For a few years now, since 2017, I have been regularly present at the Paideia International Festival of Theatre for Children and Youth: A Window to Utopia, or simply, Paideia Festival, in São Paulo. But I dare say that rarely has the name given to the Festival made so much sense as in its 16th edition, which took place between September 21 and 26. On the verge of a historic presidential election in Brazil and after the Covid-19 pandemic that still haunts us and that not only isolated us but also made it impossible to fully hold the Paideia Festival and so many other on-the-ground arts festivals, this edition was marked by the power of being together in person, for a highly qualified exchange of ideas, impressions, feelings and emotions that overflowed in these six days. I write this account as a witness of this celebration, which thematic axis – “girls and women in the theater” – directly addresses issues that concern and involve me as an artist and researcher dedicated to investigating gender and sexuality in theater for children and youth.

I write from a privileged place, as someone who could – as an artist, researcher, representative of CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brazil and as a declared fan – fully experience the event. Paideia, the Núcleo Jovem de Vivência Teatral Paideia (an open arts education theatre program for young people led by Paideia) and a large group of friends, family and collaborators – impossible to name them individually – offered us a memorable experience that restores the very meaning of the celebration that is a core element in the word “festival”.

It would be impossible to detail each of the shows, each of the meetings or workshops, each meal, each toast, because that would require a reflection of much greater length than I could produce now. Making a brief report of the activities is one tough task, but faced with the challenge I let myself be guided by emotion and by the reverberations of what I experienced.

Before pointing out what for me stood out as key moments of this edition, it is worth naming the presences that confirm the relevance of the Paideia Festival in the national and international contexts: from ASSITEJ International, Bebê de Soares (Vice-President), Prof. Dr. Paulo Merisio (Executive Committee Advisor / PPGAC/UNIRIO) and Marisa Gimenez Cacho (former General Secretary); from the Network of Brazilian International Festivals of Arts for Children and Youth (FIBRA), Michele Menezes (Mostra Espetacular); Prof. Dr. Flavio Desgranges (UDESC and USP); representatives of the Regional Centers of CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brazil: Luciana Comin and Marconi Arap (TECA Teatro – Salvador/Bahia), Elis Ferreira (Teatro da Pedra – São João Del-Rei/Minas Gerais) and Paulo Merisio and Ricardo Augusto (Trupe de Truões – Uberlândia/Minas Gerais); representatives of supporting and partner institutions: State Secretariat of Culture and Creative Economy, Municipal Secretariat of Culture, Goethe Institut São Paulo, Consulates of the Netherlands and Switzerland, Mahle Institute and Sesc São Paulo.

In a program with 15 shows, 4 workshops, performances, process openings, lectures, open round tables, reflection tables and debates, with the presence of artists, researchers and managers from Holland, Switzerland, Portugal, Mexico and Argentina, besides 7 states in Brazil (São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul), the Festival was spread over 5 cultural spaces in the South side of São Paulo.

My first major highlight goes to the program on Friday, Oct. 23rd. The day began with the final meeting of a three-day workshop led by director Liesbeth Coltof and playwright Dennis Meyer, from Holland. Bringing together Festival participants and members of Paideia Theatre Companhia and the Núcleo Jovem, the workshop approached the representation of the girl and the woman in youth theatre, promoting a deep and rich reflection on ancestry, memory and intergenerationality, and also on the struggles, achievements and challenges of the feminine in society. Next, the Swiss Margrit Gysin, a long-time Paideia partner, brought the delicate “The Enchanted Goat”, a solo that overflows with affection and good humor, dealing with vulnerability and care for our planet. Soon after, with an inspired performance by Sandra Vargas, from Sobrevento Group, the Festival presented “Terra” (“Earth”), a scenic poem for early childhood, which evokes the memory, the affective ties and the love that constitute us. Conducted by theater critic Dib Carneiro Neto, a reflection table was also held on this day, with the participation of Amauri Falseti (Paideia), Luciana Comin (TECA Teatro/Bahia), Omar Alvarez (Argentina), Paulo Merisio, and Poliana Bicalho (Petiz Festival/Bahia). The theme – Regional Perspectives of Theater for Children and Youth – unfolded in reports and discussions about public policies for the sector and the desire that meetings like this one generate and strengthen permanent forums about the arts for children and youth. In the evening, the solo performance “Almarrotada“, with Melina Marchetti, conquered the audience by literally pouring onto the stage of Paideia stories and desires of women placed in the role of caregivers and opened windows on their conquest of protagonism. The day ended with a panel sensitively mediated by writer Gabriela Romeu, with the participation of Liesbeth Coltof, Marisa Gimenez Cacho, Melina Marchetti and Sandra Vargas, which brought other looks about the place(s) of the girl and the woman in theatre.

