SYMPOSIUM 2013

DUBLIN SYMPOSIUM WILL EXPLORE THE ROLE OF FAIRYTALE IN CONTEMPORARY THEATRE.  SPECIAL GUEST IS ERIKA EICHENSEER, WHO RECENTLY DISCOVERED 500 GERMAN FAIRYTALES COLLECTED BY FRANZ XAVER VON SCHÖNWERTH, A CONTEMPORARY OF THE GRIMM BROTHERS. 

On Friday, 07^th June and Saturday, 08^th June the School of Education, Trinity College, Dublin in association with TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) Ireland and Barnstorm Theatre Company will present a unique two-day exploration of The Role of Fairytale in Contemporary Theatre as part of Ireland’s presidency of the European Union.

The symposium will bring together speakers and presenters from the worlds of theatre, literature, psychology and education to explore fairytale and its relevance to audiences today.

PROGRAMME (click for Programme (PDF) or Programme (Word))

Speakers and presenters 

• Erika Eichenseer, cultural curator at Oberpfalz in Bavaria (lost stories of Franz Xaver von Schönwerth)
• Charles Way, playwright
• Anna Maria Murphy, playwright, creator with Kneehigh Theatre Company
• Mike Kenny (keynote), playwright (Theatre for Young Audiences)
• Dorothy Morrissey, Lecturer in Drama Education in Mary Immaculate College in Limerick
• Professor Mike Wilson, Dean of Humanities at Falmouth University,
• Dr Stephen Minton, a chartered psychologist and a full-time lecturer in the psychology of education at the School of Education, Trinity College Dublin
• Dr Carmel O’Sullivan, Co-ordinator of the Division of Continuous Professional Development in the School of Education and a member of its Arts Education Research Group, Trinity College

Papers on a wide range of perspectives on the theme…

• the work of Bruno Bettelheim…
• The Archetypal Significance of Story: Fairytale and Myth In C.G. Jung, and Neil Gaiman’s ‘The Sandman’…
• The Low-Down on Kneehigh Theatre Company…
• Performances of Innocence and Experience: Hansel and Gretel, and Little Red Riding Hood….
• The use of fairytale in the plays of Charles Way…
• The Actor or the Storyteller: Solo performers and the presentation of fairytale…

Erika Eichenseer on the amazing find of Von Schonwerth’s fairy and folk tales…
Presentation of a rehearsed reading of the first of these new works…

SPEAKER’S BIOGRAPHIES (click for details)

BOOKING

Delegate bookings:

Brilliant News! 

Extra funding
allows many more
to participate

We are delighted to announce that due to further support the price of participation has been radically reduced.

Two days €50 / €30 (concession)

Day Passes €30 / €20 (concession)

Places are limited and therefore only 10 Day Passes per day.
(Price includes access to all events and lunch, tea/coffee each day.

REGISTRATION_FORM_Symposium (PDF) or  REGISTRATION_FORM_Symposium

ACCOMMODATION (click for details)

Press_Release

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT US:

Symposium 2013, C/O Barnstorm Theatre Company, Church Lane, Kilkenny, Ireland +353 56 7751266

Niamh Barrett, Project Co-ordinator, symposium.dublin@gmail.com tel:   +353 (0)86 2857212

Philip Hardy, Project Director, philip@barnstorm.ie +353 (0)87 2790956

Scottish Dance Theatre’s What on Earth!?

We were delighted with the response from practitioners to the Punchdrunk Enrichment workshops held at The Ark in February. All workshops were booked out, with an additional workshop added to meet the demand. A lively public discussion on immersive theatre led by Dublin City Arts Officer Ray Yeates also took place with members of Punchdrunk Enrichment and ANU and was well attended. Zoe’s Play by John McArdle closed at the end of March and received a very positive reception throughout its month-long run. The play was commissioned by The Ark in 1999, and this new production, directed by David Horan, was described as a “visually majestic piece of theatre that has its audience captivated and enraptured from start to finish” by Irish Theatre Magazine.

On Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May The Ark will present three performances of Scottish Dance Theatre’s What on Earth!? in partnership with Dublin Dance Festival. The show for children aged 5-11 combines dance theatre and animation and has toured the UK and further afield to great acclaim. We are very much looking forward to working with the Festival to bring it to our audiences.

