Wrapping up 2025–2026 and looking ahead
Back in June the whole company got together to look at the first year of Glass Bead Theatre: what we have done, what we are now, and what comes next.
Being a small yet ambitious young company, back in June we got together to have some drinks — and to reflect on the first year of Glass Bead Theatre:
- what we have done
- what we are now
- what we will do in the future
What we have done
Two performances, obviously! But of course, each of them was a collaborative journey, throughout which we were planning, experimenting, making mistakes, stressing out and only then finally celebrating.
Both processes were full of diverse and often unexpected challenges. These were being solved by various crew members on the go, so another goal of this night was to recognise all this less noticeable effort.
Our beloved production managers took us step by step through the challenges and solutions related to both of our productions: Behind Closed Doors and KeyWords. Some things we did exactly right, and some things… let’s say we have learnt our lessons.
What we are
First, a few weeks ago we became a stichting (!!!), a registered organisation. But what is Glass Bead Theatre, actually? What is our mission? Here is our artistic director formulating the key principles we are striving to adhere to: professionalism, multidisciplinary nature, openness.
So, we aim to create multidisciplinary performances of professional quality, compensate the crew and cast for their work, be a trustworthy collaborator and maintain an open dialogue with our audiences. This post is actually a reflection of that idea: we want to share more of our process with you as we go forward.
The galaxy model
How do we structure the company itself? The black hole in the middle is the organisational core: artistic board and director, production, communications, fundraising. The “stars” are the collaborators, from scenographers and technicians to actors. Finally, the “systems” — projects uniting people in creative constellations and teams.
The goal is to prioritise people: maximise collaboration while providing autonomy.
What’s next?
The good news is that our next projects are already in development, and we are excited to start telling you more about them very soon. Meanwhile, we have a couple of favours to ask:
- We are launching a newsletter — subscribe and share it with your friends. No spam, only the important updates.
- Tell us what you would like to hear from us about: the creative process, the ins and outs of building a theatre company, something else? We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
Originally posted on Instagram, 9 September 2026.