Impressions
Children in decision-making positions are not a matter of course in society. Adults often make decisions for them and about their lives. The GRIPS Theater has been committed to children's rights and the right to co-determination for decades - in its productions and projects, children are involved in what is shown and negotiated on the theater stage. But what happens when children are given a complete professional theater production in which they are allowed to decide everything? What will be shown on stage and what will be different?
“PROPS go out” finds out: In a collective process, children between the ages of 9 and 12 write their own play, decide on stage design, costumes, music and public relations - and direct professional (adult) actors* on the stage of the GRIPS Podewil. In the decades-long tradition of co-determination at the GRIPS Theater, the decision-making power of the children is thus expanded in this project.
Last season, the GRIPS Theater was already examined by the actors: Which play styles and children's performances do they find exciting? What works well for them, what doesn't? Through their own examination of the theater and its elements, they sharpen their view, form their own ideas into test balloons and thus open up the stage of the GRIPS Podewil for the stories and aesthetics of the young theater makers. They are accompanied by adults as they conquer the theater. At the start of the 24/25 season, we are in the middle of this journey, with 60 children developing stage elements, (moving) text and music during the fall vacations. Between detective stories, cyborgs and unfair teachers, there are many problems that the project participants want to tackle: Selfish adults play with the children's future, nasty classmates make learning difficult and the spider in the bedroom keeps some of them awake. Bullying plays just as much a role in the experiences and stories as racism, queer hostility and sexism. From this large group of theater makers, a smaller production team will start the development phase of the play in January 2025. They will repeatedly engage in negotiation processes with the adult actors and the project team: For their right to co-determination and a production directly from the children's perspective.
Director Actors of the project
Music Actors of the project
Stage design Actors of the project
Performers Matondo Castlo, Marietheres Jesse, Yahima Piedra Córdova Project management Emese Bodolay, Kristin Grün, Fabian Schrader
Project collaboration Jonna Gröndahl