Roll Up! Roll Up!, a major celebration of circus will run at The Ark throughout July and August. Curated by Brian Kennedy (who previously curated Crafted Creatures at The Ark in 2010), Roll Up! Roll Up! will transform each of The Ark’s floors into circus-themed spaces where families can explore all that the artform has to offer. Actors playing the parts of circus characters will guide visitors through an interactive exhibition tour that will bring to life the incredible worlds of the trapeze artist, the ringmaster, circus horses and their trainers, and clowns. Visitors will experience a recreated big top with all their senses, explore a hall of mirrors, learn about circus life through beautiful photographic exhibitions, speak some Polari, the circus language, see what it feels like to walk in clown shoes and much more. Each week at the end of the tour a different circus skill will be explored. We are also delighted that Fidget Feet will present a series of Aerial Workshops for children, and visual arts workshops in circus poster design, prop, costume and model making will also run alongside the main exhibition programme.

We are looking forward to working with Dublin Theatre Festival once again in the autumn, and the Family Season programme will be announced in mid-summer.

See www.ark.ie for more information.

“BOCKETY BRILLIANCE”  Irish Times

 ”A STAND-OUT PIECE OF CHILDREN’S THEATRE”  Irish Theatre Magazine

                                       What is friendship?

                                       What happens when it goes wrong?

                                       What do you have to do to make it work?

The Bockety World of Henry & Bucket a new play for children aged 4+ years and their family. The show opened in March in The Barn, Kilkenny and is presently on tour until the end of April. The production will have a more extensive tour (including festivals) in the autumn.

 Responses to its World Premiere in Kilkenny have been resoundingly enthusiastic – comments included ‘pure theatre’, ‘visually imaginative’ and ‘…they (children) haven’t stopped talking about it since.’

Written and directed by Sarah Argent, based on a collaborative devising process with Barnstorm, The Bockety World of Henry & Bucket is humorous and rich in visual antics. Through Henry and Bucket’s relationship we can examine what friendship is, what goes wrong and how you fix it.

Their friendship reflects the bockety world they inhabit – there are wobbles and shakes, and it’s not quite level all the time but it works! How do friends reconcile when they’ve had their battles, got on each other’s nerves, and even stooped to telling lies…?

This is an entertaining, thought-provoking exploration of friendship for young children and their families. …Ireland’s premier producer of theatre for children. It will be remembered for its recent production of The Song from the Sea which toured throughout Ireland in 2012…

New Commission

Following the success of A Murder of Crows the company has commissioned Mike Kenny to develop a new piece for audience 8+ years. We have spent time researching around themes of autism, changeling, folklore and superstition; and conducted a devising session with the company in March. The script will be developed over the next nine months with further exploration and devising to be produced in spring 2014.

INCUBATE – UPDATE

New Ideas, New Developments in TYA

 Bake! Paul Curley

With the support of Barnstorm’s Incubate initiative, I have been developing Bake! (an interactive story-telling piece for 4-7 yr olds). The last draft incorporated a two week period of development in the studio at The Ark, including a work-in-progress performance in a school in Rathgar, Dublin. The experience proved very productive and has been a huge learning curve for me. Meetings and consultations with designer Ger Clancy and musician Jack Cawley also led to a more practical understanding of how to realise the design elements of the work. My ambition was to create a draft of Bake! that would test the interactive elements of the piece.

This was achieved. That is not to say that is was entirely successful, there was some chaos too. A number of the flaws that presented themselves are greatly beneficial to making the piece stronger and more creative.

The physical interaction with the design materials needs very clear and exact instruction, while still remaining within the narrative world of Bake! Interaction in a performance context like this uses a specific vocabulary that needs careful planning and practice. The school children had no reservation in building and making, and taking turns with the tasks within the story. In fact, the level of difficulty of task could be even further explored. Throughout the playing of the piece my role shifts from storyteller to actor to facilitator, this also needs careful management, as the responses of the children vary accordingly.

 In the next phase of the development of Bake!, I will revisit the writing. The piece is written as a story and I am keen to explore how this could be presented in more dramatic form. I have been attending the Fishamble Playwriting course over the spring, and as part of my learning, I aim to create a new draft of the piece over the summer. I will again make school visits to test the new draft. I hope also to rely on the expertise of my fellow members of ‘Six in the Attic’, there are a number of playwrights in the group!

With the ongoing support of Barnstorm, the long-term goal is to be able to bring Bake! to a position where it is ready for full production.

