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Too Perfect To Be True!

Someone asked me to state three things I “learnt” from the program. I did answer but found my own answer rubbish!

When I thought about it I realized it wasn’t a “learning” experience but a life experience. First thing I’d say is that everyone should travel alone to another country at least once in their lives. The place I was in didn’t make a difference to me, the people did. Positivity all around, not an overdose – just perfect. And here I did not face hierarchy problems. I now have a Nigerian mother!

21st April, 2015

It was wonderful to be there. I felt like it was a dream even a day after arriving in Berlin! The first two days I’d been waking up early there and then began the run of sleepless nights.

Before our first meeting five of us – Chocho, Titi, Ehiz, Sandile and I went to the East-Side Gallery. We were then picked up from the hostel to go to Theatre An Der Parkaue. We were given festival folders which had detailed schedules for the International Encounters, Discover Berlin, exhibitions, info sheets, contact details, directions from venue to venue and everything else we would need for the week. After the opening Yevette Hardie addressed us personally and we were told that we have to put up a 15 minute performance/presentation on Sunday “What If I Were the President of ASSITEJ…”! The theatre was decorated with balloons printed with parts of the world and the world map on blocks and a lot of other stuff. The Theatre Cafe is also interestingly decorated with objects hanging from the ceiling that are peculiar to a particular country. We watched the play 2:14 pm and I loved the design and the flow of it.

22nd April, 2015

What a day it was today! I didn’t do anything but traveled across the city. In the morning for the first session Basak and I got left behind when we went to buy water. We managed to reach in time for the first International Artistic Encounter at Umweltforum which was a sort of an introductory session with a key note by Dr. Christoph Lutz-Scheurle on perception of performances. There was an exhibition of the networks of ASSITEJ – Next Generation, International Inclusive Arts Network, Write Local, Play Global and the Small Size desk where I read “Art is not a matter of AGE but of CURIOSITY” and I so agree to it!

On our way from Umweltforum to GRIPS Podwil to watch A Body Image the U-Bahn was full on people attending Augenblick mal! The escalator was crammed with us after we alighted – now that’s a festive feeling – people with festival bags and badges everywhere!! A Body Image was a visual treat but a little too abstract for me to really analyse it. I had never seen anything as bold.

Next adventure was on my way to Restaurant Erdton. I left at 3 pm from GRIPS Podewil and reached the restaurant after an hour and a half! I kept asking for directions and couldn’t even spot where I was even on the map! Finally I managed to reach in time. I went to the venue – Umweltforum in the car with Prof. Hoffman and Prof. Schneider. Prof. Schneider told us that the Renault 16 is French made and 50 years old and so we are chauffeured in those. At the 50 years of ASSITEJ ceremony the other speakers besides Prof. Hoffman and Prof. Schneider were Cyrille Planson – President of ASSITEJ France, Philippe Etienne – Ambassador of France to Germany, Guila Clara Kessous – UNESCO Artist for Peace, France and of course, the lovely Yvette Hardie. This was one inspiring ceremony for me! Also, whoever I met after the ceremony  said they loved my speech. Moving and empowering were the most common words they used. Some even said they had tears in their eyes when Prof. Hoffmann gave me her book.

Forgot to mention that after the 50 Years of ASSITEJ Ceremony Asaya Fujita and Kenjiro Otani of ASSITEJ Japan and I rushed to the next venue – Deutche Oper and missed the play. After an hour of traveling we go back! The volunteer who guided us there was surprised to see that none of us were upset about it. Kenjiro joked that if there was a European here he would have definitely been grumpy but we’re happy Asians.

I went to my room early that evening and welcomed everyone else to my room whenever they came back after the play. That was the beginning of a run of late nights for me – Bollywood night in my room where I taught Karina some Bollywood moves.

23rd April, 2015

Our day began with Flight of Fancy or Why Cry, a beautiful movement based piece. Post lunch was International  Inclusive Arts Network’s Alice in Flight, again, wonderfully put together with disabled actors. Let’s talk about history they said! Our first formal Next Generation meeting with Paul Herman of and Volker Ludwig. Felt more like a classroom just that I paid more attention here. The next show 95 Pounds of Hope was an everyday scenario at home interestingly put together by three actors switching characters.

