The Teatru Manoel Youth Theatre (TMYT), which is part of Teatru Manoel’s Toi Toi Education Programme, has been selected as one of six established youth theatre companies from around the Commonwealth to take part in The Tin Forest International Theatre Festival. This Festival is part of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme which coincides with the hosting of the Commonwealth Games. The Festival is a collaboration with the National Theatre of Scotland.
TMYT’s involvement is a direct result of their participation in this year’s Ziguzajg Festival whose Artistic Director, Toni Attard, made the initial contact with the National Theatre of Scotland. Simon Sharkey, Associate Director for the National Theatre of Scotland watched the company perform their original piece ‘CLUB’ during Ziguzajg and was impressed enough to offer them a place in the Scottish festival. ‘CLUB’ was directed by Denise Mulholland and choreographed by Warren Bonello.
The six youth theatre companies are: Manifesto Jamaica from Kingston, Jamaica; FanFiction Comedy from Auckland, New Zealand; Made In Bristol from Bristol Old Vic, England; X Theatre from Dhaka, Bangladesh; Teatru Manoel Youth Theatre from Malta and YUVA EKTA-Youth Unite from New Delhi in India. The four Scottish companies are Urban Fairytale Theatre Company from Glasgow; Collision from Buckhaven, Fife; Aberdeen Performing Arts Youth Theatre, Aberdeen; Physical Theatre Scotland from Edinburgh. The youth companies will devise a piece inspired by the concept of “near nowhere…close to forgotten” to present to audiences in Glasgow at the South Rotunda from Thursday 24th to Monday 28th July 2014.