 Paul Curley in the development of Bake!

Project Women – Ita Morrissey                      

The final stage of the INCUBATE process came in the staging of ‘The Monologues’, after 7 months of R&D, writing and rehearsing the outcome was a night of significant importance to the women of the Kilkenny community and testament of the guidance an initiative like INCUBATE can offer artists. The presentation of work was staged at Kilkenny’s Watergate theatre on 08th March for International Women’s Day.

Beginning in December, another call out for women to get involved in the third phase as it entered into the production stage. Auditions and castings were finalised and rehearsals for the 12 monologues began at the Barn in January. Many of the women cast did not have previous experience of theatre or indeed acting and therefore the initial group workshops were instrumental in building a foundation of trust, confidence and basic stage techniques. Individual rehearsals were then run for the remainder of the project, while still  incorporating the occasional group workshop to reconnect and share the development of their work.

There were also other females welcomed into the ever growing Project Women family, taking on production roles and learning new skills about various tasks and duties it takes for a theatre show to come together. These were important extended support networks and it showed that getting as many people involved really contributed to the accomplishment that was illustrated on the night.

There was quite a buzz about the theatre that evening and the night’s events commenced with a short montage of female faces, these were taken on a cold Sunday in February, when myself and two friends stopped shoppers and asked them for a photo. I wanted to capture the beauty and variety of women in Kilkenny and to create a piece that would introduce the evening for International Women’s day. (‘These are the faces…’ video is online on the Project Women facebook page).Taking to the stage after the short clip was the Lisdowney Choral Chamber, an all female singing ensemble who sung four tunes and then the main event ‘The Monologues’. In a series of four segments, interspersed with music, three actors took to the stage at a time to present their monologue. The majority of the work was original pieces, written during phase two of the project but there were also three pieces from the original work of The Vagina Monologues that were used as a springboard for the entire project.

 As a community theatre project it was a tremendous success – it introduced so many individuals to theatre and its potential for creative expression and a method in which we can interrupt and understand the world around us. Theatre is an insightful and useful tool that should be accessible to all. By being part of the INCUBATE project I was able to reach so many women and introduce them to a creative medium that helped them break down barriers and open oneself to the unfamiliar and in doing so discovering something new.

As an artist, the INCUBATE programme not only gave me the support and mentoring I needed to see this project through but it highlighted the areas in which I need and wish to grow as a theatre practitioner.

Ita Morrissey

DRAMASPHERE – Janis Woodgate

I am at the 9 month stage of my Research & Development project within Barnstorm’s Incubate Project where my objective was to research the SPHE (Social, Personal, Health & Education) curriculum in primary schools. It has been a tremendous learning curve for me both developing skills and identifying shortfalls and areas of interest.

 Following involvement in Project Women’s The Monologues as a performer, I am currently researching local community projects, my main interest being in the area of personal development and health and well-being. I am keen to improve on facilitation skills, and am seeking suitable projects on which to assist.

I will be Assistant Facilitator with Anna Galligan on Barnstorm’s Youth Drama Camp for 8-14yr olds in July.

Barnstorm invites applications from artists to participate in Incubate – this can be an idea, a research area, or just time to explore the field of TYA, Youth Theatre or Community Theatre. Contact us for a chat.

SYMPOSIUM 2013

Barnstorm is partner with TYAI and the School of Education in Trinity College, Dublin to present Symposium 2013: The Role of Fairytale in Contemporary Theatre, which will see academics and theatre practitioners robustly debate and present papers on the theme. Special guest speaker is Ms Erika Eichenseer….. (see article on the Symposium)

OUTREACH

Barnstorm aims to provide innovative and sustainable arts activities to the people of Kilkenny and the South East in the area of theatre and drama, and its uses within a community context. The company runs an extensive programme of workshops, training and productions with young people and adults in Kilkenny and hinterland through its Outreach Department.

Youth Theatre

It comes around so quickly and this spring saw Kilkenny Youth Theatre’s senior group jump again into the commitment of rehearsals and the mounting of its annual production. This year the seniors took on ‘KoHL’ originally devised by Droichead Youth Theatre with Sharon Cromwell, a Film Noir genre piece.