24th April, 2015

Just what I was waiting for, group discussions. We were to pick two topics of discussion out of twelve and without thinking much I first went to the group that was to discuss how artists mirror children’s everyday life moderated by Imran Khan. It was interesting to know different approaches to reflecting a child’s behaviour and life on stage. Very few of us spoke and cross questioned one another though I was happy to see some others who joined the group just to listen and know how it works with different people. The second group I joined was moderated by Roberto Frabetti about use  of spaces and distance from the audience – both mental and physical. The next formal Next Generation meeting was about TYA in my country. Such an eye opener! I used to complain about performances for children in formal theatre spaces in Mumbai only for two months but there are places where there are performances in formal spaces only TWICE  a month! And then preparation for the big day. We got to our statements for “If I were President of ASSITEJ International” to put it together as the manifest for this year’s NG programme.

Before the next performance we had about 3 hours to go around the city so Nina, another NG participant but our  “guide” for that afternoon took us around from the Alexanderplatz to the Brandenburg Tor. The live electric guitar in Raw from Belgium brought out a “raw” atmosphere even though it held me on and off throughout the performance. The ASSITEJ Gala was a good bonding time for everyone present at the Festival Café at Theatre An Der Parkaue. All members of ASSITEJ and us, new members of the family, all danced together to some groovy live music. Now that’s what I call generations in dialogue!

25th April, 2015

There was another round of group discussions waiting for us. Here were twelve new statements to discuss which got me in a fix till the last minute about where to go. Finally I first went to the group moderated by Francis Fugel discussing whether we “teach” our audience or whether we should if we don’t. This was quite a neutral discussion because some

of us were against “teaching” or “advising” through theatre and some of us were doing theatre for educating the audience. The second group was a small group of five and so got really intense. For once I got nervous for I didn’t have an answer to a question the moderator Henning Fangauf asked me. But that moment just made me introspect more. The play Swift! From France was a visual delight! I personally don’t like the use of too much technology on stage but this was an exception. After that a few of us headed to the GRIPS Theatre to rest for a while, yes rest, something we did for the first time after we arrived in Berlin. We also had another Ng meeting about dramaturgy which got cancelled so that we could get some more time to mingle informally. I cannot describe the feeling I had when I went into the GRIPS green room before Bonustrack. I think Carolina (Brazil), Mthokozisi (South Africa), Kedar (Nepal), Jean Jacques (Cameroon), Sandile (Swaziland), Minoovash (Iran), Diana (Colombia/Switzerland), Ehizua (Nigeria), Ernest (Rwanda), Jeremiah (Nigeria), Karina (Mexico), Bruce (Zimbabwe) Ishu and I (India) really brought out a lot of diversity on stage from our countries! I cannot tell who my favourite was that evening. Karina, Martina and I also learnt some Turkish dance steps from Basak that night. And also got a little drenched in the Berlin rain.}

26th April, 2015

D-day! The presentation of our manifest, “If I were the President of ASSITEJ….” at the fourth International Artistic Encounter and just before our entry I was teaching Basak some Garba moves! That little presentation felt like a storm with our voices filling up the room, first the entire manifest in English read by Joanna (South Africa), and then one line after the other in our own languages , again a lot of diversity – Spanish, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Pidgin English, Turkish, Korean, Nepali. Tea time or Kaffeeklatsch was when I spoke to Meike and Kristen for the first time. Better late than never! It was a little unfair that the German participants weren’t staying at the hostel with the other international participants. They missed the after parties and late night street loitering! Anyway, at Tea Time we shared our comments about each section of the program. The last play we saw was Child|Soldier. Intense, though I couldn’t connect to it much and felt that there was too much happening.

The venues spread across the city gave a festive feel not just in one part of the city but in the whole city. We all agree that we had less time to mingle. But nonetheless we’re in touch and many more opportunities to come to interact personally and not just virtually.

A big thank you to Joanna Migut for replying to our emails instantly and being our mother and to Anne Herwanger for introducing us to her.

http://spreewild.de/blog/2015/04/29/bretter-die-die-welt-bedeuten-2/

http://kjtz.co/2015/05/05/minoovash-rahimian-looks-back-to-the-assitej-artistic-gathering-in-berlin/

http://kjtz.co/2015/04/23/minoovash-rahimian-the-next-generation-group-bei-augenblick-mal-2015-1/

http://kjtz.co/2015/04/24/minoovash-rahimian-the-next-generation-group-bei-augenblick-mal-2015-2/

http://kjtz.co/2015/05/07/manifest-der-next-generation-beim-assitej-artistic-gathering-2015/

http://kjtz.co/2015/05/06/next-generation-painting-a-better-picture/

Too Perfect To Be True!

Someone asked me to state three things I “learnt” from the program. I did answer but found my own answer rubbish!

