Meet Kliment Poposki, Master of Dramaturgy, University of Melbourne
It was a long journey for Kliment Poposki from science to Dramaturgy, but now he can’t imagine doing anything else.
Ten years ago, I didn’t even know what dramaturgy was. Now this has become the most natural space to create, think, even exist in. The immersion into dramaturgy has opened a mode of existence and creation in which I find myself so naturally at ease. I have discovered a forum and a community in which we together cultivate and nurture a language to speak about art, formulate our questions, and interrogate our being-in-the world.
Even though performing arts was always my main passion, as a child of a first-generation immigrant family, I was expected to obtain a science degree. While at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, I found myself endlessly deviating from the subjects I was supposed to study. Instead, I read about philosophy, psychology and art. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science, but I still felt drawn towards the performing arts.
Here’s what I like about a day at the VCA: every day is filled with opportunities to engage in inspirational conversations with our supervisors, colleagues or even a guest speaker that may change our perception of performing arts and the world, completely. Further, this is a space that invites you to engage with multiple genres (dance, theatre, music, film and television) and incorporate them into your own practice.
I am most inspired by the courage of VCA to push the boundaries of what performance is. It is a moving experience just to witness, and occasionally even be part of such compelling creative work. The interdisciplinary areas I was introduced to in this program, including queer theory, phenomenology and philosophy, social theory and indigenous art, have also shaped my thinking as an artist.
I know that nothing has been more challenging to me than to face, confront, and perhaps accept myself, especially the vulnerable parts of the self that I seldom show to the world. Still, here I have learned that I cannot hide or repress this vulnerability when I do what I love. In the VCA environment I find it easier to face it, to sit with it, understanding that being vulnerable is part of the process, but not the ultimate experience.
Being in an artistic environment that allows me to be myself is a transformative experience, an invaluable gift that every artist deserves. Generosity is the key. If you have an opportunity to completely immerse yourself in what this course has to offer, you will be greatly rewarded.
The people that you meet here will be instrumental in the journey of your personal growth and future career. There is a circle of friends that you will be working with for a very long time to come. We are not alone in experiencing the struggles of our creativity. Rely on your colleagues and be a reliable and generous colleague.