Festival starting points 20152016 HS Europe Istanbul (Eyuboglu) high school festival 1013 December 2015 Title:
The Grand Bazaar Starting point:
Istanbul's Grand Bazaar is a melting pot of cultures and sensory experiences that represent the diversity and energy of the city. In this festival we will explore the theatrical possibilities of bringing the sights, smells, colours and sounds of the Grand Bazaar to life. Trade has always acted as a bridge between cultures in this fascinating city. How do we use bartering, communication (both verbal and nonverbal) and negotiation to cross cultural bridges? Out and about:
A trip to the Grand Bazaar. Brussels high school festival 1821 February 2016 Title:
Belgium The battlefield of Europe Starting point:
Over centuries this proud corner of Europe has been fought on and over as various leaders and generals have sought control of the continent. Yet from a scarred set of battlegrounds Belgium has endured and grown. How do the small become mighty and at what cost? This festival will look at what we can learn from Belgium’s war torn history and explore how we theatrically represent this small but significant nation’s experiences and triumphs. Out and about:
The Butte de Lion and a tour of the battlefields for inspiration. Rolle/Geneva high school festival 1013 March 2016 Title:
Movement and space Starting Point:
Charlie Chaplin lived and died nearby so taking his great work
Modern times
as inspiration, this workshop festival will focus on movement and space. How is performance enhanced and altered through different spaces? How can actors work not simply “in” space but “with” space, developing responses to the places and stories they find themselves creating? How can we explore movement in space as part of the devising process? All culminating in a performance that could really push the boundaries of the actoraudience relationship. Out and About:
A stimulus providing exploration of space and Chaplin’s
Modern times
. Terezin high school festival 1113 March 2016 Title:

Art at the HeART Starting point:

Some of the Jewish people deported to camps at the start of the Final Solution by the Nazis were Europe's finest artists. Sending them to Terezin was a way of convincing the world that the Jews were being well looked after a propaganda film was made, an opera performed and the artists were forced to create work that suggested a positive life. But behind the scenes the artists rebelled. Creating alternative works and most importantly, teaching children that art can help transcend suffering. When the town was liberated, thousands of pictures were found under floorboards and hidden in walls – many filled with joy and hope. Through theatre this festival will explore how art in any form can help us transcend our daily experiences, however painful they may be. Out and about:
All participants take part in three tours of Terezin: the small fortress tour, the former Ghetto tour and the museum tour. Glasgow high school festival 79 April 2016 Title:
Your choice Starting point:
In Scotland’s recent referendum on independence, 80% of young people aged 16 plus voted. What do young people have to offer to politics and how can they develop their power to effect change? How do we ensure their voices are heard? What can theatre do across the world to promote the right to vote, defeat political apathy and to explore the responsibility this freedom brings? Out and about:
A tour of Glasgow with links to its political background. Rome high school festival 1417 April 2016 Title:
Secrets of Rome, past and present Starting point:
Rome, the ultimate city of intrigue. From the assassinations and plots of the ancient Romans to the cloistered decision making of the Vatican, Rome has long been a city of secrets. This festival will seek to go deep into the hidden corners and side alleys of this beautiful city, exploring how theatre can share and communicate secrets and hidden messages. Out and about:
A walking tour of Rome in search of stories and creative thinking. Belgrade high school festival (bonsai)
1517 April 2016 Title:
Physical graffiti Starting point:
Beginning with an alternative tour of Belgrade to discover the wonders of its street art and graffiti, the festival will explore how these subcultures can be physically realised through theatre. How can our voices, bodies and the way we use space communicate the counter cultures of this vibrant city and its people? Out and about:
A walking tour looking at some of the hidden sights of Belgrade with an emphasis on local culture, street art and graffiti. Munich high school festival 28 April 1 May 2016 TBC HS Asia Hong Kong high school festival 30 October 1 November 2015 Title:
The ingenious harnessing of nature Starting point:
Tai Lam Country Park is a beautiful national park in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Its dam and reservoirs serve the enormous population of this bustling and vibrant city. Taking the harnessing of natural resources as a starting point, we will look to explore our relationship with the environment. How do we live in harmony with nature in ways that support our survival and progress as a species? What happens when the two are in conflict? Out and about:
Tai Lam Country park. Kolkata high school festival (ISTA Connect) 1113 December 2015 Title:
The streets of Kolkata Starting point:
Kolkata. Where every second of every day, for many people, life is lived out on the street. The street is where it’s at. It all happens there. Step out and it hits you square in the face. Taking real life stories from young women, the festival will explore how verbatim or documentary theatre can be used to authentically represent the experiences of people who might not otherwise be given a voice. What is our responsibility as theatre makers to share these stories and voices? How do we do justice to these stories, already at the extreme end of the spectrum of life as most of us know it? How can we use other forms of theatre to extend and develop the themes and ideas their stories generate in our minds? Out and about:
