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BABY DRAMA

The most important aspect for man is that which strengthens his desire for life. That which makes him/her live, and that which gives meaning to his/her life. This is what must be transmitted to all children. Françoise Doito, child analyst

I have written a lot to defend, tragedy for children-ln defense with humous theatre traditions-comedy-in mind Suzanne Osten

WHY CREATE THEATRE FOR CHILDREN NOT YET ONE YEAR OF AGE? Let's look at how one imagines the ideal audience; Present. Here and now. Not concerned with what it's having for dinner, doing tomorrow, or said yesterday. Free from conventions. Hasn't read the reviews. Receptive without bias or prejudice. Clearly awake: eyes wide open. Responsive in body, soul and with the senses. Responds in honesty. The ideal audience is a baby! Babydrama is the story of every small child journey, what they've experienced so far, and what they are in the midst of experiencing. A journey through conception, to time in the womb, birth, to meeting the parents and their own will. As far as we know, text-based performances of this calibre have not been done for such young audiences. But we are not the first in turning to such an audience. In 1998 the Norwegian project Klangfui initiated the creation and evaluation of dance, mime, puppet theatre and more for children aged 0-3. They were so successful that it evolved into a large EU-project called Glitterbird, now with seven countries involved. Viewing dance and theatre at such early ages proved to have positive effects on the children's development. The more elaborate the productions were, the more alert, concentrated and carefree the child appeared to be. There are of course special circumstances to consider. At Unga Klara we will examine our modes of expression in close collaboration with a chosen test audience, a process that will also be documented on film. The fact that one cannot speak does not mean that one cannot understand what is said. There exists in France since quite some time, a tradition of psychoanalysis for young children, at times with astonishingly positive results. Experience has shown that the capacity for understanding and assessing situations is present at a very early stage The audience will be limited in numbers, around 10 children from the age of 8 months accompanied by an adult. In return, we will perform several times per day. Full-scale theatre catering to the youngest with all our know-how and passion is a cultural policy statement. At Unga Klara we aren't waiting around for the children to start speaking comprehensively or expressing their needs clearly; we are starting now. Suzanne Osten, Ann-Sofie Bârâny, Erik Udenberg

GLAVNI PROGRAM