It’s been a robust spring at ASSITEJ Canada full of conversations (Big Bang, ASSITEJ World Congress) and of dreaming up what next season might look like. The spring and early summer are a hopeful time, full of children’s festivals, which in their digital form have opportunity for all of us to see colleagues’ work from Coast to Coast, which is a nice silver lining tucked into a complex time. We encourage all of our members to reach out to tell us about any digital offerings you have so we can continue promoting them.
We have been working throughout this year to plan “All Together Now”, a conference on Equity, Diversity, Anti-Racism and Inclusion (EDI) in Canadian Theatre for Young Audiences. We had originally planned to hold the conference this spring. However, we have made the decision through our work with our EDI consultant Charles C. Smith of CPAMO (Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario) to spend more time developing meaningful relationships and having additional consultation with IBPOC artists and community members before proceeding with the conference. These consultations will be taking place over May and June and we hope will lead to a conference that more effectively addresses EDI issues in our community. We intend to have more news about future planning later this summer.
-The ASSITEJ Canada Board of Directors
Farewell to Dave!
Communications Chair Dave Deveau has had to step away from the ASSITEJ Canada board. There will likely be a short hiatus in our newsletter as his replacement is found. We thank Dave for his dedicated efforts this past year.
Calling All Member Companies!
Please submit production photos along with full photo credits, as well as company logos to be included on the new ASSITEJ Canada website. Photos should be in landscape format in high resolution (1920x1080). Please send to assitejcanada@gmail.com
The 20th ASSITEJ International Congress and International Festival of the Arts for Children and Youth Mirai 2020 finally took place in Japan from March 22 to April 1 after being postponed for a year due to the pandemic. The event took place both in person and virtually. The attendance statistics are impressive: at the end of the 11-day event, 1169 people had registered on the congress platform, of them 906 representatives (including 21 Canadians) from 76 countries registered for the event. The participants could choose from 190 activities including 31 shows, with public and online, and 151 professional exchanges. The general assembly took place in 5 virtual sessions; 200 delegates, including 164 voting members from 58 countries, attended in addition to hundreds of live streaming participants from all over the world. Stephen Colella, Yves Simard and myself officially represented ASSITEJ Canada during the AGM.
The general assembly is the moment for the members, every four years, to manage the numerous files and challenges of the organization, to make the decisions concerning the artistic meetings, the location of the next congress, to elect the executive committee and to award prizes.
The next artistic meetings will take place in Helsinborg in Sweden (2022), in Belgrade in Serbia (2023) and in France in 2025; the next world congress will take place in Cuba in 2024. The ASSITEJ Inspirational Playwrights Award has been awarded to Maria Ines Falconi (Argentina), Omphile Molusi (South Africa) and Suzan Zeder (United States). The first Geesche Wartemann Emerging Scholars Award went to Dr. Claire Mason (USA). The ASSITEJ Award for Artistic Excellence was presented to Ellie Griffiths (International Inclusive Arts Network / United Kingdom) and Dalija Acin Thelander (Serbia and Sweden). The ASSITEJ Applause for Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Emelie Fitzgibbon (Ireland), Berta Hiriart (Mexico) and János Novák (Hungary).
Here is the composition of the new elected executive committee: Sue Giles - President (Australia), Louis Valente - Secretary general (Denmark), Bebê de Soares - Vice-president (Chile), Seok-hong Kim - Vice-president (Korea), Pamela Udoka - Vice-president (Nigeria), Ernie Nolan - Treasurer (United States), Tatiana Bobrova (Russia), Selloane Lalu Mokuku (South Africa), Yannick Boudeau (Belgium), Cristina Cazzola (Italy), Jon Dafydd-Kidd (United Kingdom), Minoovash Rahimian (Iran), Emilie Robert (France), Shoaib Iqbal (Pakistan), Julia Dina Hesse (Germany). A beautiful representation of the world and of different generations.
Attending the congress, even virtually, was both impressive and touching. Exchanging with colleagues from all over the world was extremely enriching. The organization was complex and impeccable. I have a troubling memory of an open discussion (among 24 debated topics) about the impact of the pandemic on artists and their mental health. Outgoing President Yvette Hardy is an exceptional woman and has done a great job during her presidency.
Mark your calendars for the next World Congress in Cuba in May-June 2014!
Pierre Tremblay
General manager of Théâtres Unis Enfance Jeunesse (TUEJ) et member of the Board of ASSITEJ Canada.
Member Spotlight
St Albert Children's Festival:
40 DAYS OF PLAY
Join us for daily activities from April 28 to June 6, 2021
Activities will promote safe, independent, fun and creative play. Activities will be a blend of mostly at home, visual art, creative challenges and exploration through the safe use of public trails and parks. Our 40 Days of PLAY will have a grand finale with three days of virtual, interactive and international, entertainment programming from June 4 - 6.
People can check out what we are offering via our website: childfest.com
The WeeFestival Announces its 2021 Online Edition May 17 -24, 2021
Children across Toronto and beyond will experience a sparkling stream of theatre, music, dance, puppetry, and performance from around the world in a programme that promises to inspire and stimulate young imaginations. In between playtime and outdoor fun, the WeeFestival offers children and their families a daily dose of nourishing arts and culture! Click here for full programming details!
Reimagined fun at the 2021 Vancouver International Children’s Festival with an extraordinary online line-up of world-class theatre, music, dance and storytelling created specifically for children. The reimagined 2021 Festival will offer a mix of Live Online and Pre-recorded Online performances with an extra 7 days of extended show viewing. Watch a show online from the comfort of home from May 31 to June 13, 2021 with Pay-What-You-Can pricing. Both Public tickets and School tickets are on sale NOW. View the 2021 lineup.
The Ottawa Children’s Festival de la jeunesse has missed you! We can’t wait until the day we can welcome you to our Festival again! Your safety, however, is of the utmost importance to us so, for June 2021, we will have to meet virtually. OCF has chosen three productions from national and internationally renowned artists for your family to view and enjoy from the comfort of your home. Take a look at what we have to offer and be prepared to have fun!
June 5-8, 2021 online!
100% virtual
100% free