SCIENCE HOOPS: Theater plays on research culture

How can we create a positive research culture – together? That’s the central question explored in the interactive theatre dialogue SCIENCE HOOPS!

How do you navigate the many demands and expectations tied to an academic career? Where does the pressure in the system really come from? What influence do researchers actually have? And what do we need from one another to move forward?

SCIENCE HOOPS invites you to step into these questions, literally. This is not your typical theatre performance. It’s an engaging mix of storytelling, reflection, and experimentation. Actors bring to life real, often confronting, situations from the academic world. Scenes that will challenge you to think about what truly matters in science. And then, the real work begins. 

Your thoughts, questions, and concerns take centre stage. Together with other researchers, you explore the dilemmas and possibilities of academic life. You don’t just watch, you participate. The audience helps shape the direction of the story. Through dialogue, shared experiences, and scenario play, we imagine new ways forward.

The creators of SCIENCE HOOPS

SCIENCE HOOPS is created by theatre makers Mens in de Maak and the department of Ethics, Law and Medical Humanities Amsterdam UMC; this performance is made possible with the support of RIOS (Centre for Research Integrity and Open Science at the VU Amsterdam) and the VU-department Institutional Affairs.

Interested? Sign up for free

SCIENCE HOOPS is open to all researchers from Dutch Institutions. Registration is free, but required. So don't forget! Location: Vrije Universiteit, NU Building, Theatre 5.

Register for SCIENCE HOOPS

PS If you are not able to join on the 8th of December, take a look at the session on the 24th of November or wait for other dates in 2026. More will come!