It is impossible not to highlight the program presented by Paideia itself – with the premiere of the show “The Girl from Uruçuca” (“A Menina de Uruçuca“) and the process opening of “Living Freedom” (“Para Viver a Liberdade“) – and by the Núcleo Jovem de Vivência Teatral Paideia – with the new staging of “If This Street Were…” (“Se Essa Rua Fosse…“). – vibrant examples of the creative and pedagogical power of this Santo Amaro based Theater School and Company. Finally, Saturday evening, Oct. 24th, featured the premiere of the new production of “A Boxer’s Heart” (“O Coração de um Boxeador“), kicking off the company’s 25th anniversary celebrations. Directed by Amauri Falseti and written by German playwright Lutz Hübner, the play thrilled the audience of the Paulo Eiró Theatre by reintroducing Hübner’s award-winning dramaturgy and paying homage to 83-year-old actor Flávio Porto, who played the boxer Leo for many years.

My last highlight goes to the show chosen to close this year’s artistic program, “Departures”, (“Partidas“), by Teatro da Pedra, from São João Del-Rei, Minas Gerais. Based on four real stories of divided lives, stitched together by songs from the Brazilian folk and country music songbook, the collective from Minas Gerais made a moving celebration of life. At the end, director Juliano Pereira’s speech reverberated in the packed audience: “Art will help us overcome barbarism.” A golden closing to the Paideia Festival!

Curated and directed by Aglaia Pusch and artistically directed by Amauri Falseti, artists, educators and managers for whom I have immense admiration and respect, the Paideia Festival brilliantly met the challenge proposed in its own name: it opened not one, but many windows to utopia. When our dreams are systematically sabotaged and neglected by those in power and by a reality that may seem insurmountable, Paideia reinstalls hope and the perspective of a better future. Even though the word “resistance” has become commonplace among theatre makers, with the Paideia Festival it is re-signified from so many perspectives that it is impossible not to be enchanted and want to engage in one way or another. To those who have not yet experienced this, one of the most important international art festivals for children and young people in Brazil, we invite you to the next edition.

As Aglaia Pusch states, “Our main motive is to have a great celebration of theatre where hope and the strength to continue are served as food for our continuity. This great fellowship inspires us to always seek better ways to create theatre for children and youth.”

I can testify that these goals have been achieved with remarkable success in 2022. May the current partners and supporters of the Festival be joined by many others, so that this successful trajectory may continue in full. Let the 17th edition come. The party continues and I have already confirmed my presence. Long live the Paideia Festival!

* Cleiton Echeveste is an actor, playwright, director and researcher with the Pandorga Theatre Company, pursuing a Master’s Degree in Performing Arts (PPGAC/UNIRIO); he is the president of the Board of CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brasil.

The post Gatherings of Communion, Hope and Resistance at the 16th Paideia Festival appeared first on ASSITEJ International.

The meetings were held virtually, on Zoom, broadcast live at CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brasil Facebook page, and brought together artists, educators, administrators and researchers from Mozambique and Brazil, as well as representatives from the ASSITEJ EC.

