The 21st ASSITEJ World Congress & Performing Arts Festival for Children & Young People
Entitled Voices of a New World, the event will take place in Havana, Cuba from 24th May to 1st June 2024
1000+ Artists from 70+ Countries • 65 Workshops, Talks & Discussions • 25 Performances from 5 Continents
A reminder for ourselves of the way we can be together:
ASSITEJ International, as a community, must be able to offer a safe space for artists without discrimination, as we say in our constitution. In our World Congress we offer a space for all who come in the name of peace and connection, and who are working to create and share theatre and performance for a young audience.
This safe space must be named, and emphasised, in our behaviour to each other and as visitors in another country. We claim this safe space as a positive action towards human empathy and connection – valuing what is similar between us. We must be able to positively act towards unity, despite the world. In this lies our hope and the hope of the children and young people we serve.
WELCOME – CUBA IS WAITING FOR YOU!
30 years since it last hosted the ASSITEJ World Congress & Performing Arts Festival for Children & Young People, Cuba is once again the chosen venue for this theatrical festival!
The children and young people of the world are increasingly demanding more spaces for poetic enunciation where they can make the art they practice a tool for real transformation. It is up to us to hear the emerging voices and give them the space they need. We must think of our geographies, physical and theatrical, as full of love and hope. With our arms extending across the Caribbean Sea, we await the arrival of companies and artists from different parts of the world. Languages will not be a barrier, and neither will accents; only our unity and the desire to be better in ourselves and for the planet that gives us a home.
We need new voices for a new world; let us make them heard!
WHY ATTEND?
Registered participants for the World Congress have access to:
25 Productions Included In The Festival Selection;
65 Professional Exchange Programme Sessions;
Artistic Encounters To Network & Collaborate With ASSITEJ Members From Around The World;
An Academic Conference Convened By The International Theatre for Young Audiences Research Network (ITYARN);
The General Assembly Of The Global Association;
Ibero-American Programmes Organised By Iberescena & ASSITEJ Ibero American Network;
Events Presented In Collaboration With Festival Tránsitos by Danza Teatro Retazos and Memory Wax;
A Puppetry Programme Curated By El Arca Teatro Museo de Títeres & UNIMA Cuba;
An Advocacy-Focused Practical Research Symposium;
Invitations to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
…and many other benefits!
PROGRAMME
PRODUCTIONS AND PERFORMANCES
From regional, national, and international selections, our curatorial teams have chosen 25 productions from The Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania for Voices of A New World. Audiences will be delighted, engaged, and transformed by the innovative TYA performances on display.
Networking
NEXT GENERATION RESIDENCY
& REGIONAL WORKSHOP
As part of the Congress, the ASSITEJ Next Generation Programme in Cuba opens its doors to 15 young and emerging artists and creators from around the world interested in working with children and young audiences, this time under the theme of “Community and Identity”. The Congress will also be the venue of The Babel Regional Workshop which will provide a powerful networking opportunity for artists from Ibero-America and the Caribbean. Focusing on dramaturgy and scene design, this will take place over four days.
PROFESSIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMME
The days of the Congress will be full of debates, questions, and impulses that motivate friendship and artistic exchange in Spanish and English. The Professional Exchange Programme of the 21st ASSITEJ World Congress is a diverse platform for exchange related to performing arts for and with young audiences.
The selection committee has chosen over 60 workshops, seminars, lectures, roundtables, networking sessions, exhibitions, and more! There will be focus days on Participation, Inclusivity, LGBTQIA+, Sustainability, Community, Women in TYA, Networking, Research in TYA, Early Years, Playwriting, Arts Education, and Dance.
POST CONGRESS ACTIVITIES
The organisers of the Congress are working on creating activities that promote exchange between Cuban and international artists in the week following the congress (2-9 June). This will take the form of visits to provinces in other parts of Cuba in order to meet and exchange with local artists. This offers the chance to make the most out of a long trip that many international visitors will have and also allows for the power of international exchange to be felt outside of the capital.
More information and booking options will follow.
… and many other programmes that will soon be published.
WHAT IS AN ASSITEJ WORLD CONGRESS & PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL?
The ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival for Children & Young People celebrates the global nature of the Association by giving a snapshot of theatre and performance for young audiences as it exists at this point in history across the world. It celebrates the context and artistry of a particular country as its Host and welcomes international delegates and performances to share and exchange. The Festival represents theatre from all continents and a wide variety of countries. It is one of the largest and most eclectic gatherings of members from all continents and, as such, opens doors to future cooperation between artists from different countries.
The Congress is the key event in our ASSITEJ history and calendar, occurring every three years. It is where members from six continents gather in the General Assembly. The Festival and Congress programme comprises productions from all over the world and the region, as well as an in-depth programme of seminars, workshops, presentations, roundtables, and exchange of expertise and experience among the delegates.
GOALS OF THE WORLD CONGRESS
ADVOCATE for placing theatre and performing arts for children and young people higher on the agenda of decision-makers;
FOSTER new synergies between education and culture;
SUPPORT a new generation of TYA professionals and artists, as well as strengthening intergenerational trust and cooperation;
HEAR the diverse voices of young people and include them in decision-making processes;
EXCHANGE and share professional artistic experiences to develop TYA in the world, and particularly in the Ibero-American region;
SPOTLIGHT the artists and productions of Latin America and the Caribbean.
MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE SUPPORT OF OUR PARTNERS AND FUNDERS:
