
SESSION 6 - Cultural exchanges: a European theatrical education?
Our team, which was created in 1987, has been renewed in the last 5/6 years. All the members of the team and the staff have less than 30 years. I believe that this is an important issue for the times and the place in which we live: Trieste, one of the oldest cities in Europe.
Throughout the year, we organize courses divided into different levels. We also organize different kinds of intensive workshops and performances. CUT has organized the TACT festival of Trieste for 3 years. In these 3 editions, the goal has always been the creation and the development of a festival that can offer audiences and artists the chance to learn and exchange views. We work hard to reach this goal and the support of JTE is essential.
“Diversity is an asset”. This is the principle that guides TACT’S daily activity, and the TACT’S festival. TACT is a young, independent body which has been experiencing difficulties in establishing the dignity of its artistic and organizational work.
In order to overcome them, we decided to create an event which benefits Trieste, as it offers the opportunity to get to know other kinds of theatres, as far as their origin, style and energy concern.
Our priority has always been the creation of a network of young artists from all over the world, because we want to get to know different cultures. The festival is an opportunity to understand our features, our weaknesses, and our possibilities.
All this has been reaffirmed in all past editions and in the present one, which will start very soon.
The chosen groups come from different countries and they have different artistic backgrounds. Every year the festival tries to present professional groups, independent groups, academies, and groups of young actors.
A very original idea is the creation of workshops led by the directors of the hosted groups, for the entire week (15 hours). The workshops are both open to the foreign actors and to the young people who come from Trieste or the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. In this third edition, we are trying to develop the concept of “exchange”, thanks to side projects with the regional bodies that work with specific age groups. We have organized performances in the most important nursing homes in town, and also in cooperatives which take care of disabled young people. We have also organized dedicated performances for kids between 6-11 years.
The aim is to create a week when people, regardless of their age and origin, get together and exchange views through theatre and art in Trieste.
The Rencontres show us that this is worth it. The theatres visited last year were full both of young actors and citizens, and it suggests that goals can be achieved.
However, quality is the only way to do so for a young structure with reduced financial resources such us. Quality means artistic research, the acquisition of specific technical expertise and innovative research for what concerns organizational skills and advertising.
I often ask myself: what brings people and me to work in the theatre? What do we look for? Why did we choose it? What are the personal experiences of those who decide to work in theatre?
In a world where the crisis is omnipresent, hope for a multi-ethnic and pacific world seems impossible and the word “humanity” is disappearing, what can we say and offer to the world? Can our actions improve the world?
I’m convinced that the answers will only come out if we keep working patiently without losing hope.
Documents
Intervention in french : Click on this link to open this document.
Intervention in english : Click on this link to open this document.