The Co-Programming Workshop at Aprilfestival 2019 (Denmark)

How the workshop went

The idea of this workshop was to try out a different method from the previous one used at Krokusfestival (Belgium) in March 2019. In the previous workshop, having watched the same performance together, we had used the ‘IAN’ model (a model developed by academics that includes various criteria they consider to be relevant to choosing a show to programme) to create a common language to talking about our experiences of the Theatre together. This workshop had helped to give the participants an insight into some of the criteria that are used to make programming decisions.

Structure of the Workshop:

In the first part of the workshop, Maria Suh, (the leader of another Theatre Festival for Young Audiences Horsens Teaterfestival) talked about how they programme for their festival and she presented the idea of having a ‘Youth Dramaturg’. The Horsens Teaterfestival is an annual festival that takes place in the city Horsens on a weekend in September and 2019 will be the first year that they work with a Youth Dramaturg.

After the presentation by Maria Suh, the performance artist Inga Gerner Nielsen presented her Performance Art piece entitled, “Din fortid er deres nu” (trans: Your Past is Their Present). Afterwards, the participants were divided into groups and given different tasks. The groups discussed questions such as: Where should the performance be experienced?’, ‘Who was the intended audience?’, and ‘How would they communicate this event?’

Reflections:

The workshop was not so much looking into how we choose a performance, but more an exercise in communication and coordinating a cultural event.