The Youth theatre travelled back in time to New York during The Prohibition: gangsters, molls, illegal booze, a private eye with integrity and a newshound hungry for a story. The confines of the genre and the presence of stereotypes pushed the young actors in a new direction. There was the challenge of finding depth when playing a stereotype, the fear of hearing our voices with a new accent and the technical aspects of getting 22 scenes with 6 different places on to the stage at The Barn. There was much laughter in rehearsals as both cast and director teetered between depth and superficiality. The set was built on a truck which allowed it to move back and forth across the stage and in turn reveal a speakeasy and a dressing room. And then there was the matter of a few dead dancers hanging around!

KoHL was performed with permission of NAYD, Ireland’s support organisation for youth theatres, as part of their New Stage programme – the National Association for Youth Drama’s writing initiative for Irish youth theatres. It provides plays that have been written or devised specifically with young people in mind and then make the scripts available to member youth theatres free of charge.

With a cast of sixteen, KoHL performed to packed houses at The Barn on the 11th-13th of April.

Meanwhile the junior group began rehearsals on ‘A Quest for a Play’ originally devised by Physically Phishy (Cork) and written by Geraldine O’Neill. With a cast of fourteen, the play takes place in a drama workshop where the facilitators have had enough and leave. In their absence the workshop participants devise a ‘Quest’ play through play and group work. This production will be performed for family and friends at the end of May.

May also sees the kick-off of Red Square Critic’s programme, Butler Gallery’s young critic’s programme in collaboration with Barnstorm. The first session will take place on National Drawing Day.

As the on-going groups come to an end for the summer, planning is well underway for the annual Barnstorm Youth Drama Camp, 1st – 5th July. This year’s camp will cater to young people of 8-10 years and 11-14 years. Each group will work for three hours over five days to look at the skills needed in performing theatre.

Adults-in-the-House

The latest Adult Theatre Club members are busily preparing for their first public performance with Shorts 2013, in The Barn over three nights in June. Short excerpts from three Irish plays will be presented – Afterplay by Brian Friel, I Do Not Like Thee Dr Fell by Bernard Farrell and Moment by Deirdre Kinehan will see the novice actors on stage 11th-13th June.

The Barn Owl Players are co-producing Mid-May Murders, a double-bill of murder mysteries with the local Kats Theatre Group. Audiences will be exposed to the thrills of Agatha Christie’s The Patient and master whodunit writer C.B. Gilford with Anybody for Tea? The double-bill will be presented in The Barn from 08th to 11th May @ 8pm.

Irish Aerial Dance Fest 2013

Rope Workshop

Three weeks of workshops and performances for anyone who’s ever wanted to learn how to fly. Absolute beginners through to performing professionals travel to Letterkenny every June to join us in this annual celebration of aerial dance and aerial circus. Ever wanted to fly? Come and learn how. Full details at www.irishaerialdancefest.com.

Catch Me EU Tour

As part of Ireland’s Presidency of the European Union, Culture Ireland are funding a number of Fidget Feet performances around the European continent. Catch Me, our aerial retelling of Little Red Riding Hood will be visiting Scotland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands between April and July. Full details on www.fidgetfeet.com

A Fairies’ Tail

A Fairies' Tail

Our outdoor promenade through Fairy Land has been confirmed as part of the 2013 Kilkenny Arts Festival. Join Buglite and her friends as we journey to save Fairy Land from the evil Ninja Big Boots. Taking place in the grounds of Kilkenny Castle this isn’t a once upon a time story, it’s a happening right now story. Come and find us. Full details on www.kilkennyarts.ie

The Elves & The Shoemaker

The second part of our family trilogy will embark on a nationwide tour of Ireland between October to December this year. Aimed at 3-8 year olds and supported by The Arts Council Touring and Dissemination of New Work award, this show will be an immersive theatre experience that will invite the audience onto the stage and into the world of the Elves. Storytelling, theatre, aerial and music will all interweave to create this exciting retelling. We’re currently working through all the production and touring aspects of the show, but if you’d like to learn more, please contact Adam on adam@fidgetfeet.com

Cliodhna Noonan is a theatre artist working with Sticky Fingers Arts in Newry, as well as her own company Acting Up! Her solo show for Early Years was developed over time with inputs from various artists, friends and audiences. She offers us this personal insight:

SILVER TREE – AN EARLY YEARS JOURNEY WITH ROOTS THAT CONTINUE TO SPREAD

I remember the day the roots of the Silver Tree Project took hold. I was sitting on my balcony in Romania with early years specialist Corina Chiran and I showed her a beautiful baby blue mask with feathers on it, which I suggested might sing opera … She replied “She looks like the Ursitoarea Fairy in our culture”. I was fascinated. This Romanian fairy visits babies seven days after they are born and offers a tray of gifts for their journey through life. The new-born chooses one. In return the fairy accepts whatever offering the parents leave and she disappears.

