"This festival will plant artistic seeds between China and Denmark for better understanding and further collaboration. Danish artists can also be inspired by their cultural experiences in China to develop new artworks."
As Andersen did in his day, these modern children's theater ensembles consider children as human beings - beings that need and deserve to be taken seriously. Performances are intended to be fun, entertaining and artistic.
In China, however, many children's theater productions lack diversity in their repertoire and presentation. They often use the traditional "storyteller" technique, which provides limited room for children to use their imagination. Many also are short of funds and fresh talents.
To help ease these problems and share experience with local artists and producers, artistic directors from ASSITEJ Denmark (the Danish center of the international organization of theater for children and young people) and the Danish Arts Agency will give a seminar on Danish Children's Theater.
It will look at the choices of formats and artistic expressions in relation to age groups and situations. It will discuss the funding system in which models of co-funding on national and local level have been developed to encourage a sustainable and healthy market for children's theater.
After Shanghai, the theater festival will travel to Hefei in Anhui Province and Xi'an in Shaanxi Province.
According to Danish performing artists, today more than 100 professional children's theater companies are constantly touring and performing in Denmark, a small country of only 5.5 million people. Around 2,000 performances are staged annually.
"During the last five years, more than 1,300 Danish shows have been presented in more than 40 countries and regions," says Peter Manscher, an official with ASSITEJ Denmark. "We hope we can exchange ideas and experiences in acting methods and share views and conditions for financial support of culture for children."
Performance, workshop and seminar
Date: May 28, 9:30am-5:30pm
Venue: Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, 288 Anfu Rd
Tel: 021-64748600
Group ticket reservations for performances are available by calling Miss Guo through 135-0175-9490.
Touring performances to local kindergarten
Date: May 29, daytime
Tel: 135-0175-9490
