Download Almaty Primary Schools festival 21st – 23rd October 2016

Almaty Primary Schools festival
21st – 23rd October 2016
"When I bring students to ISTA I know they are there for a life-changing experience. It
never fails."
The International Schools Theatre Association has been organising educational
theatre events for over 35 years and now your school can take part in one of
these amazing festivals at the Kazakhstan International School in Almaty.
Mission
ISTA believes that the future of our world depends on confident, internationally
minded, collaborative and culturally literate young people who are empowered
to engage with and change the world responsibly. We believe that this is
achieved through the ISTA experience.
Educators play a key role in the fulfilment of our mission. We therefore
offer educators worldwide the opportunity to come together to develop
themselves, their pedagogy and their skills, equipping and empowering them to
bring about this change through theatre.
ISTA brings together young people, artists and teachers from different
countries in different settings to experience, create and learn about theatre.
We passionately value diversity and collaboration, celebration and play,
friendship and collegiality.
Practicalities
Where will the festival take place?
The festival will take place over three days, hosted by the International School
of Kazakhstan.
When will the festival take place?
Friday to Sunday 21st – 23rd October. All participants will travel daily and the
festival will run from approximately 8:00am-4:00pm daily. There will be a
sharing on Sunday at approx. 3:30pm for parents, friends and families of the
communities attending.
Who can attend?
Any young person between the ages of 9-12 as well as between 1-3
teachers/chaperones per school group.
How much will the festival cost?
ISTA registration fees are £206.00 per student.
There are no costs for teachers/chaperones attending.
Please note:
1. 90% of our registration costs go towards flights, fees and accommodation
for our outstanding team of international theatre artists who we fly in to
work with the young people.
2. All schools will need to book places in August and secure this booking
with a £500.00 deposit. The deposit then gets deducted from the final
festival balance, due approx. 5 weeks prior to the festival.
3. There is not set number of students per school. Schools may bring 5-20
students pending interest.
Artistic information
Title
What really matters?
Starting point
The traditionally nomadic Kazakhs have a saying. It translates roughly as 'if you
think you are poor, move house.'
This festival will ask what we would all choose to take with us if we could
only take what we can carry. What is really important to each of us and how can
we theatrically use this concept as a metaphor for performance? How can we
literally and figuratively relate this to other places and times in the modern era?
ISTA festivals
Every festival is a unique, immersive experience and each one:
• places children in an environment in which international mindedness
can flourish;
• brings people – educators, artists and young people - together in a
spirit of collaboration regardless of age, nationality and experience;
• immerses children in an experience where they can learn about
theatre and through theatre;
• develops cultural literacy and capital through interaction between
people, place and perspective.
This festival will combine the meaning making of the Middle School ISTA
pedagogy with the play making pedagogy of our customary Primary School
festivals. The age group for the Almaty festival – crosses both.
Primary school festivals – play making
“It is a happy talent to know how to play.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ethos The primary school festival model is situated in play and in the sensory
experience of childhood. Stories, events, spaces, materials are explored
through play to encourage the child to find possibilities and potential both in
things and in themselves. The key focus for a primary school festival is
that the child has had the opportunity to experience the power of the
imagination and the art of possibility.
Experience – the learning happens:
• through interaction with a playful adult in ensemble groups;
• through specialist workshops with artist-educators, focusing on
introducing particular theatre skills;
• through an out-and-about trip, particular to the geography of the
location of the festival, in which the space is experienced as a place of
play;
• through coming together as a whole group in collective acts of singing,
movement and play.
Expression
The learning is expressed through playful interaction with the audience.
This may take the form of:
• playing games with the audience;
• sharing ʻfavouriteʼ moments;
• telling stories to the audience.
The final festival sharing need not be performative.
Middle School festivals – meaning making
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing
is not to stop questioning.”
Albert Einstein
Ethos The middle school festival model is situated in inquiry and in meaning
making. The child is taken through a series of questions – Who are we?
Where are we? Why are we here? How do we relate to our starting point?
How do we tell and show stories through theatre? How can these stories help
us all to better understand the world in relation to our starting point?
Questions drive the learning, encouraging curiosity. The key focus for a
middle school festival is that the child should be able to articulate the
experience and the understandings that have emerged from it.
Experience – the learning happens:
• through interaction with a curious adult in ensemble groups;
• through specialist workshops with artist-educators, focusing on
introducing and developing particular skills;
• through an out-and-about trip, particular to the geography of the
location of the festival, in which the space is experienced as a place of
playful inquiry;
• through coming together as a whole group in collective acts of singing,
movement and investigation.
Expression
The festival culminates with each ensemble individually sharing the
results of their inquiry through theatre. The questions emerging from the
starting point should be evident to the audience.
This may take the form of:
• posing questions to an audience and then sharing the ʻanswersʼ;
• telling and showing stories which clearly articulate the questions
emerging from the starting point;
• engaging the audience in their own process of inquiry, with the
ensemble work acting as the stimulus for the inquiry;
• sharing the process of inquiry by demonstrating theatrical approaches
or games/exercises.
The final festival sharing is always in the form of a theatrical presentation of
discoveries.
“Putting students and teachers and professionals together who are all
passionate about theatre – it’s no wonder the magic happens.”
For more information please visit www.ista.co.uk or contact [email protected]