Although the desire was to hold face-to-face meetings, they were made impossible by economic constraints in the countries involved. Even so, several representatives of the two national centers and guests from partner networks and festivals participated in the meetings. Representatives from ASSITEJ Angola and artists and producers from the other Portuguese-speaking countries (Portugal, Cabo Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea and East Timor) were also invited and are expected to join the initiative soon.

The meeting on Oct. 19th set the agenda for the following day’s discussions, when, representing the ASSITEJ Executive Committee, Bebê de Soares (Vice President of ASSITEJ) and Paulo Merisio (Conselour of the Executive Committee), joined our Zoom session. In both meetings, were present representatives of ASSITEJ Mozambique: Yuck Miranda (Vice-President) and Rogério Manjate (Secretary); from CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brazil: Cleiton Echeveste (President), Aglaia Pusch (member of the Board of Directors/São Paulo Regional Center/Cia Paideia), Marconi Arap (Salvador Regional Center/TECA Teatro), Cristiane Muñoz (representative of IIAN in Brazil), Viviane Juguero (Porto Alegre Regional Center/Bando de Brincantes); and also from Brazil: Karen Acioly (representative of the Brazilian International Festivals of Art for Children Network and of the Festival Intercâmbio de Linguagens – International Language Exchange Festival) and Fábio Fortes (representative of the Niterói em Cena Festival).

Among the topics discussed at the two meetings:

– the distinct national contexts;

– geopolitical issues of the bloc, most of it part of the Global South;

– the objectives and challenges of the new Network, especially the creation and sustainability of national ASSITEJ centers;

– existing public policies in each country;

– the need to strengthen already existing exchange initiatives;

– the creation of corridors for the circulation of artistic works among our countries;

– the generation of concrete actions towards the Artistic Meeting in Serbia (2023) and the World Congress in Cuba (2024).

Meetings among representatives of ASSITEJ’s national centers in Portuguese Speaking Countries will soon be scheduled to forward the proposals raised during the 1st Othwela Festival. Also soon communication channels of the new Network will be created.

The post Portuguese Speaking Countries Network of ASSITEJ at the 1st Othwela Festival of Performance for Young Audiences appeared first on ASSITEJ International.

For a few years now, since 2017, I have been regularly present at the Paideia International Festival of Theatre for Children and Youth: A Window to Utopia, or simply, Paideia Festival, in São Paulo. But I dare say that rarely has the name given to the Festival made so much sense as in its 16th edition, which took place between September 21 and 26. On the verge of a historic presidential election in Brazil and after the Covid-19 pandemic that still haunts us and that not only isolated us but also made it impossible to fully hold the Paideia Festival and so many other on-the-ground arts festivals, this edition was marked by the power of being together in person, for a highly qualified exchange of ideas, impressions, feelings and emotions that overflowed in these six days. I write this account as a witness of this celebration, which thematic axis – “girls and women in the theater” – directly addresses issues that concern and involve me as an artist and researcher dedicated to investigating gender and sexuality in theater for children and youth.

I write from a privileged place, as someone who could – as an artist, researcher, representative of CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brazil and as a declared fan – fully experience the event. Paideia, the Núcleo Jovem de Vivência Teatral Paideia (an open arts education theatre program for young people led by Paideia) and a large group of friends, family and collaborators – impossible to name them individually – offered us a memorable experience that restores the very meaning of the celebration that is a core element in the word “festival”.

It would be impossible to detail each of the shows, each of the meetings or workshops, each meal, each toast, because that would require a reflection of much greater length than I could produce now. Making a brief report of the activities is one tough task, but faced with the challenge I let myself be guided by emotion and by the reverberations of what I experienced.