I immediately saw the potential of an Early Years project that would be visually stimulating but at the same time peaceful and meditative – a performance that would reconnect generations with their wishes for the future and a chance to begin my own journey of enquiry through the early years community.

Three months later I was sitting in a coffee shop in Cairo with Portuguese/Canadian artist and mother, Margarida Smith.

In minutes she sketched a stunningly simple Silver Tree under which the audience of babies aged 0-9 months would lie on their backs in the company of their respective guardians. The tree would have sparkling lights, magnetic butterflies and crystal leaves that would catch the babies’ attention and stimulate their delicate senses.

I was given invaluable advice about working in performance with this very particular audience by designers and directors from within the Small Size Network and as I wrote the script, I remember the excitement of knowing that I was holding something very special in the palm of my hand.

Finally, I met with the very experienced Italian director and choreographer Giovanna Caire from Turin. In four weeks, she had created the Silver Tree performance.

Our first performance was with the children of Cairo American College in the KG classroom. This was a group of elite 5 year olds who did not have much access to arts activity and very scarce experience with performance. All the parents were invited and all showed up. The reaction was extreme. Parents were touched by the simplicity of the event in and the moment it gave them to really consider their lives and their journey with their children.

Since that first performance, the Silver Tree has played to packed audiences in Cairo and in the Bedouin oasis of Bahariya. In Egypt, the choices made by the children attending in the audience reflected their cultural reality between 2010 and 2012. The revolution of 2011 had a major impact on the popularity of our work. For the first time, parents of very young children who had lost hope of ever changing their own reality, began to dream for their babies. Where most had chosen the silver apple for health, there was a sudden shift to the choice of the silver book indicative of a thirst for knowledge that was previously unknown and finally twelve months later, as the economic burden on these families worsened, the shift to the choice of the jewels for wealth.

Silver Tree was spoken of as a new and stimulating approach to the development of early literacy skills and creative thought. My last performances of Silver Tree in Egypt were with the Egyptian Childcare Corporation or Baby Academy in July 2012. Once again, parents on very demanding work schedules took an hour off work to spend time with their children to watch them engage with a live story in English and to make their first choices for themselves. The effect was immediate and lasting.

Simultaneous to the impact on cultural development within the education sector in Egypt, the project was programmed in many international arts festivals for children.

Nabeul Tunisia: A grandmother hugged me at the end of the show which I performed in French and told me that she had never had such a reflective experience with her daughter and grand-daughter and that she would remember it forever. I noted the connection between early years performance and intergenerational arts experiences.

Cork Midsummer Festival: We played as part of the Spiegeltent Programme. I remember the tree having a technical hitch and having to race to my brother-in-law’s house to pick up a silver Christmas tree. The unknowing audience loved the show anyway and three amazing adults who attended were my first foray into performance for special needs.

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children: Ms. Corina Chiran from Romania was my assistant. It was the end of a wonderful road of discovery and experience in early years performance. The tree found its theatrical identity in a beautiful studio space with professional lighting and we added an interactive workshop using the colours of the show, blue and silver, and lead by Corina. It was also the first time we performed Silver Tree inside crèches in Ireland. We enjoyed a warm and excited reception from this community, many of whom could otherwise not have engaged with the festival.

I reflected on the possibility of Early Years performances as valuable outreach experiences for Festivals.

Finally we journeyed to Newry for the Sticky Fingers Early Years Festival where we engaged with the eastern European immigrant communities. I reflected on the importance of communication in performance and how the connection helps immigrant parents to feel at ease when their children respond to the performer in a positive fashion.

Silver Tree is now a regular event at the Sticky Fingers Children’s Art House in Newry and has found a fertile garden to grow in for the present.

I look forward to the fruits this garden will bear in the future.