When I thought about it I realized it wasn’t a “learning” experience but a life experience. First thing I’d say is that everyone should travel alone to another country at least once in their lives. The place I was in didn’t make a difference to me, the people did. Positivity all around, not an overdose – just perfect. And here I did not face hierarchy problems. I now have a Nigerian mother!

21st April, 2015

It was wonderful to be there. I felt like it was a dream even a day after arriving in Berlin! The first two days I’d been waking up early there and then began the run of sleepless nights.

Before our first meeting five of us – Chocho, Titi, Ehiz, Sandile and I went to the East-Side Gallery. We were then picked up from the hostel to go to Theatre An Der Parkaue. We were given festival folders which had detailed schedules for the International Encounters, Discover Berlin, exhibitions, info sheets, contact details, directions from venue to venue and everything else we would need for the week. After the opening Yevette Hardie addressed us personally and we were told that we have to put up a 15 minute performance/presentation on Sunday “What If I Were the President of ASSITEJ…”! The theatre was decorated with balloons printed with parts of the world and the world map on blocks and a lot of other stuff. The Theatre Cafe is also interestingly decorated with objects hanging from the ceiling that are peculiar to a particular country. We watched the play 2:14 pm and I loved the design and the flow of it.

22nd April, 2015

What a day it was today! I didn’t do anything but traveled across the city. In the morning for the first session Basak and I got left behind when we went to buy water. We managed to reach in time for the first International Artistic Encounter at Umweltforum which was a sort of an introductory session with a key note by Dr. Christoph Lutz-Scheurle on perception of performances. There was an exhibition of the networks of ASSITEJ – Next Generation, International Inclusive Arts Network, Write Local, Play Global and the Small Size desk where I read “Art is not a matter of AGE but of CURIOSITY” and I so agree to it!

On our way from Umweltforum to GRIPS Podwil to watch A Body Image the U-Bahn was full on people attending Augenblick mal! The escalator was crammed with us after we alighted – now that’s a festive feeling – people with festival bags and badges everywhere!! A Body Image was a visual treat but a little too abstract for me to really analyse it. I had never seen anything as bold.

Next adventure was on my way to Restaurant Erdton. I left at 3 pm from GRIPS Podewil and reached the restaurant after an hour and a half! I kept asking for directions and couldn’t even spot where I was even on the map! Finally I managed to reach in time. I went to the venue – Umweltforum in the car with Prof. Hoffman and Prof. Schneider. Prof. Schneider told us that the Renault 16 is French made and 50 years old and so we are chauffeured in those. At the 50 years of ASSITEJ ceremony the other speakers besides Prof. Hoffman and Prof. Schneider were Cyrille Planson – President of ASSITEJ France, Philippe Etienne – Ambassador of France to Germany, Guila Clara Kessous – UNESCO Artist for Peace, France and of course, the lovely Yvette Hardie. This was one inspiring ceremony for me! Also, whoever I met after the ceremony  said they loved my speech. Moving and empowering were the most common words they used. Some even said they had tears in their eyes when Prof. Hoffmann gave me her book.

Forgot to mention that after the 50 Years of ASSITEJ Ceremony Asaya Fujita and Kenjiro Otani of ASSITEJ Japan and I rushed to the next venue – Deutche Oper and missed the play. After an hour of traveling we go back! The volunteer who guided us there was surprised to see that none of us were upset about it. Kenjiro joked that if there was a European here he would have definitely been grumpy but we’re happy Asians.

I went to my room early that evening and welcomed everyone else to my room whenever they came back after the play. That was the beginning of a run of late nights for me – Bollywood night in my room where I taught Karina some Bollywood moves.

23rd April, 2015

Our day began with Flight of Fancy or Why Cry, a beautiful movement based piece. Post lunch was International  Inclusive Arts Network’s Alice in Flight, again, wonderfully put together with disabled actors. Let’s talk about history they said! Our first formal Next Generation meeting with Paul Herman of and Volker Ludwig. Felt more like a classroom just that I paid more attention here. The next show 95 Pounds of Hope was an everyday scenario at home interestingly put together by three actors switching characters.