Before pointing out what for me stood out as key moments of this edition, it is worth naming the presences that confirm the relevance of the Paideia Festival in the national and international contexts: from ASSITEJ International, Bebê de Soares (Vice-President), Prof. Dr. Paulo Merisio (Executive Committee Advisor / PPGAC/UNIRIO) and Marisa Gimenez Cacho (former General Secretary); from the Network of Brazilian International Festivals of Arts for Children and Youth (FIBRA), Michele Menezes (Mostra Espetacular); Prof. Dr. Flavio Desgranges (UDESC and USP); representatives of the Regional Centers of CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brazil: Luciana Comin and Marconi Arap (TECA Teatro – Salvador/Bahia), Elis Ferreira (Teatro da Pedra – São João Del-Rei/Minas Gerais) and Paulo Merisio and Ricardo Augusto (Trupe de Truões – Uberlândia/Minas Gerais); representatives of supporting and partner institutions: State Secretariat of Culture and Creative Economy, Municipal Secretariat of Culture, Goethe Institut São Paulo, Consulates of the Netherlands and Switzerland, Mahle Institute and Sesc São Paulo.

In a program with 15 shows, 4 workshops, performances, process openings, lectures, open round tables, reflection tables and debates, with the presence of artists, researchers and managers from Holland, Switzerland, Portugal, Mexico and Argentina, besides 7 states in Brazil (São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul), the Festival was spread over 5 cultural spaces in the South side of São Paulo.

My first major highlight goes to the program on Friday, Oct. 23rd. The day began with the final meeting of a three-day workshop led by director Liesbeth Coltof and playwright Dennis Meyer, from Holland. Bringing together Festival participants and members of Paideia Theatre Companhia and the Núcleo Jovem, the workshop approached the representation of the girl and the woman in youth theatre, promoting a deep and rich reflection on ancestry, memory and intergenerationality, and also on the struggles, achievements and challenges of the feminine in society. Next, the Swiss Margrit Gysin, a long-time Paideia partner, brought the delicate “The Enchanted Goat”, a solo that overflows with affection and good humor, dealing with vulnerability and care for our planet. Soon after, with an inspired performance by Sandra Vargas, from Sobrevento Group, the Festival presented “Terra” (“Earth”), a scenic poem for early childhood, which evokes the memory, the affective ties and the love that constitute us. Conducted by theater critic Dib Carneiro Neto, a reflection table was also held on this day, with the participation of Amauri Falseti (Paideia), Luciana Comin (TECA Teatro/Bahia), Omar Alvarez (Argentina), Paulo Merisio, and Poliana Bicalho (Petiz Festival/Bahia). The theme – Regional Perspectives of Theater for Children and Youth – unfolded in reports and discussions about public policies for the sector and the desire that meetings like this one generate and strengthen permanent forums about the arts for children and youth. In the evening, the solo performance “Almarrotada“, with Melina Marchetti, conquered the audience by literally pouring onto the stage of Paideia stories and desires of women placed in the role of caregivers and opened windows on their conquest of protagonism. The day ended with a panel sensitively mediated by writer Gabriela Romeu, with the participation of Liesbeth Coltof, Marisa Gimenez Cacho, Melina Marchetti and Sandra Vargas, which brought other looks about the place(s) of the girl and the woman in theatre.

It is impossible not to highlight the program presented by Paideia itself – with the premiere of the show “The Girl from Uruçuca” (“A Menina de Uruçuca“) and the process opening of “Living Freedom” (“Para Viver a Liberdade“) – and by the Núcleo Jovem de Vivência Teatral Paideia – with the new staging of “If This Street Were…” (“Se Essa Rua Fosse…“). – vibrant examples of the creative and pedagogical power of this Santo Amaro based Theater School and Company. Finally, Saturday evening, Oct. 24th, featured the premiere of the new production of “A Boxer’s Heart” (“O Coração de um Boxeador“), kicking off the company’s 25th anniversary celebrations. Directed by Amauri Falseti and written by German playwright Lutz Hübner, the play thrilled the audience of the Paulo Eiró Theatre by reintroducing Hübner’s award-winning dramaturgy and paying homage to 83-year-old actor Flávio Porto, who played the boxer Leo for many years.

