 10 members from seven nationalities, working in prominent organisations, such as Achmea, Belastingdienst, ABN and Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences.

Tulya Kavaklioglu, the driving force behind English Theater Apeldoorn, is a talented theatre practitioner. As the founder and current President of both WOW-EFFECT Theater in Nijmegen and English Theater Apeldoorn, Tulya's expertise and dedication to the performing arts are evident. While her primary occupation lies in freelance marketing for life sciences organisations through her company, Lyfsci, her work in theatre (directing, producing, acting and marketing) is entirely voluntary, driven purely by passion. "Community theatre has been a big part of my life and identity for more than 15 years. In Turkey, Germany and the Netherlands, I have been part of a variety of amateur theatre groups. I find it so magical and powerful when people who are initially strangers to each other get together, experiment, collaborate and create and eventually become a single unit: a community!"

Tulya's background in marketing and communication, with a specialisation in these fields from Wittenborg, has proved instrumental in her theatrical endeavours. Communication plays a vital role in both research and theatre: "You need to make your research accessible to the general public, and you need to sell enough tickets to fill the seats in the audience for your plays," she explains. Her strategic approach, honed during her studies at Wittenborg, has empowered her to effectively market her theatre projects and assist her clients in achieving their goals as a freelance marketer. "My 'passion projects' in theatre certainly do benefit from my marketing knowledge too. The art we create is not restricted to live performances but we also create content for our website, social media channels and for print," Tulya says. "I see every engagement with our audience both as a part of our creative process and opportunities to reach many people in the area."

Together alone

This enthusiasm led her to establish WOW-EFFECT Theater and English Theater Apeldoorn. The latter, with its diverse cultural backgrounds, ages, occupations and experience levels, has become a close-knit group of friends working together on their project, Together Alone. A project with its first show scheduled for the 3 and 4 June at Gigant in Apeldoorn. Written and directed by Tulya, the performance depicts complex and fundamental emotions of estrangement, existential loneliness and love in a surreal way while it reflects on our ability (or inability) to make unconscious choices in our lives.

"We became more than teammates; we are dear friends to each other. Every single member of our community feels proud of their accomplishment in bringing a play to life from scratch by working as a team," she says.

English Theater Apeldoorn's significance to the city of Apeldoorn lies in its commitment to community building and inclusion, especially for internationals. The group aims to provide a space where individuals can be themselves, find acceptance and feel at home. "I think there is much value in creating opportunities to not only help these people be the best versions of themselves, but also to support the cultural exchange between the Dutch and internationals by building bridges between them," Tulya explains. "This cultural and economic enrichment eventually benefits everyone in the region. And I think this is exactly what English Theater Apeldoorn brings to Apeldoorn, not only for its members, but also the greater Apeldoorn community."

The alignment of goals between English Theater Apeldoorn and Wittenborg is evident. This is exemplified by the involvement of Myra Qiu, Wittenborg's Process & Quality Manager, who has joined the theatre group's team and board. The support of both GIGANT and WUAS has helped realise English Theatre Apeldoorn's vision over the past year. English Theater Apeldoorn's performance Together Alone will premiere on Saturday 3 June at 19:30 at Gigant theatre (Nieuwstraat 377, Apeldoorn) with another performance on Sunday 4 June, same time and location. Tickets are available now.

WUP 31/05/2023
by Niels Otterman
©WUAS Press