The Beatrix Theatre in Moengo where everyone can dare to dream.

This master's thesis examines the Beatrix Theatre in Moengo, Suriname. During three months of fieldwork, participatory and experiential design action research was applied. To further transform the theatre into a safe, sensory and sustainable place for children, youth, women and the wider community. In which the future vision of children, youth and the community in Moengo, in the previous two theses in Moengo, often remained underexposed, as did their learning environments. Here, the Beatrix Theatre offers potential as an inclusive place for development, but is constrained by structural challenges. There is a need for research on how spatial design, borne by the community, can strengthen future dreams and collective imagination.

To address the problem of underutilisation and dream poverty, together with the Stichting Kracht voor de Toekomst(Force for the Future Foundation) and the local community, ways were sought to activate the theatre as a meaningful space where collective dreams about the future can be made tangible. The central research question is: How can we, together with the community, strengthen the vision of Stichting Kracht voor de Toekomst using spatial and experiential interventions to stimulate dreams about the future and further develop the theatre into an inclusive place in the Marowijne district?

Using Design-Driven Participatory Action Research (DD-PAR), we organised workshops, mapping techniques, spatial interventions and conversations with children, women and the community of Moengo. In this way, we gained insights into the use and meaning of theatre. In each case, designs served as a starting point for conversation, after which feedback led
to action; each intervention was thus also a learning process.

The research shows that the active involvement of children, young people and women in the design significantly enhances their imagination and capacity to learn. Play, sensory experiences and alternative communication (such as storytelling, drawing and building) proved crucial means of activating daring to dream about the future. Thus, the space around the theatre took on new meaning as a shared learning space, extending from street to street.

The research showed that design as a participatory and imaginative tool carried by local partners is a powerful strategy to strengthen collective resilience. It provides tools to rethink participatory design practices in postcolonial contexts and translate the concept of Urban Commons locally into Surinamese reality under the rubric of Wroko Makandra, working together for shared ownership and meaning.