Montreal 2005-Be There!
By Tony Mack, Lisa A. Kramer, Megan Ann Rasmussen and Emily Petkewich
From September 20-30, 2005, around 2,500 theatre producers and artists from all over the world are ready to descend on Montreal, Quebec for the 15th ASSITEJ World Congress and Festival of the Arts for Young Audiences. For ten days, representatives from more than 70 ASSITEJ member countries will converge to see some 40 TYA productions from all over the world. For the first time since 1972, the event is being held on the North American continent, making it much more convenient for ASSITEJ/USA members to take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity to get an international perspective on our field.
Why should you go? The experiences of those who have been at past World Congresses should convince you, and below you'll find some of their stories.
How will you go? We won't lie. It's not cheap. Start putting away money under your mattress, make plans to share a hotel room with 3-4 of your TYA buddies, and consider driving there if you live in the Northeast. Also, keep checking the ASSITEJ/USA website, www.assitej-usa.org, for information about internships that will be offered to emerging professionals. While the details and applications are not yet available, they are in the works, and the internships will be an amazing opportunity to get involved with ASSITEJ on an international scale.
For more information about the 15th ASSITEJ World Congress and Festival, visit the website at www.montreal-2005.com. See you in Montreal!
Tony Mack, lowdown@carclew.org.au Editor of Lowdown (Australia's youth performing arts magazine) and Vice-President of ASSITEJ International, reflects on the benefits of his recent travels:
I've never thought of myself as a particularly good tourist. Before 2002, my main overseas experiences were all work-related, such as working for a year in New Zealand or touring Japan as a performer. The beauty of travel to me is in the interaction with people in the countries I visit, and I like it most when I work with them in some way. It seems to ground the experience, and I find I take away deeper experiences of the culture and working lives of artists.
Midway through 2002 things changed fairly dramatically when I was elected on to the Executive Committee of ASSITEJ International at the Seoul World Congress in Korea. Yet, after travels to Croatia, the UK, Denmark, Austria, Jordan and Japan since then, I find my attitude hasn't really changed. As I've got to know ASSITEJ/US representative Kim Peter Kovac I find we're pretty similar in that regard, downplaying the 'visiting dignitary' role and putting ourselves out there to be of service. In Tokyo in late July for instance, when he realized that my colleagues from an Australian theatre company had limited time after finishing their show to get to the airport, Kim was ready to go down to the theatre and help them pack up the set. It's the kind of instinctive generosity that's won him a lot of friends.
For those contemplating international travel to conferences or festivals, here are some of the benefits from my point of view. Above all, I've got to meet and network with highly talented people outside their normal work environments, which means less time pressure and more open and reflective discussions. I've developed new contacts that have helped me produce a better quality and more diverse magazine, and located some of the places where exciting work is happening. As Australia is geographically isolated, I've always been ready to talk about the work Australian companies are doing, and that's led to a number of international tours. And, in turn, I've talked to Australian festival directors about companies doing stunning work that could travel to Australia. As we all work hard in this industry, I look for outstanding professional development opportunities that could inspire mid-career or emerging Australian theatre makers for years to come. Benchmarking is another important aspect of international experiences - viewing your own work in context of what's being done elsewhere, and finding how it could develop.
I try to follow some pretty old-fashioned guidelines when traveling that sound like something my mother would have told me - be curious, be courteous and communicate. (Many English speakers, in particular, are poor communicators as they speak too quickly, have a broad accent or assume the rest of the world speaks perfect English.) Simple stuff, but it makes all the difference in making human contact and having unforgettable experiences.
Dr. Lisa Kramer lkramer1@adelphia.net is the co-founder and Artistic Director of the newly formed EveryKid Theatre in Vermont. She attended the 1999 Congress:
Bright red farmhouses nestled in rolling green hills overlook the deep blue ocean, which reflects a few clouds in the brilliant blue sky. Sounds ideal, doesn't it? Add to this taking a cable-car ride up a small mountain to view the midnight sun, or dancing in the town square in bright sunlight at 11 p.m. and you have a perfect break after a busy day watching theatre.
The opportunity to attend the ASSITEJ International Congress in Tromsų, Norway is one that I will never forget. In addition to the beautiful scenery, I had the chance to see some great theatre and have interesting conversations with theatre artists from around the world. While I didn't like every show, the performances and discussions opened my mind to the sensibilities of other cultures that aren't as prim and proper as the USA, and allowed me to expand my own definition of theatre for young audiences.
Several performances stay with me now, and have influenced my own decisions as a theatre artist and educator. Picture a show performed with mostly grunts and music as a giant balloon of a nude woman gives birth. Is this a show for young audiences? Some people didn't think so, and it led to lively debate. The performance by the Bathida Company of Denmark showed me the potential available by taking risks and thinking outside our own cultural box.
The Australian Zeal Theatre's performance of The Stones became the talk of the festival, and has remained powerful in my memory. Using two performers, an empty stage, a ladder and a sawhorse, Zeal Theatre enthralled its audiences by sharing the story of two boys who threw stones from a bridge and killed someone. Their performance impressed me so much that I encouraged a college where I was teaching to bring them in on tour. Zeal Theatre ended up having to cancel that tour, so I feel lucky to have been able to see them in Norway.