Happening throughout the festival. An intense exploration of life on the streets before returning in ensembles to decide how to make artistic sense of it all. Beijing high school festival 46 March 2016 Title:
Bringing to life Starting point:
The first fully integrated festival where the focus will be on using all aspects of technical theatre, media and art to bring a story to life on stage. Taking just one group of performers, students will design sets, costumes, lighting and sound along with numerous media disciplines to create a production. Using traditional Chinese tales as the glue that binds everything together, along with the lights, colours and symbols of Beijing as inspiration, we will be asking how our theatrical senses can be stimulated by bringing all aspects of technical theatre and performance together. Out and about:
A visit to traditional areas and buildings of Beijing for stimulus on the final performance. Bali high school festival 1820 March 2016 Title:
Balinese theatre under the microscope Starting point:
A unique opportunity to explore the rich tapestry of this phenomenal artform in amazing surroundings. A chance for IB, senior theatre students and their teachers to learn from the most highly regarded practitioners whilst fully immersing themselves in the culture. Intensive training in one world tradition supported by some fantastic local performances. Back by hugely popular demand, participants will be able to study Balinese theatre in the greatest of contextual settings. Learning from the masters whilst living, eating and breathing the life that inspires them. Out and about:
An exploration of local culture and sites plus the best of Balinese theatre. Amman high school festival 1921 February 2016 TBC MS Europe Geneva middle school festival 30 October 1 November 2015 Title:
Musical monsters Starting point:
A special Halloween festival with a musical flavour. How can musical theatre inspire tension to engage an audience? How can we tell a story with song and movement that fully captures the flavour of this already dramatic time of year? A festival that will look to devise musical theatre performances from scratch, around this timely theme. Out and about:
As this is a festival with local schools only attending, there will be no out and about. Zurich middle school festival 1215 November 2015 Title:
Charlemagne and the headless ghosts Starting point:
Legend has it that the great Roman emperor Charlemagne once followed a stag all the way to a graveyard in Zurich. There to discover the tombs of a number of headless saints who had been beheaded for refusing to follow Roman gods. So Charlemagne founded a church on the site. If the ghosts of the saints from this legend could return how would they tell their stories? What might a modern, theatrical retelling of this tale be? What principles might we be prepared to give our lives for? Out and about:
Sites around the city linked to this fascinating story. Istanbul (Cevre) middle school festival 1922 November 2015 Title: Legends and myths Starting Point:
Istanbul is a city set on seven hills, integrating two continents and it has been host to a cradle of civilisations. Every one providing their own myths and legends. What can we learn from these tales of mystery? Do they have a rightful place in history? How can we faithfully recreate them on stage? And what links are there to modern day legends of our own? Out and about:
A stunning inspiration seeking trip to Beyazit, Uskudar and Karakoy. Moscow middle school festival 47 February 2016 Title:
Out of this world Starting point:
A visit to the amazing Moscow space museum will begin an exciting exploration of human being’s place in the universe. Taking Carl Sagan’s famous speech as inspiration, we will then ask if we really are just an insignificant “pale blue dot in space” or do we have a special and privileged position when there is so much else out there? How can theatre help us to explore what it is to be human as we cling on to this rapidly spinning sphere in the cosmos? Out and about:
The Moscow space museum. Brussels middle school festival 2528 February 2016 Title:
Creating new worlds Starting point:
What is theatre? Does it have to always have to take place in a “theatre” as we know it? This festival will push the boundaries of creativity when extraordinary locations, objects, light and space combine. A chance to take an empty building and a box of material and just see what happens. To play with what is possible, to experiment and to create a highly dynamic site specific performance from start to strike. Out and about:
Due to the specific nature of this festival there will be no out and about. Istanbul (Koc) middle school festival 58 May 2016 Title:
Tall walls and great falls Starting point:
Istanbul is a city that has been invaded and conquered many times. Its boundaries are marked by walls and forts designed to protect the city with varying degrees of success. How do we protect our identities and cultures when threatened while accepting that others have something to offer? How might walls represent our inner most fears? What are the forts that exist with our own lives? Out and about: A boat tour stopping on both the European and Anatolian sides of the river with a visit to a the famous
Rumeli Hisari
fort and famous Trojan horse. Eden middle school festival 68 May 2016 Title:
Art at the HeART Starting point:
The Eden Project may be a magnificent biological conservation initiative first and foremost, however it was born out of a passionate creative vision. Throughout the spaces, art works stand as testament to the power of creativity in understanding and relating to science. How can arts and sciences work together to help us to better understand the world we live in? Through theatre how can we communicate the beauty and wonder of science, putting the heART into learning? MS Asia Penang middle school festival 2123 April 2016 Title:
