We are theatre and performance makers who make work for, with, by and about children and young people and our task, our purpose, is embedded in the social, economic and political fabric of young people’s lives. It is through our practice as artists that we can take the steps to create a turning point for many, including ourselves. The power we have to tell stories that show and interpret complex situations is vital. We have a deep and nuanced language to play with that spans so many art forms and ways of being – emotional, physical, visual, sensory as well as words. We are in the business of empathy, of wonder and curiosity, humanity and compassion, of protest and contributing to change.
This month, from November 20 to 25, many of us in the ASSITEJ community and the Eastern European region will gather in Belgrade and Novi Sad in Serbia, for the ASSITEJ Artistic Gathering and Festival – Turning Point.
The provocation of Turning Point is about change and the liminal moment this offers. It is a focus on a shift in the world that needs addressing as practitioners, as makers of theatre and performance and as people who serve a young audience. The world is a difficult place to make sense of sometimes, and for all of us, not just the young, it can be utterly overwhelming. We are looking at the appalling effects of war on children and young people, the effects of climate crisis on us all, the inequity and injustice that stops people being able to live their lives, the selfishness and racism that denies people their human rights. What is it we can do, within our own contexts, to make the future possible?
We are theatre and performance makers who make work for, with, by and about children and young people and our task, our purpose, is embedded in the social, economic and political fabric of young people’s lives. It is through our practice as artists that we can take the steps to create a turning point for many, including ourselves. The power we have to tell stories that show and interpret complex situations is vital. We have a deep and nuanced language to play with that spans so many art forms and ways of being – emotional, physical, visual, sensory as well as words. We are in the business of empathy, of wonder and curiosity, humanity and compassion, of protest and contributing to change.
We thrive through connection and sharing with others. Our work is public facing, is outward and inclusive. We need to feel, stronger than ever, that our community and our association is holding us in what we aim to achieve – unity for our practitioners around the world and the promotion of theatre and performance for, with, by and about children and young people. We can gather together, share stories, enjoy the connection when we can in person and we can engage online, read what others have discovered, experienced and shared, feel for people in extremis and do what we can, connecting locally, nationally, globally.
We know what we can do through our art: the energy of young voices, perspectives and opinions given space and place; the disempowered heard and seen; and not least, delight, wonder and possibility returned to an increasingly uncertain world.
Sue Giles
President, ASSITEJ International