My last highlight goes to the show chosen to close this year’s artistic program, “Departures”, (“Partidas“), by Teatro da Pedra, from São João Del-Rei, Minas Gerais. Based on four real stories of divided lives, stitched together by songs from the Brazilian folk and country music songbook, the collective from Minas Gerais made a moving celebration of life. At the end, director Juliano Pereira’s speech reverberated in the packed audience: “Art will help us overcome barbarism.” A golden closing to the Paideia Festival!

Curated and directed by Aglaia Pusch and artistically directed by Amauri Falseti, artists, educators and managers for whom I have immense admiration and respect, the Paideia Festival brilliantly met the challenge proposed in its own name: it opened not one, but many windows to utopia. When our dreams are systematically sabotaged and neglected by those in power and by a reality that may seem insurmountable, Paideia reinstalls hope and the perspective of a better future. Even though the word “resistance” has become commonplace among theatre makers, with the Paideia Festival it is re-signified from so many perspectives that it is impossible not to be enchanted and want to engage in one way or another. To those who have not yet experienced this, one of the most important international art festivals for children and young people in Brazil, we invite you to the next edition.

As Aglaia Pusch states, “Our main motive is to have a great celebration of theatre where hope and the strength to continue are served as food for our continuity. This great fellowship inspires us to always seek better ways to create theatre for children and youth.”

I can testify that these goals have been achieved with remarkable success in 2022. May the current partners and supporters of the Festival be joined by many others, so that this successful trajectory may continue in full. Let the 17th edition come. The party continues and I have already confirmed my presence. Long live the Paideia Festival!

* Cleiton Echeveste is an actor, playwright, director and researcher with the Pandorga Theatre Company, pursuing a Master’s Degree in Performing Arts (PPGAC/UNIRIO); he is the president of the Board of CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brasil.

The post Gatherings of Communion, Hope and Resistance at the 16th Paideia Festival appeared first on ASSITEJ International.

The meetings were held virtually, on Zoom, broadcast live at CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brasil Facebook page, and brought together artists, educators, administrators and researchers from Mozambique and Brazil, as well as representatives from the ASSITEJ EC.

Although the desire was to hold face-to-face meetings, they were made impossible by economic constraints in the countries involved. Even so, several representatives of the two national centers and guests from partner networks and festivals participated in the meetings. Representatives from ASSITEJ Angola and artists and producers from the other Portuguese-speaking countries (Portugal, Cabo Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea and East Timor) were also invited and are expected to join the initiative soon.

The meeting on Oct. 19th set the agenda for the following day’s discussions, when, representing the ASSITEJ Executive Committee, Bebê de Soares (Vice President of ASSITEJ) and Paulo Merisio (Conselour of the Executive Committee), joined our Zoom session. In both meetings, were present representatives of ASSITEJ Mozambique: Yuck Miranda (Vice-President) and Rogério Manjate (Secretary); from CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brazil: Cleiton Echeveste (President), Aglaia Pusch (member of the Board of Directors/São Paulo Regional Center/Cia Paideia), Marconi Arap (Salvador Regional Center/TECA Teatro), Cristiane Muñoz (representative of IIAN in Brazil), Viviane Juguero (Porto Alegre Regional Center/Bando de Brincantes); and also from Brazil: Karen Acioly (representative of the Brazilian International Festivals of Art for Children Network and of the Festival Intercâmbio de Linguagens – International Language Exchange Festival) and Fábio Fortes (representative of the Niterói em Cena Festival).

Among the topics discussed at the two meetings:

– the distinct national contexts;

– geopolitical issues of the bloc, most of it part of the Global South;

– the objectives and challenges of the new Network, especially the creation and sustainability of national ASSITEJ centers;

– existing public policies in each country;

– the need to strengthen already existing exchange initiatives;

– the creation of corridors for the circulation of artistic works among our countries;

– the generation of concrete actions towards the Artistic Meeting in Serbia (2023) and the World Congress in Cuba (2024).

Meetings among representatives of ASSITEJ’s national centers in Portuguese Speaking Countries will soon be scheduled to forward the proposals raised during the 1st Othwela Festival. Also soon communication channels of the new Network will be created.

