Project Ariadne announces plans for Pan-African festival of women's theatre
Our journey with Project Ariadne is to find the women whose work in theatre around the world is changing the society they live in. Women who work in rehearsal rooms, in art centres, in parks, in arenas, in open spaces, in houses to create theatre with people who are as passionate about the need for theatre as they are. Women who, often in dangerous, fragile, wounded, evolving environments, bring people together and channel the combined energy to a greater good. They are women who have a voice and empower others to find theirs.
It is heartening and inspiring to begin a journey like this and discover just how many women there are working as theatre professionals with this creative, social and entrepreneurial spark in their hearts. In our challenging societies today, you don't make theatre because that's the easy option: you make it because despite the obstacles, the dangers, the difficulties of creating art, it needs to be done. These women hear that call.
Project Ariadne has therefore taken on the challenge to find, acknowledge and celebrate these women by founding a festival. The inaugural festival will be Pan-African, as we began our journey here, and have been blown away by the power, talent and expertise of these artists. For the festival, we will not confine our search to conflict or post-conflict zones, as we wish to celebrate and bring attention as many - and the best of - the female theatremakers across Africa, wherever they may be.
We intend to host the inaugural festival in Rwanda - the first country we profiled and that set the ball rolling - in 2016.
If you are interested in this festival, please contact us on projectariadne1@gmail.com.
We would like to hear from:
sponsors
partners
venues
and - most importantly - from you, recommending and bringing to our attention female theatre directors who are making theatre in Africa. Let us know - wherever they are - we want to know about them! The more the merrier!