The Stage

British Council gets youth in Contact

Published Tuesday 13 July 2004 at 10:00 by Ruth Gillespie

The British Council has launched a new youth theatre event entitled Contacting the World, which will bring together young people from eight countries to showcase their work at Manchester’s Contact Theatre.

Each theatre group will be twinned with a UK company to develop a new partnership facilitated by artists Noel Greig - who has worked at the Royal Court, the National Theatre and the Leicester Haymarket - and Shabina Haslan, theatre director and diversity director for BBC radio drama.

Contacting the World will present six double bills between July 26 and August 1, showcasing companies from Nigeria, Pakistan, Jordan, Bangladesh, Syria and Malaysia, as well as the Asian Theatre Company in Leeds, Oldham’s Ayna Youth Theatre, The Brilliant Theatre Company in Manchester, London’s Chicken Shed Theatre Company, Cumbernauld Youth Theatre and the Theatre Royal, Stratford East Youth Theatre.

John McGrath, artistic director of Contact, said: “This is a unique initiative bringing young people around the world together in an extraordinary creative exchange. Using email, websites, objects sent in the mail, chatrooms and a series of shared drama and writing exercises, they have collaborated to create pieces of theatre expressing their ideas about the world in which they live.

“All 12 companies will arrive at Contact in Manchester on July 25 for a week of shared performances, workshops, debates and parties. The project demonstrates how direct creative exchange between young people can change the way we view the world.”