Cliodhna Noonan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXzRYC_nOEY

WLPG is pleased and honoured to announce the 21 writers from 13 countries selected for WLPG Sparks (Linz) – Catalysts for Discovery

We put out a call for 500-word original monologues following a ‘prompt’ relating to the overall theme of catalysts for discovery. Austrian playwright Holger Schober joined WLPG co-editors Tony Mack, Deirdre Kelly Lavrakas and Kim Peter Kovac in making the selection from several dozen entries. The monologues will be read at the ASSITEJ International Meeting in Linz – playwrights will read in their first language and English translations will be provided.

The playwrights:

Mohammad Aghebati, Iran, When You Don’t Watch Me

Beatriz Besteiro, Argentina, Feet Up

Paula Carballeiria, Spain, Katal

Sonia Daniel, Argentina, Michaela’s Mouse

Lisa Evans, UK, Cubes of Light

Hosein Fadai Hosein, Iran, I Want to Grow Now, Now

Geert Genbrugge, Belgium, Under the Pouring Light

Amanda Hill, USA, One

Afeif Ismail, Sudan/Australia, Eureka

Tristan Jacobs, South Africa, Stoepkakertjie

Zainabu Jallo, Nigeria, These Feelings

Walter Kohl, Austria, It’s Alright, I’m Only Bleeding

Gabriel Pastorini, Uruguay, A Window

Natasha Poluyshkina, Russia, Red Poppies

Johannes Rhomberg, Austria, Hasta Siempre

Karin Serres, France, Burning Eyes

Flo Staffelmeyr, Austria, Inschallah

Bernhard Studler, Austria, Stopover

Reinhold Stumpf, Austria, Kids in the Wind

Silvia Gabrela Vazquez, Argentina, Only Trifles

Asya Voloshina, Russia, Dad

Languages – Arabic, Dutch, English, Farsi, French, German, Russian, Spanish

On Friday 07th June and Saturday 08th June the School of Education, Trinity College, Dublin in association with TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) Ireland and Barnstorm Theatre Company will present a unique two-day exploration of The Role of Fairytale in Contemporary Theatre as part of Ireland’s presidency of the European Union.

The symposium will bring together speakers and presenters from the worlds of theatre, literature, psychology and education to explore fairytale and its relevance to young audiences today.

According to Philip Hardy, chair of TYA Ireland and artistic director of Barnstorm Theatre Company: “Theatre for Young Audiences has developed into a sophisticated, innovative and ground-breaking area of theatre throughout the world, no more so than in Ireland. Fairytale has been an important element in this growth. Its enchanted world has the flexibility to relate to a range of developmental stages of young audiences ranging from the retelling of the ‘safe’ fairytale to the re-presenting of the darker cautionary tale. The archetypes presented often have deep resonance and unexpected relevance for adults! This (symposium) is a unique opportunity to explore and challenge the role of fairy and folk tale for audiences today; and to hear inputs from complementary fields.”

The special guest for the symposium is Ms Erika Eichenseer – the cultural curator at Oberpfalz in Bavaria – who will present on her recent discovery of 500 fairytales from Franz Xaver von Schönwerth. The Von Schönwerth collection, which was locked away in an archive in Regensburg for 150 years, was assembled over more than four decades, during which time Von Schönwerth travelled the Oberpfalz region of Germany faithfully transcribing oral tellings of the stories. He was a contemporary of the Grimm Brothers and in 1885 Jacob Grimm said about him: “Nowhere in the whole of Germany is anyone collecting [folklore] so accurately, thoroughly and with such a sensitive ear.” His collection includes local versions of famous tales such as Cinderella and Rumplestilskin, along with others, such as ‘The Flying Chest’, which are completely new to a modern audience. We will present a rehearsed reading of part of “The Flying Chest” during the symposium.

The 2012 Guardian newspaper article about Erika Eichenseer and the Von Schönwerth collection of tales,  http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/mar/05/five-hundred-fairytales-discovered-germany

The Role of Fairytale in Contemporary Theatre symposium brings together theatre makers, academics, educationalists and psychologists to explore and debate this theme over two days.

Olivier award-winning playwright Mike Kenny will give the keynote address. Mike Kenny has adapted many fairytales for young theatre audiences, most recently A Murder of Crows, a re-working of the Hansel & Gretel story rooted in famine Ireland, in collaboration with Barnstorm Theatre Company.

Annamaria Murphy of Kneehigh Theatre Company (Cornwall, UK) will present on how the company adapts fairy stories for general audiences, maintaining the ‘darker’ elements of the original tales.

