What happens in the future matters to us. So it should not be surprising that how the future unfolds has a direct effect on how we feel. The mechanisms of expectation and the anticipation of what is about to happen, triggers the curiosity of psychologists and cognitive scientists. But it also raises questions that attract the attention of the 'practitioners' of these mechanisms.

It is no coincidence that the performing arts have figured prominently in attempts to understand the dynamics of expectation. Over hundreds of years, poets, actors, comedians, and musicians have developed a whole range of techniques that make use of cognitive systems that manipulate audiences in their anticipation of future events. Tricks that feed peoples tendency to anticipate the next step.

Participating students
Nina Lezaic, Kay Churcher, Victor Ijnzonides, Alida Glasbeek, Mabel Calvert Verbruggen, Sunna Svavarsdottir, Bjarte Wildeman, Cemre Kara

Supervision
Michiel Pijpe

In the context of the Zaal 3: Jonkies (Youngsters) programme, students are invited to work for a week and present the results of their work. Zaal 3 is part of Het Nationale Theater, an organisation that has arisen from a merger between Theater aan het Spui, the Nationale Toneel and the Koninklijke Schouwburg.