The ASSITEJ Artistic Gathering will be held in conjunction with the BIBU Festival in Helsingborg, Sweden More information here

Full program is uphttps://assitejonline.org/

March 25, 0:00 GMT
Writing for the New Generations,
coordinated by Maria Ines Falconi, a conversation with playwrightsLutz Hübner (Gernamy), Finegan Kruckemeyer (Australia) Lalu Mokuku (South Africa) and others
https://assitejonline.org/show/writing-for-new-generations/

March 25, 8:00 GMT
A collaboration with IIAN and WLPG - celebrating writing by, for, and about persons with disability
https://assitejonline.org/show/playwright-slam-1-slam-with-plays-by-for-and-about-persons-with-disability/

March 25, 11:00 GMT Multi-language playwrights slam, participants TBD

March 25, 11:00 GMT International Collaborations: The Translation Project.
Conversation and workshop about Cultural and Literal Translation of Inex is Perf(ect) with Maltese Playwright Simone Spiteri, French Playwright/Translator/Director Karin Serres, and US Artistic Director/Producer Deirdre Kelly Lavrakas
https://assitejonline.org/show/international-collaborations-the-translation-project/

March 25, 14:00 GMT Spanish and Portugues Language Playwright slam
https://assitejonline.org/show/playwright-slam-3-spanish-portuguese-language-slam/

March 25, 17:00 GMT Finding Creative Paths - A Participatory Workshop on Writing a Play Worlds Apart
South African Playwright Lalu Mokuku and UK Playwright Ginni Manning and their play Dipalo
https://assitejonline.org/show/finding-creative-paths-through-dipalo-a-participatory-workshop-on-writing-a-play-worlds-apart/

March 31, 2021 14:00 GMT Awards Ceremony
including WLPG presentation of ASSITEJ Inspirational Playwrights

Young People’s Theatre (YPT) is pleased to announce Beyond Borders – A New Play Creation Initiative for Young Audiences. With Beyond Borders, YPT harnesses the virtual environment to break through barriers of distance, culture, artistic practice and resources. No longer bound by “place”, Beyond Borders will forge new relationships with playwrights from across Canada and around the world to cultivate new works for young audiences at YPT.

YPT regularly engages in a two-phase play development process called Exploration and Commission. Exploration provides support for the artist to investigate their new concept while also providing the theatre with a deeper understanding of the intentions behind the work. If there is excitement from both the artist and YPT at the end of the Exploration phase, the work proceeds to Commission, a phase during which both artist and theatre commit to a process that will see the eventual production of the play.

Beyond Borders will provide financial and artistic support to three playwrights/theatre creators to explore a new idea for a work for young audiences. This exploration will take place in 2021.

With Beyond Borders, YPT will strive to:

• Promote the creation of new plays for young audiences that overcome barriers of distance, cultural difference, artistic practice and lack of resources;

• Forge collaborations with artists new to the company; and

• Support the expansion of cultural diversity and gender equity within the sector.

YPT invites expressions of interest for Beyond Borders from across Canada and around the globe. The development process and schedule for each project will be tailored to its individual needs. The deadline to send in materials is November 9, 2020. Please include the following items:

• A cover letter,

• A proposal containing your idea/story for a new play and what you would like to do to explore it (max. one page),

• A writing sample (max. 10 pages), and

• A resume or list of related experience.

All materials should be sent in a single PDF file to scolella@youngpeoplestheatre.org

For further inquiries, please contact Stephen Colella, Associate Artistic Director and Dramaturg at Young People’s Theatre: scolella@youngpeoplestheatre.org.

The ASSITEJ Artistic Gathering (AAG) is the international movement’s largest and most important gathering of artists, scholars, presenters and buyers of performing arts for young audiences. It takes place every year between the triennial ASSITEJ Word Congress and is hosted in different parts of the world. In 2019, the gathering will take place in Kristiansand, hosted by ASSITEJ Norway.FESTIVAL WEBSITE

Dipalo by Lalu Mokuku & Ginni Manning

Dipalo is a new play for teens! It won the 2019 ASSITEJ African Play Writing competition for young audiences . Dipalo tells a story about a young girl, Dipuo who has always respected her aunt Mavis, a reputable human rights lawyer. Now an investigation by Mavis leads her to Theko, the protégé of a powerful and dangerous Pastor Sam. Consumed by his own power and wealth, Sam will do anything to protect his control of his world.

The play is for young adults 14 years and above, it deals with the controversial issue of corruption and of religious leaders through the eyes of two young friends as their relationship grows. The two lovers of numbers use social media to communicate and share ideas, and later challenge Sam.

Find more about Dipalo here: https://vimeo.com/343858841

he Cradle of Creativity (16 - 27 May 2017) comprised a Festival, a Conference and a World Congress, all dedicated to theatre for young audiences. The multi-layered event was hosted by ASSITEJ South Africa, and took place in Cape Town at multiple venues. This was the 19th ASSITEJ World Congress and International Theatre Festival in the 52 year history of ASSITEJ International and the very first on the African continent.

Due to the success of the original event, ASSITEJ SA has launched Cradle of Creativity as a new international TYA festival and conference to take place for the first time in August 2019 in Cape Town. Thereafter it will rotate every two years to a different part of South Africa. Information here

Sponsored and adjudicated by Write Local Play Global

Highlighting the importance of playwriting in all its manifestations around the world, ASSITEJ will again honor three persons as “ASSITEJ Inspirational Playwrights” at the World Congress in Tokyo in May 2020. 

The first group of inspirational playwrights, Kevin Dyer of the UK, Suzanne Lebeau of Canada, and Rene Fernandez Santana of Cuba, were named at the World Congress in Cape Town in 2017.

This will be administered and adjudicated by the Write Local Play Global network in coordination with the ASSITEJ Executive Committee.

The essence of our work is telling stories on our stages, and this award is created to honor particular writers who have inspired theatre for young audiences in their city, their country, their region, or all over the world.

How they have been inspirational could be very particular and individual, including:

• Writing a play or plays innovative in content and/or form that help transform TYA in their country

• Serving as a mentor and role model to other writers

• Writing politically or socially aware work that challenges entrenched tradition or power in their country or region

• Through their writing, encouraging audiences to see other people, the world and its events in a more profound and human way.

It will be the individual nominator who will ‘tell the story’ of how the playwright they nominate has been inspirational.

Honoring three inspirational playwrights at each Congress allows ASSITEJ to celebrate its broad membership of different genders, ages, backgrounds, cultures, regions and languages. ASSITEJ members come from small and large countries, work for and with different ages of young audiences, and create theatre by a multitude of varied processes. The ASSITEJ Inspirational Playwrights will reflect not only the diversity in form and subject matter of playwriting around the world, but also its global membership of talented playwrights and theater makers.

In addition to the ceremony/reception at which the inspirational playwrights are named, the organizers of the Congress will be invited to work with the EC, WLPG and the selected playwrights to showcase their work in a creative manner, such as performances, translations, readings, etc.

Application information and further details HERE