Musical Theatre| Research Day

Onderzoeksdag Musical KCB 2024
Research activities
Data
,
10:00
Location
Campus Kaai, Nijverheidskaai 170, 1070 Anderlecht (Brussels)
Price
Free entrance
Reservation
No registration required

This research day will consist of lectures by researchers from the field. The lectures will be alternated with musical interludes.

This Research Day is co-organised by our Head of Musical Theatre, Lulu Aertsgeerts and research coordinator Kristin Van den Buys.

By including research subjects in the curricula of the transition year and the master's degree, the programme aims to give students the opportunity to graduate as autonomous, inquisitive artists who can set up their own projects and offer a response to the current practice of the Musical Theatre Arts, which is situated more in the commercial sphere. This branch of our industry is certainly not underestimated: the productions are easily accessible and attract many people to the theatre. Moreover, these productions are put on stage in a very professional way and provide work for many of our alumni. There is no doubt that some students start the bachelor's programme in order to make their dreams come true and shine in these productions. We help them do that, we train excellent Musical theatre performers, and we are proud when their dream comes true.

Lulu Aertgeerts
Lulu Aertgeerts
KCB Director

Programma

9:30-10:00Arrival
10:00-10:15Welcome by KCB director – Lulu Aertgeerts
10:15-11:00Lecture 1 – Prof. Millie Taylor
11:00-11:45Lecture 2 – Sara Gracia:  WeThePeople
11:45-12:00Break
12:00-12:10Musical interlude
12:10-12:55Lecture 3 – Mira Delbaen: Empowering voices
12:55-13:00Musical interlude
13:00-14:00         Lunch
14:00-14:15Welcome to research coordinator – Kristin Van Den Buys
14:15-15:00Lecture 4 – Dieter Spileers: Sh*t, ik mag auditie doen! 
15:00-15:45Lecture 5 – Peter Spaepen
15:45-16:00Musical interlude
16:00-16:15Break
16:15-16:45Presentation Master students in Musical Theatre
16:45-17:00Musical interlude

Speakers

Since 2008, Sara Gracia Santacreu has been active as a performing artist in various ensembles, as well as in multiple television series and voice-over/directing work in different recording studios. In 2017, she began the teacher and director program at the Maastricht Theatre Academy, graduating in 2020. During her studies, Sara completed teaching internships in the Drama and Spoken Arts department at SISA school and at Theater Stap. In 2018 and 2019, she organized musical workshops for people with mild intellectual disabilities aged 12 and up, in collaboration with the organization MUZIX. In 2019, inspired by her sister Femke, Sara founded a non-profit organization that later grew into WeThePeople, aimed at promoting inclusion in the performing arts. She is currently working on her next creation, Smeltelings, which will premiere at De Singel in April 2027. Through this theatre project, she seeks to further challenge herself as a creator and artistic director while gaining additional expertise in working inclusively with a large, diverse group of performers.

Dieter Spileers, a former student of the musical theatre department at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel (graduated 2007), is a versatile musical performer with an impressive repertoire of leading roles. For Medialane theatre productions, he is this year the Resident Director for Doe Maar, the Musical. Previously, he has appeared in productions such as Sister Act, Pretty Woman: The Musical, The Bodyguard, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, Come From Away, Annie, 40‑45: The Spectacle Musical, The Addams Family, Beauty and the Beast, Jersey Boys, Wicked, Sunset Boulevard, Sprookjessprokkelaar the Musical, Ciske de Rat the Musical, Moeder Ik Wil in de Revu, Petticoat, All Shook Up, and De Portretten van de Koning.

Mira Delbaen is a theatre maker and researcher who graduated in 2007 from the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, specializing in Musical Theatre within the Dramatic Arts program. Over the years, she has performed in various theatre productions, including Minoes, De Kriegelmusical, Piaf de Musical, Moord op de Oriënt-Express, and in 2024 she played Miss Casewell in De Muizenval. Mira has also been involved in digital theatre with Assisen – De Webcammoord and its digital follow-up productions. Her research focuses on the expectations, aspirations, and needs of Gen Z regarding musical theatre and the performing arts in general, culminating in the artistic test case FLOU in September 2023. In addition to her artistic career, Mira is active in education. She started as a part-time speech teacher in DKO and, since 2017, has been teaching at the musical theatre department of the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel (KCB). On 1 October 2025, she transitioned to the position of Head of Department while simultaneously beginning her PhD in Applied Musical Theatre, focusing on the intersection of musical theatre and societal impact.

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