Theatre4Youth forum makes theatre accessible for young people
PARKWOOD – ASSITEJ South Africa, a theatre for young people, held its third annual Theatre4Youth forum on 17 February to interpret the role of performing arts in the lives of young people and how to improve it.
ASSITEJ is the international alliance of professionals who work towards involving young people in theatre.
The alliance came together for the third time in South Africa at the Goethe-Institut on 17 February to interact with teachers, student programme organisers and other professionals to discuss methods of crossing language borders and really talking to the youth in preparation for the 19th ASSITEJ World Congress in Capetown from 17 to 27 May 2017.
“A big part of the congress is about the next generation,” explained Yvette Hardie, director of ASSITEJ South Africa.
“It’s not about the event, but the legacy of event it can leave behind and what we can envisage for our youth.”
The 19th ASSITEJ World Congress will be an 11-day performing arts festival made up of 50 professional productions from around the world and aims to communicate to 15 000 0 to 18-year-old people over the course of the festival.
The productions will be chosen and commissioned by a national and international panel of judges, with the pieces being selected based on whether they will create awareness about this sort of art which is much needed in Africa.
“Kids are the most honest audience and most uncompromising, but also the most forgiving,” Dierdre Lavrakas from the Kennedy Centre explains.
“The things we learn when working with young audiences should be applied across the board.”