“What is the role of fairytale in contemporary theatre” will be debated during a panel discussion comprised of theatre-makers, theatre programmers and academics? Do young audiences need the ‘dark bits’ of the fairytales left in, or do we serve them better by leaving the more challenging material out? At this juncture, what do young audiences need from fairytale?

Other prominent academics and theatre-makers confirmed to take part through papers and presentations include playwright Charles Way (UK), Mike Wilson (Professor of Drama and Dean of the School of Media & Performance, Falmouth University, UK), Dr Stephen Minton (Lecturer of Psychology in Education, Trinity College, Dublin) and Dorothy Morrissey (Lecturer in Arts Education in Mary Immaculate Teacher Training College, Limerick).

For further information, registration etc Symposium 2013 or please contact Symposium Co-ordinator Niamh Barrett at symposium.dublin@gmail.com or on +353 (0)86 2857212. Philip Hardy can be contacted at +353 (0)56 77 51266 or philip@barnstorm.ie

We are happy to announce the launch of the official website of the meeting: international-meeting.assitej.at.

We are still adding information here and there but you are already welcome to take a look around.

*Take a look at the overall schedule of the meeting – detailed information will follow

* Take a look at arrival information and accommodation in Linz

* Inform yourself about the general theme of the meeting and the SCHAXPIR festival

We also would like to inform you about a few more exciting focus points of FACING THE ARTIST, the biggest annual gathering of practitioners and researchers within the field of theatre for young audiences.

Taboos

Two events of the meeting will focus on taboos in various contexts: With playwrights and dramaturgs we will discuss different perspectives and exchange experiences: what’s considered a taboo in Austria and in different parts of the world? How do artists of the next generation approach taboos in their countries? And what happens when plays and performances are translated and transferred to another cultural context? Furthermore a series of workshops will explore this area with 20-25 artists over a couple of days.

Disability

The topic of theatre with/for/by people with disabilities is growing stronger and stronger within ASSITEJ. We are glad to present a set of workshops and discussions focussing on this topic: The workshops will give you an opportunity to experience the work of international artists in this field. The discussions will focus on strategies and artistic approaches within this field.

Dance Theatre

Another important focus of the meeting will be on dance and dance theatre in an international context. In co-operation with companies and artists who are participating in the festival we will discuss the developments within this field.

From 20th June to 30th June 2013 the International Theatre Festival SCHAXPIR goes into its seventh round. In 2013 around forty theatre and dance productions from Austria and abroad will be presented to the usual high quality. Over the course of eleven days, SCHAXPIR disseminates the pleasure and passion of theatre on the stages of Linz and also in locations more accessible to children and young people further away from the large, familiar locations in the state capital. In 2013 SCHAXPIR again offers a multifaceted, extensive program, which includes enticing premieres and the popular framework program.

Facing the Artists’ – 22nd-29th June 2013 in Linz

From 22nd-29th June 2013 ASSITEJ Austria in conjunction with the International Theatre Festival SCHAXPIR

With the working topic FACING THE ARTIST seminars, discussions and workshops are dedicated to different aspects and topics such as music- and dance theatre.

In collaboration with artists and researchers from all over the world, the meeting will emphasize some of the essential questions: In which categories do today’s artists think and work? Between didactic and pedagogic claims, entertainment and spectacularisation; where do the artistic perspectives lie? All these questions will stir up controversy and open up diverse perspectives to talk about theatre as art. FACING THE ARTIST will be an artistic gathering for people in theatre for children and young people from all over the world to meet, interact, and develop new creative opportunities.

Sticky Fingers Arts is a leading arts organisation for very young children in Ireland and is recognised nationally and internationally as an expert in the field of children’s arts, catering particularly for the Early Years. Our programme spans professional theatre, music, visual arts and dance, pioneering the newest and most innovative approaches in the arts for very young children.

The Children’s Art House in Newry now houses the Sticky Fingers team and it is fast becoming the most popular space in Newry for the development of creativity in young children. Across all sectors of the community.

The team in the coffee shop offers art activities guaranteed to keep your child’s fingers sticky while Teresa, Francis and Ceala keep the coffee and tea flowing! Activities are not based on achieving a specific purpose (although some amazing art has been developed!). Rather, the focus is on enjoying the experience of a connection with an arts activity that keeps your hands busy for a while and encourages personal creativity. Adult carers are encouraged to join in with their young charges.

