Flying Leap is back from ASSITEJ Cuba and we are so excited to share some thoughts and reflections with you!
Here is some background if you are unfamiliar with ASSITEJ:
ASSITEJ, the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People, is the international trade organization for professionals in theatre for children and young people. There are 83 national centres globally, including our own TYA/USA. ASSITEJ hosts a World Congress every three years, visiting a different member country each time to share workshops, performances, and research from artists from around the world.
Okay, onto our reflections!
Susanna Brock
“ASSITEJ in Cuba was a trip of a lifetime! It was a very unique opportunity to meet artists from all over the world who make theater for children and are extremely passionate about supporting young people. I learned so much talking to administrators and creators from Mongolia, Cuba, Estonia, South Korea, Mexico, Germany and Senegal. Seeing performances from many different countries helped broaden my idea of what Theater for young Audiences can look like and made me super inspired to keep making this important work. I am incredibly grateful that Flying Leap sent my colleagues and I on this trip and we are coming back with our heads and hearts brimming with ideas and inspiration!”
Ana Cantorán Viramontes:
“Being in Cuba for ASSITEJ 2024 was an incredible opportunity to connect with the international TYA Community at large, to get inspired by the incredible work that is happening across the world and also to learn about the challenges that other artists from different countries and cultures face in their art making endeavors.
It was a validating and reaffirming experience that encourage us to keep making radically accessible and high quality theater for children and families!”
Jess Kaufman
“ASSTIEJ Cuba was a once in a lifetime experience. Our Cuban hosts were so welcoming, and we all braved the heat together! Our little group got a reputation as the “fan girls” thanks to the big, beautiful, iridescent hand fans Susanna brought from home!
Most of all, I’m still taking in the generosity of artists from around the world. I connected with a teacher from Mongolia, a dance producer from Zimbabwe, a researcher from India, clowns from Cuba, artists from Colombia, Germany, New Zealand… it was deeply healing and inspiring to be surrounded by a global community of people who care so deeply about children and the arts. One of my favorite recurring conversations at the conference was hearing about what nature materials artists in other countries would use in a local production of The Garden, and talking about what it would look like to bring our work to other continents!”
We wanted to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who donated to help us cover the cost of this incredible opportunity for our company. We are also deeply thankful for our entire audience, whose continued support and engagement have brought us to this point. We're so thankful to be part of such an amazing community. Stay tuned for more exciting news by following us on social media to keep up with our latest updates!