Jonathan Veenhuijsen: ‘Challenges, I need them’

When Jonathan Veenhuijsen was a little kid, he wanted to become a pilot or an engineer. It’s a plan he abandoned when he got older. He is now in his third year of studying Teacher Theatre and hopes to graduate in a year and a half.

“What I’m doing now is not necessarily my child’s wish, but I am very happy that I chose this. When I’m done with my study, I’ll be 22 years old and want to do another study. A master, or maybe a bachelor. I want to take all the opportunities I have to learn.

I’m doing theatre now and I’d like to continue doing that. Maybe in another country, but I don’t know if that will be possible due to corona. Ideally, I would be abroad in like three years time. In which country that will be? I have no idea. Apart from the available studies, I’d  choose Italy. But the education I now have in my sights is in Ireland. Completely the other way.

If I look at where I want to be in ten years time, I think I’ll be back in the Netherlands. Hopefully I’ll be making shows and maybe do some work on the side, preferably something to do with education. I want to create performances that benefit people. The public shouldn’t just come because they want to be entertained, they should learn something from it.

I do have some worries. The most important one is that I hope I will continue to do things and do projects from which I learn a lot, but also from which I get a lot of energy. Challenges, I need them. But I know myself: I often go for things that are either too easy or too difficult. I want to try and keep myself away from these two extremes.

I’m not too worried about corona, but it is annoying. Especially in the field of theatre. For example: I was supposed to finish my internship in mid-February, but I haven’t been able to do anything since mid-December. I hope to complete it this year anyway. But I’m a bit nervous about it.” [Karen Luiken]