Play Young

What subject matter and narrative styles are especially suitable to theatre goers between the ages of six and twelve? What are the aesthetic and subject-related demands of children’s theatre today? Although theatres have shown increasing interest in their youngest audiences, and new theatres and special funding for writers of children’s plays have advanced children’s theatre in Germany, there are many unexplored opportunities to make theatre more child-friendly and accessible. The symposium Play Young examined the findings and experience gained in film, TV, the fine arts and children’s literature and put them to use for children’s theatre. In addition to leading figures in the artistic disciplines, the project’s organizers have invited experts from the fields of neurology and psychotherapy to join theatre artists in examining children’s perception and knowledge for the purpose of theatre practice.

By scheduling the event directly after the Theater der Welt festival in Mülheim/Essen in 2010, guests from Ghana, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, France, Great Britain and Sweden have been able to attend this international symposium.

Artistic directors: Nina Peters, Andrea Zagorski
Participants / artists: Peggy Mädler, Hans Werner Kroesinger, Richard Maxwell (USA), Suzanne Osten (SE) and others