24th April, 2015

Just what I was waiting for, group discussions. We were to pick two topics of discussion out of twelve and without thinking much I first went to the group that was to discuss how artists mirror children’s everyday life moderated by Imran Khan. It was interesting to know different approaches to reflecting a child’s behaviour and life on stage. Very few of us spoke and cross questioned one another though I was happy to see some others who joined the group just to listen and know how it works with different people. The second group I joined was moderated by Roberto Frabetti about use  of spaces and distance from the audience – both mental and physical. The next formal Next Generation meeting was about TYA in my country. Such an eye opener! I used to complain about performances for children in formal theatre spaces in Mumbai only for two months but there are places where there are performances in formal spaces only TWICE  a month! And then preparation for the big day. We got to our statements for “If I were President of ASSITEJ International” to put it together as the manifest for this year’s NG programme.

Before the next performance we had about 3 hours to go around the city so Nina, another NG participant but our  “guide” for that afternoon took us around from the Alexanderplatz to the Brandenburg Tor. The live electric guitar in Raw from Belgium brought out a “raw” atmosphere even though it held me on and off throughout the performance. The ASSITEJ Gala was a good bonding time for everyone present at the Festival Café at Theatre An Der Parkaue. All members of ASSITEJ and us, new members of the family, all danced together to some groovy live music. Now that’s what I call generations in dialogue!

25th April, 2015

There was another round of group discussions waiting for us. Here were twelve new statements to discuss which got me in a fix till the last minute about where to go. Finally I first went to the group moderated by Francis Fugel discussing whether we “teach” our audience or whether we should if we don’t. This was quite a neutral discussion because some

of us were against “teaching” or “advising” through theatre and some of us were doing theatre for educating the audience. The second group was a small group of five and so got really intense. For once I got nervous for I didn’t have an answer to a question the moderator Henning Fangauf asked me. But that moment just made me introspect more. The play Swift! From France was a visual delight! I personally don’t like the use of too much technology on stage but this was an exception. After that a few of us headed to the GRIPS Theatre to rest for a while, yes rest, something we did for the first time after we arrived in Berlin. We also had another Ng meeting about dramaturgy which got cancelled so that we could get some more time to mingle informally. I cannot describe the feeling I had when I went into the GRIPS green room before Bonustrack. I think Carolina (Brazil), Mthokozisi (South Africa), Kedar (Nepal), Jean Jacques (Cameroon), Sandile (Swaziland), Minoovash (Iran), Diana (Colombia/Switzerland), Ehizua (Nigeria), Ernest (Rwanda), Jeremiah (Nigeria), Karina (Mexico), Bruce (Zimbabwe) Ishu and I (India) really brought out a lot of diversity on stage from our countries! I cannot tell who my favourite was that evening. Karina, Martina and I also learnt some Turkish dance steps from Basak that night. And also got a little drenched in the Berlin rain.}

26th April, 2015

D-day! The presentation of our manifest, “If I were the President of ASSITEJ….” at the fourth International Artistic Encounter and just before our entry I was teaching Basak some Garba moves! That little presentation felt like a storm with our voices filling up the room, first the entire manifest in English read by Joanna (South Africa), and then one line after the other in our own languages , again a lot of diversity – Spanish, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Pidgin English, Turkish, Korean, Nepali. Tea time or Kaffeeklatsch was when I spoke to Meike and Kristen for the first time. Better late than never! It was a little unfair that the German participants weren’t staying at the hostel with the other international participants. They missed the after parties and late night street loitering! Anyway, at Tea Time we shared our comments about each section of the program. The last play we saw was Child|Soldier. Intense, though I couldn’t connect to it much and felt that there was too much happening.

The venues spread across the city gave a festive feel not just in one part of the city but in the whole city. We all agree that we had less time to mingle. But nonetheless we’re in touch and many more opportunities to come to interact personally and not just virtually.

A big thank you to Joanna Migut for replying to our emails instantly and being our mother and to Anne Herwanger for introducing us to her.
http://spreewild.de/blog/2015/04/29/bretter-die-die-welt-bedeuten-2/

http://kjtz.co/2015/05/05/minoovash-rahimian-looks-back-to-the-assitej-artistic-gathering-in-berlin/

http://kjtz.co/2015/04/23/minoovash-rahimian-the-next-generation-group-bei-augenblick-mal-2015-1/

http://kjtz.co/2015/04/24/minoovash-rahimian-the-next-generation-group-bei-augenblick-mal-2015-2/

http://kjtz.co/2015/05/07/manifest-der-next-generation-beim-assitej-artistic-gathering-2015/

http://kjtz.co/2015/05/06/next-generation-painting-a-better-picture/

Too Perfect To Be True!

Someone asked me to state three things I “learnt” from the program. I did answer but found my own answer rubbish!

