Theatre Festivals 2007
by Daisy Evans
Theatre festivals in Europe celebrate performance culture in hundreds of different ways. The thriving traditions of Street Theatre live on this year, notably in Rome and in Aurillac, France. Street theatre breaks down the borders between participants and spectators, and is thrilling to watch as the audience becomes part of the show. There is no proscenium arch behind which you can hide, but best of all, most street theatre festivals are free to attendees. Puppetry and Mime festivals can be found in places as diverse as Trondheim in Norway to Hania, Crete.
Many festivals celebrate the works of a certain dramatist or group. Each year you will find festivals dedicated to showcasing Shakespeare, Ibsen, Shaw, Pinter, Beckett for example - so watch out for playwrights whose work you are interested in seeing. When you are a student of literature, seeing any one of the plays you may be studying is an important way of internalising the text. There is not one set way of "doing" any play and comparing and contrasting directors' differing interpretations can become a life-long fascination.Other festivals may be dedicated to one important era of drama. Mystery plays, French Farce, Kitchen Sink plays, Restoration drama, Modernist plays, and History plays are all given special treatment by different groups of theatres and theatre companies.
High profile theatre companies take to the road each season to bring their work to Europe-wide audiences, often participating in city festivals such as Edinburgh or Belfast.
The annual Skegness Festival celebrates the art of the One Act Drama in a diverse repertoire each year.http://www.skegnessplaygoers.org.uk/festivals.html
It is always fun to go and see new work by up and coming writers and directors, who may become the legends of tomorrow. Several festivals are dedicated to promoting young playwrights and championing new work.
The Soho Theatre in London has a great reputation in showcasing new plays and giving writers the chance of getting their work produced for the first time.
Soho Writers' Festival, Soho Theatre, London W12
9 October - 24 November.
www.sohotheatre.com/
Highlighted theatre festivals this autumn
THE BELFAST FESTIVAL
19th October - 3rd November
The 45th Belfast Festival at Queen's opens on Friday 19 October with 17 days and nights of world class entertainment.The Festival covers all art forms including theatre, dance, classical music, literature, jazz, comedy, visual arts, folk music and popular music, attracting over 50,000 visitors.
http://www.belfastfestival.com
INTERNATIONAL URBAN THEATRE FESTIVAL, Rome, Italy
1 - 3 Sep 2007
The annual Festival Internazionale del Teatro Urbano invades streets all over Rome, transforms a multitude of urban spaces into dramatic spaces and the pedestrian into the extraordinary. The first day - the "off" festival - is dedicated to young performers and alternative theatre. Best of all, every single one of the shows is free.
www.abraxa.it
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL AND FESTIVAL FRINGE, Edinburgh, Scotland
10 August 2007 to 2 September 2007
Major theatre productions from around the world at the biggest art's festival. This is the 60th year of the Festival Fringe. Much theatre and lots of comedy.
www.eif.co.ukwww.edfringe.com
MERCHANT CITY FESTIVAL, Glasgow, Scotland
20th - 23rd September 2007
The Merchant City Festival is back for it sixth year, running from Thursday 20 to Sunday 23 September. The Festival attracts more than 40,000 people over the four day bank holiday weekend to an exciting programme of theatre, music, fashion, visual art, film and comedy with over 200 performances, many free of charge that span more than 50 venues in Glasgow's vibrant cultural quarter.
www.merchantcityfestival.com
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF STREET THEATRE, Aurillac, France
August 22nd - 25th
Aurillac's dedication to Street Theatre continues to grow exponentially, accumulating massive local and national support - 500 companies are expected to participate in a programme.
www.aurillac.net.
LA FIRA, TÀRREGA, Spain6th - 9th September, 2007
La Fira, founded in 1981 by the group Comediants, turns the town of Tàrrega into a magnificent showcase for the contemporary performing arts and an impressive popular festival. Tarrega is a medieval town in the heart of Spanish Catalonia and during this short fiery outburst of creativity the entire place comes alive in hosting this impressive, influential theatre festival.
www.firatarrega.com
BREAK FESTIVAL, Ljubljana, Slovenia
5th - 18th November 2007
The festival "Break 2.4: Potemkin village" will take in various locations of Ljubljana.The festival will present a manifold pesrpective on fakery, manipulation, spectacle, and illusion as they display worldwide in most various contexts.More than 40 artists from 20 countries will take part in this investigation of the "potemkinization" of society.
www.break-festival.org
© Daisy Evans. All views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to the European Commission.