The post Portuguese Speaking Countries Network of ASSITEJ at the 1st Othwela Festival of Performance for Young Audiences appeared first on ASSITEJ International.

Details about the schedule and links to access the artistic pieces are available in this Google Drive folder.

In Brazil, the form of contribution, of spontaneous value, and which will give full access to the virtual programming, for 48 hours, is via bank transfer. The Pix key for the online bank transfer is 09121995. The president of CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brasil, Cleiton Echeveste de Oliveira, is in charge of this account.

For information about contributions from other countries, please contact us by email below.

CONTACT
Cleiton Echeveste / Eduardo Almeida
Centro Brasileiro de Teatro para a Infância e Juventude (CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brasil)
cbtij@cbtij.org.br / @cbtij_assitej_brasil / + 55 21 993940679

The post Theatre embraces Haiti – A humanitarian aid project appeared first on ASSITEJ International.

Postponed due to the pandemic, ASSITEJ Regional Workshops 2021 finally take place in an online version, from September 6 to 11. Organized in a partnership with ASSITEJ Cuba and ATINA – ASSITEJ Argentina, around 60 people are directly involved in two workshops: Theatre for Early Years (led by Adrián Hernández Arredondo and José Agüero, from Teatro Al Vacío – Argentina/Mexico) and Playwriting for Young Audiences (led by Omphile Molusi – South Africa).

The workshops gather artists from 9 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela.

CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brasil and the Ibero American Network embrace Haiti

After receiving ASSITEJ Haiti’s plea for humanitarian aid, along with ASSITEJ Cuba, CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brasil and other centres from Ibero America have joined to support Haitian families and their children.

An online TYA showcase was promptly organized, counting on the voluntary work of companies in the region. By Aug. 20, over 30 companies were committed to the fundraising initiative. Audience members were asked to make a voluntary contribution via bank transfer. The activities started on Aug. 22 and were planned to go on in the following weekend.

Art as Science: Theatre and Black Culture in Basic Education

ON August 3rd, the project Art as Science interviewed artist, teacher and researcher Dedy Ricardo. Dedy is based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State, where she is a Doctoral Student in Education at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). The researcher talked about her pedagogical experience leading the Black Drama and Culture Workshop, developed at two schools in peripheral regions of the city of São Leopoldo (nearby Porto Alegre), between 2017 and 2019. From this work, emerged her wish to investigate the possibility of the construction of a pedagogical theater proposition guided by afro-brazilian civilization values, by the principles of decoloniality in accordance with the 10639/03 National Bill and with the National Curricular Directives for the Ethnical and Racial Education.

Art as Science appeared in 2020, during the pandemic of COVID-19, in order to discuss the social role of art, through dialogues between professionals who carry out their work in the articulation of artistic creation with reflections on how the specificity of artistic making dialogues with different social structures. The pedagogical idealization was created by Viviane Juguero, based on theories and practices developed by herself through her artistic and academic work. The idealization and technical coordination of the project is led by the producer, artist and academic researcher Daniela Israel. Beyond that, artist and researcher Cleiton Echeveste coordinates the solidary translation crew, due  to the international feature of the project, besides representing CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brasil, a relevant partner of the project.

The best moments of Dedy Ricardo’s interview is available (with English subtitles) here.

The post News from CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brasil appeared first on ASSITEJ International.

As other national and international theatre festivals in Brazil, the traditional FENATIB has also moved to the online platforms. A dear festival of all theatre practitioners in Brazil, FENATIB is also one of the longest-living festival in the country. The Santa Catarina State city of Blumenau is the host of online shows, local live performances, workshops and seminars, which ran from August 19-27. 

The Festival is produced by the Blumenau Integrated Arts Institute, led by director and pedagogue Maria Teresinha Heimann, and the municipaly of Blumenau.

The online shows are available until Sept. 10. That’s a good chance for people everywhere to catch a glimpse of the Brazilian TYA production. Visit the official Youtube channel of Blumenau National TYA Festival here.

