Press Release

The 13th Showcase for the World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People

The Arts and Theatre Institute, Czech centre of ASSITEJ, Sdružení Divadlo pro děti a mládež (Association for Theatre for Children and Young People) and Sdružení pro tvořivou dramatiku (Association for Creative Drama) are the main organizers of the 13th Showcase for the World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People. The event takes place on 17 – 22 March 2013 and is supported by the capital city of Prague. This year’s showcase focuses both on Czech children spectators as well as on the international expert public.

On March 20th, every year since 2001, the World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People has been celebrated all over the world by the international community of theatre practitioners for children and young people. It has been initiated by the international non-governmental organization ASSITEJ (Association internationale du théatre pour l´Enfance et la Jeunesse), which was established in 1965 and its Czechoslovak (now Czech) centre was its member from the very beginning. The main aim of ASSITEJ is to unite theatres, organizations and individuals throughout the world dedicated to theatre for children and young people and also to promote this specific field of theatre. Various events are held on the World Day such as special performances, showcases, open rehearsals, lectures, workshops or exhibitions. These are organised by national ASSITEJ centres in 58 countries on 5 different continents.

The ATI’s showcase for the World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People introduces not only the most interesting Czech performances of both amateur and professional theatres for children but also theatre productions performed by children. It is intended for all ages, i.e. from the kindergarten children to teenagers and covers various genres. The showcase will be held at the Celetná Theatre, DISK Theatre, Minor Theatre and KD Mlejn (these are also co-organizers of the showcase).

This year’s showcase will present 18 carefully selected productions. During the six days, there will be many outstanding performances showcased – such as Hamleteen by Alfa Theatre, Romeo and Juliet by Kaspar or a new circus experiment called Dynamo by Cirkus Mlejn. Another part of the event is the ASSISTEJ Award which goes to a personality who has contributed to the development of high-quality theatre for children and young people in a creative and inspiring way. Experts from international professional organizations and foreign festivals from different countries in Europe accepted our invitations; therefore this year’s showcase is also an opportunity to introduce the quality Czech theatre for children abroad.