An estimated 9,500 people watched theatre for young people from around the world in On the Edge—the 2016 World Festival of Theatre for Young Audiences which was held in Birmingham.
The event, hosted by the UK and Ireland for the first time, attracted more than 400 delegates from 51 countries. It featured 91 performances and 56 events including workshops, lectures and panel discussions.
Twenty-five companies from 14 countries, including the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Australia and South Korea staged 16 productions involving 160 artists. Thirteen theatre spaces across eight venues were used, with Birmingham REP as the main hub.
Highlights of the festival included Hetpaleis’s The Hamilton Complex, a performance by 13 teenage girls from Belgium that looked at moments in life when things begin to change, Travelling Light Theatre Company and Bristol Old Vic’s Boing! and Korean company Brush Theatre’s Brush, a visual show that brought paintings to life.
The World Festival of Theatre for Young Audiences is an annual event brought together by Assitej, a global association of professionals who make theatre for young people.
Steve Ball, executive producer of On the Edge and Birmingham REP’s associate director, said, “at a time when the decision to leave the European Union has created negative perceptions about the UK in the rest of the world, On the Edge proved to the 400 delegates and thousands of children and young people who experienced some amazing theatre for young audiences that the cultural sector in the UK remains firmly committed to diversity, inclusion, collaboration and internationalism.”
Yvette Hardie, president of Assitej, added, “Birmingham proved to be an excellent choice and pulled out all the stops.”