Upstairs in the workshop space, Cliodhna and Cecile are responsible for storytelling, music, drama, theatre productions, finger knitting, dress designing for dollies, home baking and stop animation film-making for all children available to sign up! Our age range is 0-12 years at present. We also offer art activities through French and Spanish.

In a fast-paced world, the importance of a free drop-in art space cannot be stressed enough. Many of our accompanying adults agree that the lack of digital distraction on our premises, coupled with the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the space and the enthusiasm of the team make a visit to Sticky Fingers the highlight of their week.

Our monthly workshop programme is available on www.stickyfingerarts.co.uk You can also visit us on

www.facebook.com/earlyyearsarts,

www.twitter.com/earlyyearsart,

www.twitter.com/childrens_ah.

Or Instagram us on @sticky_fingers_arts, Flikr us on StickyFingersArts or email us on info@stickyfingersarts.co.uk.

Sticky Fingers is presently finalising the summer programme at the Children’s Art House. Watch this space!!! Pencils, Pens and Paintbrushes at the Ready!

Grainne Powell

Sticky Fingers Newry

At the end of April Theatre Lovett set off on our American Tour with The Girl who Forgot to Sing Badly. This US tour, with the generous support of Culture Ireland, will see Theatre Lovett visiting four US venues. The tour commences on 2 May in the Annenberg Centre for the Arts, Philadelphia (2 – 4 May). We then continue to The Playhouse Square, Cleveland Ohio (6 – 11 May) where we will be one of four featured performances at the annual One Theatre World 2013 TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) gathering. This is a significant festival gathering of professional practitioners in the United States. As part of the congress Theatre Lovett will also be hosting a master class for international delegates. The production then moves to the Pittsburgh International Festival (15 – 19 May) and finally on to the New Victory 42nd Street, New York (27 May – 9 June) where it will run for 16 performances. Joint Artistic Directors, Louis Lovett and Muireann Ahern will also host talkbacks and Q&A’s to accompany the show and Louis will give a master class to New York actors. This production of The Girl who Forgot to Sing Badly was originally commissioned by The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children and produced by The Ark in association with Theatre Lovett.

Actor Training at The Abbey Theatre

This February Theatre Lovett held an actor training course at The Abbey Theatre. Led by Louis and Muireann, the 17 participants explored theatre making for the young and old. From ‘how the actor’s focus can become the child’s focus’ to such non essential items as ‘how to avoid the pitfalls of stage confectionary when performing for children’. The week also included the opportunity for the group to present on the Peacock Stage to a young audience, which was met by, “this is deadly” from the audience, followed by “be better if we had popcorn”. Thanks to Phil Kingston and The Abbey Theatre staff for their support in this venture and to Dublin City Council for their support of this work.

Work in Development

During March Theatre Lovett had the very great pleasure of gathering together a fine motley crew to help lay the tracks for some upcoming work set to première later this year. Many thanks to Susannah de Wrixon, Eleanor Methven, Kate Heffernan, Carl Kennedy, Jaimie Carswell and Lynne Parker for their judicious use of their potentially lethal acting muscles.

Theatre Lovett were delighted to be successful in applying for the Arts Council Touring and Dissemination of Work Scheme, which will see us touring the country to the NOMAD network later this year.

2012-2013 Residency at Riverbank Arts Centre

We have been enjoying our work with two groups from the Kildare branch of Down Syndrome Ireland. Louis was put through his theatrical paces by the Maps and Mazes Theatre Group and is making regular visits to the young girls and boys in the Early Invention Group. Theatre Lovett will also be taking some time in the rehearsal room in Riverbank to, amongst other things, plan our finery for our trip out on the buses with Kildare Mobile Libraries. This project is made possible with the support of the Arts Council of Ireland, Kildare County Arts Service and Kildare Library Services.

Theatre Lovett and IMMA

Earlier this year Theatre Lovett collaborated for the third time with the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA @ NCH Earlsfort Terrace) around the Alice Maher exhibition Becoming. This family event introduced young and old to world renowned Mythologist and philanderer Kyriakos Philippos who bought them from Alpha to Omega in: A is for Andromeda, B is for Barbara. The cast included Karl Shiels, Mark Wilkins, Louis Lovett and Emer McMahon, and was directed by Muireann Ahern. Did you know that Cassandra fell asleep at her birthday party and was woken by a snake whispering in her ear? Or so the story goes…….