ASSITEJ
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| ASSITEJ | |
|---|---|
| Name | ASSITEJ |
| Formation | 1965 |
| Type | International network |
| Headquarters | International Theatre Institute (related) |
| Region served | Worldwide |
| Main organ | International Secretariat |
ASSITEJ ASSITEJ is an international network dedicated to promoting theatre for young audiences, connecting practitioners, institutions, and festivals across continents. Founded in the 1960s during a period of cultural institutionalization, ASSITEJ developed alongside organizations such as the UNESCO cultural programs, the International Theatre Institute, and the International Federation of Actors. Its activities intersect with major performing arts events like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Avignon Festival, and the Biennale di Venezia.
History
The organization emerged in the context of postwar cultural exchange involving figures associated with the British Council, the Institut français, and the Goethe-Institut, and paralleled initiatives by the International Association of Theatre Critics and the International Drama/Theatre and Education Association. Early milestones included conferences comparable to the World Congress of Theatre meetings and collaborations with institutions linked to the Festival d'Avignon, the National Theatre (London), and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Influential counterparts and interlocutors included leaders from the Béjart Ballet, the Comédie-Française, the Schiller Theater, and the Teatro Nacional Cervantes. Over ensuing decades ASSITEJ engaged with regional movements such as the Asian Theatre Institute initiatives, the Pan-American Festival circuits, and networks connected to the African Theatre Ensemble.
Organization and Membership
The network's governance model resembles structures used by the International Theatre Institute and national bodies like the Theatre Communications Group in the United States, the Dramaten in Sweden, and the Compañía Nacional de Teatro entities in Latin America. Membership comprises national centres modeled after organizations such as the British Youth Music Theatre, the National Theatre School of Canada, the Sydney Theatre Company, and the Béjart Ballet Lausanne—while individual members include artists associated with the Moscow Art Theatre, the Teatro San Martín, and the Grotowski Centre. Partnerships often mirror those between the Royal Court Theatre and the Young Vic, or collaborations akin to the Schaubühne and the Théâtre du Soleil.
Festivals and Programs
ASSITEJ coordinates international festivals and aligns with major events like the World Theatre Festival, the International Festival of Theatre for Children and Young People, Lingen, the Helsinki Festival, and the Taipei Arts Festival. Programmatic strands follow models seen at the Astra Film Festival, the Children's Theatre Festival in Warsaw, the Festival Internacional Cervantino, and regional showcases similar to the Caribbean Festival of Arts and the Festival Internacional de Teatro de Bogotá. Initiatives include exchange residencies comparable to those organized by the European Theatre Convention and touring schemes resembling the Shakespeare Globe Touring Company.
Educational and Professional Development
Professional development initiatives draw on pedagogical approaches from institutions such as the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the Juilliard School, the National Institute of Dramatic Art, and the School of Drama at Trinity College Dublin. Training, workshops, and symposia correspond to programs run by the Theatre of Nations, the Lincoln Center Institute, and the Old Vic Theatre School. Collaborative research projects have paralleled efforts by the Centre Pompidou, the MAXXI National Museum, and the Smithsonian Institution performing arts departments, while mentorship schemes echo those by the Young Playwrights' Theater and the Baltimore School for the Arts.
Regional Centers and National Centres
National centres operate in patterns similar to the Danish Centre for Culture and Development, the Korea Arts Management Service, and the Canada Council for the Arts, with active networks in regions comparable to the Nordic Theatre Union, the Asia-Europe Foundation, and the African Performing Arts Network. Notable national hubs resemble the organizational profiles of the National Theatre of Japan, the Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica, the Teatro Nacional Sucre, and the Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo. Regional coordination parallels mechanisms used by the European Cultural Foundation, the Pan-African Cultural Congress, and the Inter-American Development Bank cultural programs.
Notable Productions and Collaborations
Productions associated through member centres reflect artistic lineages tied to companies such as the Complicité, the Forced Entertainment, the Belarus Free Theatre, the Trestle Theatre Company, and the Improbable Theatre Company. Collaborations have involved directors and creators linked to the Peter Brook Centre International, the Ariel Dorfman-inspired projects, and ensembles related to the Tadeusz Kantor tradition and the Jerzy Grotowski legacy. Co-productions often replicate partnerships seen between the National Theatre (Prague), the Staatstheater Stuttgart, and the Teatro alla Scala outreach initiatives.