World Day of Theater for Young Audiences

Today is the World Day of Theatre for Young Audiences, and the president of the international organization for theatre for children, Assitej, writes today:

Take a child to the theater today! Or Take the theater to the child?

When we consider the millions of children who do not live within the easy reach of a theatre building (especially one designed for them and their needs), we must as artists expand our notions of what theatre can be if we truly believe in the arts as a basic human right. Of course this idea is not new in the history of theatre, but somehow the distinctions of formal vs. informal still seem to pervade our value systems and our notions of quality when we talk about theatre for young audiences.

The rough magic that can transform a dusty playground, or a township hall, a school classroom, or a refugee compound, is often what is most needed - not just because it is more practical and economical to meet children in their everyday circumstances, but also, more profoundly, because it IS magic. 

At Scenekunstbruket, our goal is to ensure that children and young people throughout Norway, regardless of background and place of residence, get to experience professional performing arts, and we support Yvette Hardie's post. Every year, more than 200,000 children in Norway experience a performing arts production from our repertoire. Last year, 70 different productions from our repertoire were on the road in Norway, playing a total of 2,315 performances, from north to south, from east to west. They have created magic in classrooms, gymnasiums, cultural centers and assembly halls, for children and young people throughout Norway.

Right now, Flaatenbjørk kompani is in Rauland with their interactive performance Kandisia, about asylum politics, and in Sula they are visited by Hege Haagenrud's Juryen, a dance performance where children take control and decide what they think the dancers should do.

See an overview of our tour program here.