On the occasion of ASSITEJ Artistic Gathering/Augenblick Mal 2015 in Berlin, Small size Network had the chance to present its activities and members to the many participants coming from all over the world.
The Market held during the first International Artistic Encounter saw the participation of all Networks together while Public Moments took place in separate moments and venues, each Network was coupled with a local organization focusing on the same objectives. For Small size, the host was Fratz, Theatre Festival for Very Young Audiences.
And it was Fratz Festival’s idea to present an extra performance of “Spuren”, by Helios Theatre, as an introduction to the public moment. The show, already in Berlin as a guest of Fratz Festival, started from a coproduction process involving Helios Theatre (Hamm, Germany) and Teatr Atofri (Warsaw, Poland), and that resulted into two separate productions.
After the performance, four members of the Network presented their experiences of collaboration with extra-EU countries. These presentations were focused on how the work started with a collaboration can create intertwinements and a domino effect resulting in the enlarging and expanding of artistic experiences and in further promotion and diffusion of performing arts for early years.
Théâtre de la Guimbarde (Charleroi, Belgium) presented their work with Théâtre Éclair (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso). The collaboration started from workshops and common research and resulted in “King of clay”, a production by the Burkinese company that is now performing in the country after visiting Pepites Festival in 2014.
Teatro Paraiso (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain) talked about their experience in Central and South America, where they worked with several companies in Mexico, Chile, Brasil, Argentina and Uruguay with the support of AECID. Besides touring the countries with performances, the company brought workshops for artists and children, intertwining relationships and giving an impulse to the early years scene in the area.
La Baracca-Testoni Ragazzi (Bologna, Italy) brought its experience with Magnet Theatre (Cape Town, South Africa): a group of the students of the two years training programme, all boys and girls coming from the surrounding townships, had the chance to attend a workshop focused on theatre for early years. In the following months the group developed a touring production, Tree/Boom/Umthi, and has now created an Early Years Project.
Helios Theatre presented their fresh experience in South Asia. Started with a Master Class for puppeteers and actors in New Delhi and Hyderabad (India), the tour organised by the Goethe-Institutes of the particular countries continued with performances of the show “H2O” in India, Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In many of the locations, theatre for the youngest audience was presented for the very first time.
