ASSITEJ South Africa has partnered with the Northern Cape Arts and Culture Council (NCACC) to host the ASSITEJ SA Theatre4Youth Forum in Kimberley.Artists and teachers are invited to attend the forum to create an active dialogue between artists, teachers, provincial government, potential funders and other supporting bodies in order to engage with how theatre and the arts can serve and support the education system, and what role ASSITEJ South Africa can play in this.

ASSITEJ South Africa, the South African chapter of the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People, has partnered with the Northern Cape Arts and Culture Council (NCACC) to host the networking and information sharing event.

Phillip Speek of the CEO of the NCACC said: “The NCACC is of the view that the ASSITEJ forum presents a platform for a long standing dialogue that stimulates audience development for the theatre industry at an early stage of child development.

“As it stands currently, the involvement of young people in theatre here in Kimberley has been minimal and unnoticeable, precipitated possibly by a lack of performance venues and dwindling developmental funding and investment towards production of theatre for young people.”

As part of ASSITEJ South Africa’s partnership with the National Arts Council, this forum forms part of a nation-wide tour of all nine provinces, which began last year. Theatre4Youth is an ASSITEJ SA initiative designed to address some of these concerns by making theatre accessible to the education sector and by making the education sector easily accessible to the theatre industry.

This discussion will unpack the role ASSITEJ SA plays in bridging the gaps between theatre and education and how this can be properly developed in the Northern Cape. The day will explore possible provincial initiatives and partnerships, the Northern Cape Schools Festival, youth ambassadors and developing work related to different genres and age groups.

A highlight will be to inform artists from the Northern Cape about opportunities relating to the ASSITEJ 2017 World Congress and Performing Arts Festival which will be held for the first time on African soil, in Cape Town. Applications for the festival close in April 2016 and details can be found on http://www.assitej2017.org.za.

The ASSITEJ SA Theatre4Youth Forum: Kimberley takes place  on Thursday, August 13 from 9 am to 5 pm at Mayibuye Multipurpose Centre. RSVP to Ongezwa Mbele at theatre4youthwc@assitej.org.za or call 021 822 0070/1/2.