The post 23rd Blumenau National TYA Festival – FENATIB appeared first on ASSITEJ International.

The Executive Committee considers that Paulo Merisio will bring a strong connection to Latin America which will be important for its work generally and especially in the process towards the World Congress in 2024. In addition to this Paulo’s relation to ITYARN (The International Theatre for Young Audiences Research Network) and his long-standing connection to and knowledge about ASSITEJ will be very beneficial for the work of the EC.

Paulo Merisio is Profesor (UNIRIO; CNPq), director and researcher in TYA. He Holds a PhD in Theatre, with a post-doctoral research at Université de Paris Ouest/Nanterre in 2014. Since 2002 he has also been the director of the group Trupe de Truões – Uberlândia/Brazil.

Paulo is board member of CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brasil and ITYARN.

The post Paulo Merisio counsellor of ASSITEJ appeared first on ASSITEJ International.

The Seminar: Maria Clara Machado – 100 years took place between April 21 and May 19, 2021. It celebrated the centenary of the most important Brazilian author dedicated to Theater for Young Audiences. The online event was promoted by the Department of Theater Teaching at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO) in partnership with the Culture Coordination of PROEXC / UNIRIO and coordinated by Prof. Dr. Miguel Vellinho, TYA specialist and member of the Board of CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brasil. For five weeks, the round tables brought together artists, teachers and researchers who somehow had Maria Clara Machado as a reference in their professional trajectories. Including the multiple facets of the author, the first round table, focusing on her authorial production, brought Prof. PhD. Inês Cardoso (UNIRIO) and Cacá Mourthé, director and current coordinator of O Tablado Theatre. The second round table brought the actress and director Sura Berditchevsky and the actress Guida Vianna, to reveal the procedures of the teacher Maria Clara. The event followed with another round table that focused on the aspects of the director, and for that the actress Louise Cardoso and Prof. PhD. Ricardo Kosovski (UNIRIO) were invited to reveal aspects of Maria Clara’s artistic choices on the stage. The fourth round table dealt with the visuality in Maria Clara’s work with the presence of Prof. PhD. Lídia Kosovski (UNIRIO) and teacher and light designer Jorge de Carvalho. The seminar ended on May 19 with Professors PhD. Marina Vianna (UNIRIO) and Flora Süssekind who presented a synthesis of the author’s work at a round table entitled Joining the threads: Clara’s multiple trajectory.

CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brasil was a partner of the Seminar.

Maria Clara Machado (1921-2001) wrote more than 30 pieces dedicated to children, many of them translated into different languages. She founded O Tablado Theatrein the 1950s, one of the most important theatre schools in Brazil, and which is presently active.

The round tables remain available online on the YouTube channel of Cultura ProExC / UNIRIO: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrtZsgaCVAWCsD8PGK0PaIw.

Brazilian IIAN Champion

PhD researcher, actress, clown and disability activist Cristiane Muñoz was recently appointed as the Brazilian representative at the International Inclusive Arts Network Champions project. An autistic person herself, level one of support, Cristiane is presently pursuing her Doctoral degree at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Unirio), with the research project “Play and acting in clowning with autistic children and adolescents – a training proposal in the context of Art in Mental Health”.

CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brasil new Advisory Board

On April 17, the regional representatives of CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brasil were appointed members of the brand new Advisory Board. This new Board is meant to support the actions and projects of our members, as well as to make itself the proposition of new projects to the Board of Directors, aimed towards the advance of the TYA sector in Brazil.

The Advisory Board if composed by: Aglaia Pusch (São Paulo), Airton de Oliveira (Porto Alegre), Altair de Sousa Júnior (Goiânia), Blas Torres (Curitiba), Brenda Campos (Belo Horizonte), Cirila Targhetta (Brasília), Elis Ferreira (São João del Rei), Marconi Arap (Salvador) and Ricardo Augusto (Uberlândia).

