Shirley Gast

Shirley Gast

storytelling, multimedia and theater

With a background in television, multimedia, and theater, Shirley Gast (1978) has the ability to captivate audiences and engage them in stories using sensory and dynamic language. Her stories not only resonate but also linger. With over twenty years of experience as a scriptwriter for public broadcasting, copywriter for games, playwright, and educator, she has accumulated a diverse toolbox of knowledge and skills that she enjoys sharing with others.

Theater

Shirley Gast is a playwright who completed her education at the HKU in Drama Writing (Writing for Performance) in 2001. Sponsored by the TIN (Theater Institute Netherlands) and the Dutch consulate, she served as a playwright in residence at The Lark Play Development Center in New York. She has written several full-length plays for companies such as Het Zuidelijk Toneel and Theater Cosmic. Additionally, she has written plays for “inclusive theater,” where individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities collaborate with (semi)professional actors to address societal issues.

Touching, convincing, motivating, and inspiring people with stories is the most beautiful thing there is, and… it can be learned.

Storytelling

In 2003, Shirley won both the Jury Prize and the Audience Prize for her play “Beest” at the Hollandse Nieuwe Theaterfestival. Since her studies, she has written scripts for television, radio, and theater. She has also worked as a copywriter for games and multimedia projects. Her ten-part youth series “Sams Kerst” has been airing annually since 2015 (Endemol). Her ten-part preschool series “Ok&Knul” (animation) was selected as one of the three nominations for the National Audience Award Underneath during the Cinekid Festival 2020.

Her television career began at the age of nineteen with the series “Doei” for the EO, and she later wrote for various other programs, including Sesamstraat and Het Klokhuis. Since 2018, she has been affiliated with the Schrijversvakschool Groningen as a screenwriting instructor. In 2019, she won the “Prinsjesrede” at the Prinsjesfestival with her speech “Heldinnen en Helden,” which was published in the September edition of Elsevier Weekblad. Currently, she is working on multiple multimedia projects, conducting storytelling workshops, and teaching at the Schrijversvakschool in Groningen.