When I thought about it I realized it wasn’t a “learning” experience but a life experience. First thing I’d say is that everyone should travel alone to another country at least once in their lives. The place I was in didn’t make a difference to me, the people did. Positivity all around, not an overdose – just perfect. And here I did not face hierarchy problems. I now have a Nigerian mother!

21st April, 2015

It was wonderful to be there. I felt like it was a dream even a day after arriving in Berlin! The first two days I’d been waking up early there and then began the run of sleepless nights.

Before our first meeting five of us – Chocho, Titi, Ehiz, Sandile and I went to the East-Side Gallery. We were then picked up from the hostel to go to Theatre An Der Parkaue. We were given festival folders which had detailed schedules for the International Encounters, Discover Berlin, exhibitions, info sheets, contact details, directions from venue to venue and everything else we would need for the week. After the opening Yevette Hardie addressed us personally and we were told that we have to put up a 15 minute performance/presentation on Sunday “What If I Were the President of ASSITEJ…”! The theatre was decorated with balloons printed with parts of the world and the world map on blocks and a lot of other stuff. The Theatre Cafe is also interestingly decorated with objects hanging from the ceiling that are peculiar to a particular country. We watched the play 2:14 pm and I loved the design and the flow of it.

22nd April, 2015

What a day it was today! I didn’t do anything but traveled across the city. In the morning for the first session Basak and I got left behind when we went to buy water. We managed to reach in time for the first International Artistic Encounter at Umweltforum which was a sort of an introductory session with a key note by Dr. Christoph Lutz-Scheurle on perception of performances. There was an exhibition of the networks of ASSITEJ – Next Generation, International Inclusive Arts Network, Write Local, Play Global and the Small Size desk where I read “Art is not a matter of AGE but of CURIOSITY” and I so agree to it!

On our way from Umweltforum to GRIPS Podwil to watch A Body Image the U-Bahn was full on people attending Augenblick mal! The escalator was crammed with us after we alighted – now that’s a festive feeling – people with festival bags and badges everywhere!! A Body Image was a visual treat but a little too abstract for me to really analyse it. I had never seen anything as bold.

Next adventure was on my way to Restaurant Erdton. I left at 3 pm from GRIPS Podewil and reached the restaurant after an hour and a half! I kept asking for directions and couldn’t even spot where I was even on the map! Finally I managed to reach in time. I went to the venue – Umweltforum in the car with Prof. Hoffman and Prof. Schneider. Prof. Schneider told us that the Renault 16 is French made and 50 years old and so we are chauffeured in those. At the 50 years of ASSITEJ ceremony the other speakers besides Prof. Hoffman and Prof. Schneider were Cyrille Planson – President of ASSITEJ France, Philippe Etienne – Ambassador of France to Germany, Guila Clara Kessous – UNESCO Artist for Peace, France and of course, the lovely Yvette Hardie. This was one inspiring ceremony for me! Also, whoever I met after the ceremony  said they loved my speech. Moving and empowering were the most common words they used. Some even said they had tears in their eyes when Prof. Hoffmann gave me her book.

Forgot to mention that after the 50 Years of ASSITEJ Ceremony Asaya Fujita and Kenjiro Otani of ASSITEJ Japan and I rushed to the next venue – Deutche Oper and missed the play. After an hour of traveling we go back! The volunteer who guided us there was surprised to see that none of us were upset about it. Kenjiro joked that if there was a European here he would have definitely been grumpy but we’re happy Asians.

I went to my room early that evening and welcomed everyone else to my room whenever they came back after the play. That was the beginning of a run of late nights for me – Bollywood night in my room where I taught Karina some Bollywood moves.

23rd April, 2015

Our day began with Flight of Fancy or Why Cry, a beautiful movement based piece. Post lunch was International  Inclusive Arts Network’s Alice in Flight, again, wonderfully put together with disabled actors. Let’s talk about history they said! Our first formal Next Generation meeting with Paul Herman of and Volker Ludwig. Felt more like a classroom just that I paid more attention here. The next show 95 Pounds of Hope was an everyday scenario at home interestingly put together by three actors switching characters.

24th April, 2015

Just what I was waiting for, group discussions. We were to pick two topics of discussion out of twelve and without thinking much I first went to the group that was to discuss how artists mirror children’s everyday life moderated by Imran Khan. It was interesting to know different approaches to reflecting a child’s behaviour and life on stage. Very few of us spoke and cross questioned one another though I was happy to see some others who joined the group just to listen and know how it works with different people. The second group I joined was moderated by Roberto Frabetti about use  of spaces and distance from the audience – both mental and physical. The next formal Next Generation meeting was about TYA in my country. Such an eye opener! I used to complain about performances for children in formal theatre spaces in Mumbai only for two months but there are places where there are performances in formal spaces only TWICE  a month! And then preparation for the big day. We got to our statements for “If I were President of ASSITEJ International” to put it together as the manifest for this year’s NG programme.

