High school students in Avignon
62nd Avignon Festival
- from: 04.07.2008
- to: 26.07.2008
- In: Avignon
the importance of the theatre in school!
Fostering the impact of the theatre in schools and developing teachings for the audience in order to highlight the theatre's uniqueness
Practical
Multiple venues in Avignon
In 2004, the French ministry of education entered a partnership with the Avignon Festival for the purpose of developing "Lycéens en Avignon", a unique event designed for high school students and teachers: the number of participant students has grown from 30 in 2004 to 627 in 2007.
The event takes place during the Avignon Festival, every year in July, and follows the festival's programme. Its primary purpose is to encourage the impact of the theatre in schools and, through encounters with professionals, to develop a "school of the audience" that highlights the theatre's uniqueness as the link between written text and performance.
The main theme selected for the Avignon Festival in 2008 is Europe, cultural exchanges and multilingualism. The central focus will be translation into the theatre as a matrix for intercultural exchange. Major works will be presented at the Festival (Shakespeare's "Hamlet", "Dante's inferno"...) and a special tribute will be paid to Antoine Vitez.
The content will be developed around three types of activities and two performances:
• presence at selected performances scheduled as part of the Festival
- practice of artistic expression activities in relation with the performances (shops of reading, writing, improvisation, dance, plastic activity workshops)
• encounters with artistic teams (directors, actors, set designers…) to discuss their creation.
Teaching staff training
A seminar will bring together an audience of professionals from the field of education and culture. Themes discussed will include theatrical analysis, interpretation of performance, possible forms of partner interventions by students, questions of methodology, analysis of needs in terms of tools and training, transmission modes… the question of the organisation of an academic policy concerning the "school of the audience" will also be evoked.
Educational tools
The CNDP will produce a dozen "pièces démontées" (disassembled plays - online teaching documents) consistent with the Festival programme and regions involved in the creations.
- Updated: 05.09.2008