The unknown Starting point:
Ernest Z’s Penang street art pops out from unexpected places, surprising you as you walk. From the ordinary to the unusual he brings the grey, worn walls of the streets to life with his quirky work. How can theatre made the ordinary extraordinary? How can we bring a spirit of adventure to the mundane? How do we look again at our lives and see them afresh, making them new through art? This festival will explore how theatre can make an audience think in new ways about things they have taken for granted or never even noticed. Out and about:
A walk through the Old Town to see the street art of Ernest Z. Bangkok middle school festival (ISTA Connect) 68 November 2015 Title:
Theatre to change the world Starting point:
This festival will look to explore social justice issues. Can theatre make a difference? How do we take the stories of real people and authentically get their messages across? Can we genuinely create theatre that seeks to make a change without ever being seen to be using those who are suffering as a theatrical prop? Out and about:
A fact finding visit to an organisation that will generate questions and material around our themes of social justice. Hong Kong middle school festival (ISTA Connect) 2931 January 2016 Title:

Unseen stories: unforgettable lives Starting point:
Hong Kong. A bustling, thriving city that offers breathtaking skylines, stunning mountains and valleys, and the sheltering beauty of its beaches and harbours. However, little is known of the refugee populations seeking sanctuary in the city and how they came to be there. This festival takes a look at firstperson accounts of survival, and how we might use theatre as a means of retelling these amazing stories. What can we learn from others who have been forced to flee their homes? How might we honour their journeys and ensure that they are never forgotten? Out and about:
An exploration of hidden Hong Kong and the world behind the skyscrapers and idyllic islands. Beijing middle school festival 1012 March 2016 Title:
The dragon Starting point:
I
n China, the rich and complex image of the dragon is linked to change and strength. How can we tap into this image to explore how theatre can help us to find our own inner strength? How can we use the metaphor to show change and growth within ourselves? How can new beginnings be theatrically realised without losing sight of the past as we learn to release our inner dragons? Out and about:
A dragon themed cultural tour of Beijing. Kuala Lumpur middle school festival 1820 March 2016 Title:
Rising above Starting point:
In direct contrast to the highrise bustle of the city, the Batu Caves are one of the most beautiful and spiritual sites in Malaysia. Home to Hindu temples and icons distinguished by their great height and stature. You have to look or climb upwards to realise their true significance. How do humans empower themselves with such spiritual and architectural feats? What can we theatrically take from these impressive wonders to empower an audience? Out and about
: The Batu Caves
there is a climb of a steep flight of 272 steps. Taipei middle school festival 2123 March 2016 Title:
The language of theatre Starting point:
We live in a vast international world of multiple languages, both verbal and nonverbal. Theatre harnesses these languages through symbol and representation to create meaning and to explore our position in the world in relation to others. This festival will aim to explore through performance exactly how we can communicate on stage. Asking how do human beings use sound, movement, colour and language to share their thoughts and ideas? Out and about:
A visit to the Sun Yat Sen memorial hall to explore the possibilities of the starting point. Singapore middle school festival 1113 March 2016 Title:
Digital footprints Starting point:
Singapore is at the forefront of technological change and there are many ways in which this technology can enhance performance. This festival will aim to bring awesome digital technology and urban architecture together. Cultural history and tech working in partnership to tell traditional stories or explore the city's rich history. Leading to outdoor performance work that is site specific, incorporating large scale projections, light and sound. Out and about:
TBD. MS Americas Atlanta middle school festival 1922 November 2015 Title:
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Martin Luther King Starting point:
What can theatre and the arts do to tackle injustice? When the world seems unfair, what can be done? Some problems can feel overwhelming but history is full of people who took small steps to make big changes. At this festival, our first in Atlanta, USA, we will look at human beings who make a difference in order to challenge oppression and ask what we can do. What will our legacy be? Out and about:
A visit to the National Centre for Civil and Human Rights. MS/HS bonsai Latin America tbc PS Asia Singapore primary school festival 68 May 2016 Title:
There's a rumble in the jungle Starting point:
The bustling city of Singapore sits in an area of Asia where there is an amazing diversity of animal life. But there used to be so many more. Tigers used to roam freely in jungles that have now given way to skyscrapers. With many of these animals seeing their natural habitats endangered by mankind, zoos are now the only place these magnificent species can live safely. What stories might the animals have to tell us? What messages should we be looking to pass onto future generations on behalf of these beautiful, wild animals currently under threat? Out and about:
A visit to Singapore Zoo.