The post News from CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brasil appeared first on ASSITEJ International.

On March 1st, CBTIJ held a meeting of the General Assembly. A recent revision of the Association’s contitution was discussed and voted. The center’s participation at the 20th World Congress was also discussed. Besides the three delegates (Aglaia Pusch, Cleiton Echeveste and Paulo Merisio), other members may participate in the meetings of the General Assembly, as well as in some activities of the professional and the artistic programmes. Paulo Merisio’s candidacy to the new Executive Committee (2021-2024) was confirmed. In a virtual election, the 2019/2020 board was reelected for the new term (2021-2022): Cleiton Echeveste (President), Eduardo Almeida (Secretary) and Leonardo Carnevale (Treasurer). 

2. Partner project: Art as Science

In January and February, our partner project Art as Science, produced by Bactéria Filmes (from Porto Alegre/RS), held two special activities focused on Theater for Children and Youth. Art as Science has the pedagogical coordination of PhD. Viviane Juguero and broadcasts monthly live interviews on YouTube with artist-researchers.

On January 19, the special Art for Children and Youth featured six guests from six different countries: Clarissa Malheiros (Mexico), Idris Goodwin (USA), Imran Khan (India), Jerry Adesewo (Nigeria), María Inés Falconi (Argentina) and Yuck Miranda (Mozambique). Based on their artistic activities, each of them discussed the specificities of art for children in their contexts. Adding up to the international team, Viviane Juguero, who is temporarily based in Norway, doing her postdoctoral research in Theater for Early Ages, at the University of Stavanger. In Brazil were the technical coordinator Daniela Israel and the translation and childhood affairs coordinator Cleiton Echeveste. 

On February 2, Cuban researcher Luvel García Leyva presented his post doctoral research at São Paulo University (USP), on “Contemporary theatrical practices and children’s subjective universes in Latin America”, based on the artistic processes of four groups (Companhia Paidéia de Teatro, from Brazil; Vichama Teatro, from Peru; Corporación Cultural Nuestra Gente, from Colombia and Teatro Trono, from Bolivia).

Both events are available at Art as Science YouTube channel (with English substitles in their best moments versions): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaedWa7wLM5sAVw3WTFxoQQ

3. Partner festival: Niterói em Cena International Festival

From February 18 through 24, the 13th edition of Niterói em Cena Theater Festival was held 100% virtually. With the support of CBTIJ/ASSITEJ, the Festival has become an international event since 2019. Featuring TYA shows from Belgium, Germany, Italy, Mozambique, Nigeria and Spain, and a selection of national shows, this edition also brought workshops and discussion meetings. On February 22, a discussion on the “Internationalization of Performing Arts” was mediated by Cleiton Echeveste, with the participation of Bebê de Soares (Germany), Emidio Sanderson (Fortaleza/Brasil), Lina della Rocca (Italy), Rodolfo García-Vazquez (São Paulo/Brasil), Yannick Boudeau (Belgium), Yuck Miranda (Mozambique), and Fabio Fortes (the Festival’s general director). The Festival’s website is https://www.niteroiemcena.com.br/.

4. In Memoriam – Humberto Braga

On February 4, Brazilian theater lost one of its greatest defenders, a true theater man. Whether in the field of creation, production or management, Humberto Braga was present, with competence, ethics and immense love for art, in the Brazilian cultural scene since the 1960s. He played a fundamental role in institutions, such as the National Circus School, INACEN, FUNARTE, the  Ministry of Culture, and actions for the dissemination of Performing Arts, such as the Pixinguinha and Mambembão projects, in addition to participating in the struggle for the regulation of the profession of Artist, which resulted in Law 6533, of 1978. He was a first-time partner of CBTIJ, to whom he has always remained close, as a friend and collaborator, having been a judge of the CBTIJ Theater for Children Award. He, as a defender of democracy and civil and cultural rights, will be sorely missed.

The post News from CBTIJ/ASSITEJ Brazil appeared first on ASSITEJ International.