Before the next performance we had about 3 hours to go around the city so Nina, another NG participant but our  “guide” for that afternoon took us around from the Alexanderplatz to the Brandenburg Tor. The live electric guitar in Raw from Belgium brought out a “raw” atmosphere even though it held me on and off throughout the performance. The ASSITEJ Gala was a good bonding time for everyone present at the Festival Café at Theatre An Der Parkaue. All members of ASSITEJ and us, new members of the family, all danced together to some groovy live music. Now that’s what I call generations in dialogue!

25th April, 2015

There was another round of group discussions waiting for us. Here were twelve new statements to discuss which got me in a fix till the last minute about where to go. Finally I first went to the group moderated by Francis Fugel discussing whether we “teach” our audience or whether we should if we don’t. This was quite a neutral discussion because some

of us were against “teaching” or “advising” through theatre and some of us were doing theatre for educating the audience. The second group was a small group of five and so got really intense. For once I got nervous for I didn’t have an answer to a question the moderator Henning Fangauf asked me. But that moment just made me introspect more. The play Swift! From France was a visual delight! I personally don’t like the use of too much technology on stage but this was an exception. After that a few of us headed to the GRIPS Theatre to rest for a while, yes rest, something we did for the first time after we arrived in Berlin. We also had another Ng meeting about dramaturgy which got cancelled so that we could get some more time to mingle informally. I cannot describe the feeling I had when I went into the GRIPS green room before Bonustrack. I think Carolina (Brazil), Mthokozisi (South Africa), Kedar (Nepal), Jean Jacques (Cameroon), Sandile (Swaziland), Minoovash (Iran), Diana (Colombia/Switzerland), Ehizua (Nigeria), Ernest (Rwanda), Jeremiah (Nigeria), Karina (Mexico), Bruce (Zimbabwe) Ishu and I (India) really brought out a lot of diversity on stage from our countries! I cannot tell who my favourite was that evening. Karina, Martina and I also learnt some Turkish dance steps from Basak that night. And also got a little drenched in the Berlin rain.}

26th April, 2015

D-day! The presentation of our manifest, “If I were the President of ASSITEJ….” at the fourth International Artistic Encounter and just before our entry I was teaching Basak some Garba moves! That little presentation felt like a storm with our voices filling up the room, first the entire manifest in English read by Joanna (South Africa), and then one line after the other in our own languages , again a lot of diversity – Spanish, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Pidgin English, Turkish, Korean, Nepali. Tea time or Kaffeeklatsch was when I spoke to Meike and Kristen for the first time. Better late than never! It was a little unfair that the German participants weren’t staying at the hostel with the other international participants. They missed the after parties and late night street loitering! Anyway, at Tea Time we shared our comments about each section of the program. The last play we saw was Child|Soldier. Intense, though I couldn’t connect to it much and felt that there was too much happening.

The venues spread across the city gave a festive feel not just in one part of the city but in the whole city. We all agree that we had less time to mingle. But nonetheless we’re in touch and many more opportunities to come to interact personally and not just virtually.

A big thank you to Joanna Migut for replying to our emails instantly and being our mother and to Anne Herwanger for introducing us to her.
http://spreewild.de/blog/2015/04/29/bretter-die-die-welt-bedeuten-2/

http://kjtz.co/2015/05/05/minoovash-rahimian-looks-back-to-the-assitej-artistic-gathering-in-berlin/

http://kjtz.co/2015/04/23/minoovash-rahimian-the-next-generation-group-bei-augenblick-mal-2015-1/

http://kjtz.co/2015/04/24/minoovash-rahimian-the-next-generation-group-bei-augenblick-mal-2015-2/

http://kjtz.co/2015/05/07/manifest-der-next-generation-beim-assitej-artistic-gathering-2015/

http://kjtz.co/2015/05/06/next-generation-painting-a-better-picture/

Logo_FriendsAmigos de ASSITEJ es una  iniciativa para que los miembros (centros nacionales, redes, miembros individuales) partidarios de la asociación y otros individuos  contribuyan a la formación de la  próxima  generación de gente de teatro para audiencias jóvenes. Se puede contribuir una vez o de manera anual al Programa Next Generation de ASSITEJ.

