ASSITEJ Pakistan and ASSITEJ Sweden started the first phase of a project named “International Exchange program” in which two female Theatre Artists from Pakistan were selected by ASSITEJ Pakistan to take part in a two week fully funded residency in Stockholm Sweden in month of September 2019. Ismet Jawwad and Nerda Waqar were those two theatre/dance practitioners who were selected after an open call from ASSITEJ Pakistan to take part in this residency. The objective of the project was to support artistic and cultural networking for enabling new artistic encounters in performing arts for children and youth among both countries under ASSITEJ Platform. To encourage the participation of women in performing arts, the call was exclusively to support women artists working in performing arts in Pakistan. This Two Week residency was about exposure to the Swedish theater scene, introduction to Swedish theater groups and exchange with actors, directors and art managers, and closer interaction with theatre companies in Sweden like Zebra Dans, Pantomim Teatern & ‘Theatre Pero’ in Stockholm. The project was presented in collaboration with ASSITEJ Sweden.

Participants Views about the program were

– Theatre being a collective experience, it helps so much when two people from one part of the planet go on the other side of the planet to see observe and learn their methods. Such exchanges should not only happen one time, but should also take place more frequently.

– This was the best exchange experience/program we worked on.

The second Phase of this program will be started in Next year. ASSITEJ Pakistan is committed to make such collaborations with other ASSITEJ centres of the world to open international doors for artists working in TYA in Pakistan.