I still carry in my wallet a small piece of parchment that audience members received after watching The Eighth Day, again performed by two actors, where God begins naming things in this world. Why do I carry it? It reminds me that I should continually strive to understand and create powerful theatre for all people, not just young people.
As I write and think about my experiences in Norway, I realize how lucky I was to receive an Observership (now renamed the Ann Shaw Fellowship) from ASSITEJ/USA that enabled me to participate. If you have the chance to travel to another country to see theatre, grab it, as the experience is invaluable for all theatre artists. The ASSITEJ World Congress brings theatre from around the world to one location, and that is something not to be missed. I can't wait to go again.
Megan Ann Rasmussen meganannrasmussen@msn.com is Producing Artistic Director of The Firehouse Theatre for Youth, Salt Lake City, Utah. She attended both the 1999 and 2002 Congresses:
Six years ago in Tromsų, Norway I attended my first ASSITEJ International Congress. I was a graduate student exploring theatre for young people and not at all sure that this was the direction I wanted to take my career. Attending that Congress changed the way I perceived TYA and cemented my desire to work in the field.
It is hard to over-state the impact the Congress made on my future. For the first time, my eyes were opened to the international scene. I saw what countries were doing to advocate for children's rights. I witnessed the Congress passing the Canadian-proposed Tromsų Declaration advocating "against any sort of exploitation, abuse and violence that can lead to physical, psychological and social harm that may impair the integral growth of the child." Seeing the power of so many people working together to further one cause was inspiring!
I met people from around the world who share a deep-seeded passion for what they do. I discussed at length, with Tisa Chifunyise from Zimbabwe, how theatre is used in her country to teach students about the harmful effect of AIDS. I also talked with Dhanya Jois and Kruti Varma from India. They use theatre to encourage individuals to take control of their lives, rather than letting life just happen. TYA became, for me, more than just entertainment. I came to recognize it as a powerful tool for changing lives.
At the Congress I also witnessed incredible theatre. I remember seeing Das Ungefaler, presented by the Swiss Theater en Gros et en Detail, a concept by Peter Rinderkuecht. It left an indelible impression on my mind as to what theatre for young people can be. That production was more than a retelling of a favorite children's fable. It was more than young actors reciting dialogue on stage. The play grappled with deep topics, such as how we judge one another. It moved people to take time to notice one another. It was thrilling to see the performances of actors and dancers at the top of their craft that had dedicated their professional lives to making great theatre for children.
Participating in an International Congress is about getting together on the world stage. It is about being a part of something bigger than any one person, any one theatre, or any one country. It is about more than 70 countries coming together to make, discuss, encourage and enjoy TYA. It is learning from, and sharing with, artists who are doing incredible work.
Attendance at my first congress in Norway, and then three years later in South Korea, gave me what Montreal promises to all of us. The emeritus professor, the master's degree candidate and the up-and-coming theatre professional will each find opportunities to make and strengthen global ties, to engage in international dialogue, and to experience unparalleled theatre.
Emily Petkewich emily@metrotheatercompany.org is the Education Director of Metro Theater Company in St. Louis, MO and attended the 2002 Congress:
In July of 2002, I did something I had never done in my thirty-odd years. I traveled to my first foreign country, and it was a big, scary one for this overseas novice-South Korea. While I was terrified of the 14-hour plane ride, certain I would get lost in the Korean countryside between the gigantic Inchon airport and my hotel, and probably wind up somewhere behind the DMZ, ASSITEJ/USA made an offer I couldn't refuse by awarding me an Observership to attend the World Congress and Festival in Seoul.
Looking back, it is hard to believe I hesitated about going. In the ten days of the World Congress and Festival I talked to people from dozens of countries, from every continent. Our South Korean hosts were gracious, organized and always helpful. I befriended a woman from Lithuania, my ancestral home, who invited me to look her up if I was ever in Vilnius. At the closing ceremony, I sat with people from France, Belgium, Japan and South Korea, and we danced together in the aisles towards the end of the evening. But the highlight was the opportunity to attend a workshop with the great Cecily O'Neill, who led a process drama on the theme of war with people from Japan, South Korea and several English-speaking countries. It was a powerful reminder how the primary language of theater, the body, can transcend the need for us to speak the same language.
Here, my friends, is why you should go to Montreal: through creating theater together, discussing and debating theater together or simply having a beer together (and there was much beer to be had, another incentive to go), it was easy to forget we currently live in a turbulent world where many of us are not supposed to like or trust each other.
Yes, you will see some wonderful theater. To be honest you will also see some terrible theater. But, the performances at the Festival are only part of the reason to go. The other reason is that for ten days you will be part of a unique community of people who care passionately about theater, children and the future of both. My Seoul experience was a microcosm of the world I'd like to live in, and I long to return to that community for a few short days in September of 2005. See you in Montreal. Mention this article and I'll buy you a beer!
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Special thanks to Jeffrey Livingston for the NEXT banner design and
to Al Arthur for putting the zine onto the web.