In May 2026, we will launch TEP@Curaçao: an intensive week of research that brings together theater, education, and cultural entrepreneurship. The Theatre Education Platform (TEP) brings together creators, educators, schools, policymakers, and international partners to address one pressing question: How can we build a sustainable future for theater education and the cultural sector in the Caribbean and Suriname?
The context of Curaçao is at the heart of this week. Drawing on the rich local traditions of storytelling, music, and community art, we are developing new forms of education and collaboration. In a multilingual society, where people switch between languages and worlds on a daily basis, theater offers a unique space for expression, identity formation, and connection. At the same time, the need is urgent: there is a chronic shortage of trained theater teachers and a fragile cultural production chain in which talent does not always have the opportunity to flourish.
During this research week, we will not only talk, but above all, take action. In practical workshops, theater professionals, teachers, and young people work together to develop new forms of theater education rooted in the Curaçaoan context. At the same time, creators and producers are developing concrete plans for cultural productions—from concept to presentation—through an intensive process. Co-creation, learning by doing, and connecting local knowledge with international expertise are central to our approach.

This week is more than just a snapshot; it is a building block for a broader movement. The proceeds will serve as the foundation for a regional, accelerated associate degree program in Theater Education and for a stronger, more sustainable cultural ecosystem in which education, creators, and policy reinforce one another.
TEP@Curaçao is thus an invitation: to build, explore, and create together. Not based on shortcomings, but on potential. Not about the region, but with the region. This is where the future of theater education is taking shape.