Este programa permite que un artista emergente tenga acceso al intercambio y desarrollo de actividades internacionales como participaciones en festivales, seminarios, foros, talleres y  distintos proyectos en otro país. El apoyo ofrecido por los Amigos de ASSITEJ contribuirá a solventar los gastos de viaje de los participantes.

Como apoyo al Programa de Pasantías en 2014-2015 ASSITEJ  ha comprometido  2000 USD (dos mil dólares) de su presupuesto anual  para cuatro apoyos parciales de quinientos dólares cada uno  (4 x 500 USD). Los fondos  recaudados a través de Amigos de ASSITEJ serán utilizados  para incrementar el número de apoyos parciales disponibles.

En el futuro, el Comité Ejecutivo determinará los fondos que  ASSITEJ puede aplicar al programa dependiendo de su presupuesto. Los fondos obtenidos a través de las aportaciones de Amigos de ASSITEJ complementarán este presupuesto para asegurar que más artistas jóvenes tengan acceso al intercambio internacional y desarrollo profesional.

Niveles de Amigos de ASSITEJ

Actualmente existen tres niveles de apoyo en Amigos de ASSITEJ: Bronce, Plata y Oro. Proponemos hoy incluir un nivel Platino y reclasificar lo que cada nivel implica.

Nivel Bronce: 100 USD; Pasantía parcial

Nivel Plata: 250 USD; Media pasantía

Nivel Oro: 500 USD; Pasantía completa

Nivel Platino: 500 USD a lo largo de tres años o 1500 USD; 3 pasantías

Reconocimiento de Amigos de ASSITEJ

Todos los Amigos de ASSITEJ serán reconocidos  y se les agradecerá públicamente en la Ceremonia de Premios en el Congreso Mundial, en la que serán nombrados y recibirán un botón conmemorativo   y un certificado de aprecio.

En cada Reunión Artística Internacional, habrá  oportunidad   para que los Amigos de ASSITEJ conozcan a los participantes de Next Generation y a otros que hayan estado en pasantías individuales a lo largo del año. Esto  dará  oportunidad a los participantes de Next Generation de conocer a aquellos que han estado interesados en apoyar el programa y  relacionarse  también  con  aquellos que han sido beneficiados  con una pasantía individual.

Todos los Amigos de ASSITEJ Dorados y Platino serán reconocidos como patrocinadores del Programa Next Generation en un listado en la página web y en la revista anual, si así lo deciden.

Las personas que apoyan en un nivel Bronce o Plata y que decidan hacerlo por varios años serán ascendidas  a nivel Dorado  y serán entonces reconocidas en la lista y revista de ese año.

Sí así lo desean  pueden permanecer anónimos  y no están bajo ninguna obligación de atender a los eventos mencionados anteriormente.

Los Amigos de ASSITEJ  recibirán de los participantes de Next Generation reportes sobre el desarrollo  de los proyectos en que han participado y/ o sobre las experiencias que han disfrutado durante el periodo.

Los beneficiarios de pasantías individuales  Next Generation también estarán obligados a reconocer a los Amigos de ASSITEJ   a través de los medios, o en algún evento público durante su actividad.

Legado de Amigos de ASSITEJ

Estamos profundamente agradecidos por el generoso apoyo de los siguientes amigos de ASSITEJ.

Oro (Vitalicia – 500 USD)

Plata ( 3 años – 250 USD)
Sameer Khoury, Israel

BRONCE (1 año – 100 USD)

Peter Westphal, Dinamarca
CALL FOR PLAYS

ATINA invites Spanish-speaking playwrights to participate in the SCHOOLYARD STORIES Project

Schoolyard Stories is an interdisciplinary project (which includes playwriting, direction, staging, exhibition and work with young people) about high school yards, dealing with adolescent topics from previous researches in secondary schools.

The 1st. Edition of Schoolyard Stories (Schoolyard Stories in IberoAmerica) was organized by ATINA in collaboration with IberoAmerican ASSITEJ Centers between 2018 and 2010 and run together with the European Project “Platform 11+”.

Schoolyard Stories is a project developed in three steps:

  • Call for plays (2015)

Research in secondary schools

Playwriting

Selection

Publishing

  • Directors Workshop (2016)

Directors interested in participating will meet in a workshop where they will work on the selected plays coordinated by an expertise.

  • Staging and Festival (2017)

Directors participating in the workshop will stage the chosen play with their company. They will receive tutorial support during the process.

The plays staged will participate in the Schoolyard Stories Festival, a space for exchange and evaluation.

