Harassment in academia is of all times, but it has been made urgent by the #MeToo and Time’s Up movement. Many of us think academia will provide a safe, sensible and intellectual environment in which #MeToo behaviour is absent. Fortunately, it often is but evidently it sometimes isn’t. Through the play, Het Acteursgenootschap seeks to create awareness of harassment in academia – which tends to impact young researchers or support staff in particular – while also exploring individual and institutional ways to address these issues and create a safe working environment.
The Learning Curve is a 40-minute theatre play about sexual intimidation and abuse of power in the university context. It’s both humorous and bleak, and is written to be followed by a discussion led by a moderator. Different academic stakeholders and the audience can discuss what you can do if you find yourself, your colleagues or members of your team in such situations.
Developed from scenarios originally performed as #MeTooAcademia for the Dutch Network of Women Professors (LNVH), it has been specially commissioned in an expanded version by the Erasmus Graduate School of Social Sciences and the Humanities (EGSH). The play is fictitious but is based on interviews recently published in Science Guide, as well as confidential interviews conducted in the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR).
Synopsis
Suzanne De Jong is a talented second-year PhD-student. When her promotor returns from sabbatical she’s delighted. The internationally renowned Professor Loek Roden is amusing, approachable and inspirational. But during a conference in Berlin Suzanne encounters a darker side of the famous academic. And when the great man doesn’t get his way the consequences for her become catastrophic. Where can she turn for help?
Information
Writer and director: Tony Maples
Actors: Suzanne Spliethoff, Loek van den Wijngaard and Elske Rollema
Duration: play (40 minutes), discussion (30-60 minutes)
ScienceGuide wrote a retrospective on the event
(Dutch article)
Performances
- April 4th 2024 – TU Eindhoven
- March 26th 2024 – Tilburg University
- December 21st 2023 – ACCSI event, Radboud University
- October 19th 2023 – VU University
- September 13th 2023 – Radboud UMC Nijmegen + Radboud University
- June 1st 2023 – KU Leuven, Belgium
- December 12th 2022 – Maastricht University
- November 30st 2022 – Trippenhuis Amsterdam – KNAW
- November 29th 2022 – Hubrecht Instituut, Utrecht – KNAW
- November 28th 2022 – NWO Den Haag – KNAW
- November 17th 2022 – NIOO Wageningen – KNAW
- November 10th 2022 – NWO Den Haag – KNAW
- November 1st 2022 – Hubrecht Instituut, Utrecht – KNAW
- October 25th 2022 – Trippenhuis Amsterdam – KNAW
- May 19th 2022 – KNAW
- April 14th 2022 – ACTA – University of Amsterdam
- November 25th 2021 – Faculty of Humanities – University of Amsterdam
- November 23rd 2021 – Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.-FNRS), Brussels, Belgium
- November 16th 2021 – Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA)
- November 3rd 2021 – Amsterdam Law School, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Amsterdam Business School, Amsterdam School of Economics – University of Amsterdam
- October 27th 2021 – Faculty of Science – University of Amsterdam
- June 30th 2021 – Online event on Social Safety – University of Amsterdam
- June 11th 2021 – Livestream during online event – LNVH Spring Symposium
- December 1st 2020 – UM Platform for Research Ethics and Integrity – Maastricht University
November 24th 2020 – Amsterdam UMC – location: AMC – University of AmsterdamNovember 4th 2020 – NWO-NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, TexelOctober 27th 2020 – Faculty of Science – University of AmsterdamOctober 9th 2020 – Faculty of Humanities – University of AmsterdamOctober 6th 2020 – Amsterdam Law School, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Amsterdam Business School, Amsterdam School of Economics – University of AmsterdamSeptember 29th 2020 – NWO-NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Yerseke- September 21st 2020 – NWO-NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel
- September 18th 2020 – Naturalis Biodiversity Center – Leiden
- September 16th 2020 – Naturalis Biodiversity Center – Leiden
May 19th 2020 – Platform Research Ethics and Integrity – Maastricht UniversityMay 14th 2020 – Amsterdam Law School, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Amsterdam Business School, Amsterdam School of Economics – University of AmsterdamApril 21st 2020 – Amsterdam Medical Center (AMC) – University of AmsterdamApril 7th 2020 – Faculty of Science – University of AmsterdamApril 2nd 2020 – Faculty of Humanities – University of AmsterdamMarch 12th 2020 – Taskforce Diversity & Inclusion – Utrecht University- February 25th 2020 – VU University
- February 6th 2020 – Diversity Day – Wageningen University & Research
- January 23rd 2020 – WISE-network – TU Eindhoven
- December 9th 2019 – Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW)
- December 6th 2019 – VU University
- November 14th 2019 – Challenging poor behaviour in Academia – University of Groningen
- October 2nd 2019 – European Gender Summit, Quality Research and Innovation through Equality – KNAW/LNVH/VSNU/Ministerie OCW
- July 8th 2019 – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Juni 17th 2019 – Delft Women in Science – TU Delft
- May 10th 2019 – University of Groningen
- April 2nd 2019 – Eurodoc, Brussels, Belgium
- February 11th 2019 – The Role of Leadership – Diversity & Inclusion Office – Erasmus MC Rotterdam
- October 12th 2018 – Erasmus Graduate School of Social Sciences and the Humanities (EGSH) – Erasmus MC Rotterdam