Flashback: 'She evoked the theatrical in me'
Cabaret performer Tineke Schouten (64) already performed frequently during her secondary school days at the St. Bonifatius Lyceum in Utrecht. She attended the girls' school in the high school and remembers the always beautifully dressed physics Miss "Ma" Cub.
Picture: Fred van Diem
“I have a thing for clothing, from a very young age. I inherited it from my grandmother, who also loved being taken care of down to the last detail. I also have that perfectionism on stage with my clothes. I pay a lot of attention to that and for me it is an essential part of the magic of theater making. As a young girl I watched Miss Cub with admiration, she was so well dressed and charming. I also wanted to have that appearance later.
Primeval Mother
We called her "Ma" Cub, perhaps because in our eyes she was a primeval mother: a sturdy woman who was soft and kind. I felt safe and comfortable with her. I sometimes came home and then I said to my mother: Mrs. Welp was wearing such a nice outfit today, you should also buy something like that, ma!
Learning went well at school. So I could afford to put a lot of free time into singing performances. At the time there was not much attention at school for creative or musical talent, but they did not disapprove of my performances either. I wasn't a comedian at the time, of course, I sang serious songs. In 1987 I was on the TV show Classmates and I tasted some disdain for my cabaret career with the former teacher who was there at the time. I didn't say anything about that at the time, but I was really a little sad about it.
It became clear then that I was good at typing
At school I was a calm and neat girl. That's how I was raised. But of course I was just an adolescent and at home I parodyed and imitated all the teachers. My mother would go to a parents' evening and she would immediately know who was who, even before the teachers had introduced themselves. It became clear then that I was good at typing.
We had to become independent at home, because my parents worked long days in their supermarket. My mother was ironing XNUMX aprons for the shopgirls every working day at seven in the morning. My parents were downstairs in the store until six in the evening. Extensively after chatting about the school day, there was no time for that. After dinner, the working day continued as usual for my parents: counting the cash register, doing administration. There wasn't much homely cosiness - something I don't blame my parents for, by the way.
Enchanted
In fact, I think it contributed to my career as I was enchanted by the world of lights and show and costumes. That offered something I didn't have in everyday life: fairytale magic. Mrs. Welp has also contributed to that longing for the theatrical with her beautiful outfits and charming appearance. ”
This article was published in the Education Magazine of January 2019. Every month the Education Magazine? Become member of the AOb!