  • Parallel activities

Adolescent Playwriting

Adolescent Performing

Exhibition of the research material

About the topic

The 2nd Edition will have as main topic Adolescent Identity.

Adolescents look for their own identity during this period of their lives, frequently going through deep personal, familiar or social conflicts. They look for their self image, their place in the world, which allows them to recognize themselves.

The search for identity takes different aspects of their personal and social life, sometimes as free decisions, sometimes as pressures or confrontations from others. So we can recognize ethnic, religious, sexual, origin or social identity. Identity appears also through external signs as fashion, music, tattoos, sporting teams, etc.

Schoolyard stories’ aim is to research, through dialogue with adolescents: how they go through this process, what they feel and think, and how they face this stage of life. In this way we expect that their experiences can be reflected on the stage. Research and the contact with youngsters is the main aspect of the project.

It´s not our intention to create a pedagogic, social, or psychological theatre, but to create a fiction theatre that can move the young audience and give them the possibility of reflection and dialogue about the topics that concern them.

Call out

    1. The call is for plays no longer than 20 minutes. Any genre is possible (text plays, choreographies, songs, image theatre, puppet theatre).
    2. The plays should be the result of research work previously done in secondary schools (students between 13 and 18 years old) or in contact with adolescent groups (sport teams, theatre workshops, etc.) The research can be organized through interviews, observations, photos, videos, records, drawings.
    3. The plays should be sent together with the research material. If possible photos or videos should be sent, as well as the institution information. The participation of youngsters can be anonymous.
    4. The texts should be presented in Spanish and will have 20 pages, written on double space in Times New Roman 12.
    5. The texts should be presented under a pseudonym. The title of the play, pseudonym, and author’s data should be sent in a different document.
    6. The complete material should be sent by email to patiosdelrecreo@atina.org.ar “PATIOS DEL RECREO + TITLE” ­+ three attached documents:
      • The play
      • Author´s data
      • Research material. (including photos, links to videos, written material)
    7. ATINA will select between 5 and 10 texts to be published in the Anthology “Patios del Recreo- Teatro para Adolescentes”  (Schoolyard stories- Theatre for adolescents) During a second step, the selected texts will be part of the material to be staged during the Directors Workshop.
    8. The jury will be composed by Sonia Daniel (Córdoba- Argentina); Dewis Durán (Caracas- Venezuela); Héctor Presa (Buenos Aires- Argentina)
    9. Deadline November 2015
    10. The results will be published during February 2016.
    11. The participation in the project includes the acceptance of conditions and the authorization for publishing and staging the play.

More information:

patiosdelrecreo@atina.org.ar

www.atina.org.ar

Logo ATINA     PATIOS-logo

 

By Asaya Fujita.

Asian countries that gather today all have each original culture. And I suppose that what we have in common among us is that the civilizations that started from Europe and America are settled upon our own original cultures on one level or another.

Our TYA also have this double standard of culture.

In Japan, the first theatre for children started about 100 years ago, and before that, there were only traditional theatre such as Kabuki, Noh, and Kyogen. Those who studied in Europe found out there was contemporary theatre there and started theatre in European style that has no relation to our tradition. Among them, there was an attempt for theatre for children.

But in Japan, the contemporary theatre was rather only appealing to intelligence. It’s because many of those who led the contemporary theatre were sensitive to trends overseas and had enlightening ideas. On the other hand, the traditional theatre was rather appealing to emotions. Japanese traditional theatre (especially Kabuki), which earned the public support, has captured the audiences by appealing to emotions.

I find a certain similar tendency in theatres in Asian countries. The ways Asian theatres such as Beijing Opera, Shaoxing Opera, or Ping Tang, a narrative, in China, Pansori and Mask Theatre in Korea, and Dance Theatre and Puppet Theatre in Indonesia, appeal to emotions are traits similar to Kabuki and Puppet Theatre in Japan. There is something thrilling, as the Japanese proverb says “to excite the blood”, in such theatre forms while contemporary drama theatres in Japan (Shingeki) or in China (???????????????) differ from them.

In theatre, there are two elements, one that appeals to intelligence and the other that “excites the blood” and when these two elements are well mixed and balanced, a high quality drama is created.

I believe if each one of us can bring the element that excites the blood, we may be able to find a possibility for a new collaboration original in Asia.

Because it is the TYA field that can easily get over dependence on language, it is easier for the field to do such an experiment.

When we achieve such an attempt, the time the Asian collaboration is highly evaluated will come.