The Co-directors of Projects and Concepts are organizing the second Online World Festival ‘Together We Go On’ from August 26 at 8 am UTC until August 27 at 8 pm UTC.

To be as inclusive as possible we are going to program 36 hours non-stop. No time zones, no one excluded.

It will be a 36 hours online Festival! 

Screenshot from the Together We Go On Festival in 2021

We invite all IDEA members to send their proposals for content to the Co-Directors of Projects and Concepts:ideadirectorofprojects@gmail.com.

The content can be:

- a live stream of a performance

- conclusions from the Webinars

- special interest groups

- lectures

- IDEA Research

- a presentation of a current project

- an interactive intervention

- an introduction to the World Congress in China 2024

- Young IDEA

The deadline for proposals is August 7, 2023.

We are looking forward to your proposals,

Tomas Leijen and Tom Willems, Co-Directors of Projects and Concepts IDEA

The text was originally published as an introduction letter by the IDEA President Sanja Krsmanović Tasić in the IDEA Quarterly Newsletter May 2023. 

Dear readers, dear colleagues, dear members and friends of IDEA,

Since our December Newsletter two major live events have taken place in two different parts of the world, both in March. One was the World Summit on Arts Education in Funchal, Madeira, at the very beginning of the month, and the second one was the International Conference on Performing Arts, which hosted our blended General Council Meeting, in Kampala, Uganda, at the end of the month. 

WAAE Summit in Madeira, Portugal 1-3 March 2023

As you all know, IDEA has been involved in the preparation of the Madeira Summit, as part of the World Alliance for Arts Education, and its success can be measured also by the committed involvement of UNESCO and its representatives, which led us through the process of how the new document, the 2023 Framework on Culture and Arts Education, will be created through various consultations and recommendations from different stakeholders as well as the voices from members of our four associations, InSEA, ISME, WDA andIDEA. A survey was distributed to you through the IDEA mailing list, and I hope you have taken the time to fill it in, for each voice and opinion is important in this process. An IDEA UNESCO Framework Working Group is also right now in the process of shaping the recommendations of our association for this document, based on the work initiated by the focus group that was present at the Madeira Summit. 

WAAE Executive Forum in Madeira, Portugal

The Conference in Uganda was an IDEA-endorsed event, and developed in partnership with the main host, the Makerere University from Kampala, as well as the Rostock University for Theatre and Music from Rostock, Germany and IDEA. The whole program was rich in content, with participants from different international and African universities and drama/theatre education communities participating. Mercy Mirembe Ntangaare and her team made us feel welcome and enveloped in a most interesting and enriching program, interlaced with beautiful art sequences of dance, music, poetry and singing performed by the students of the Performing Arts department of Makerere University, that celebrates its 50 years anniversary this year.

We have met and spoken to dear colleagues that were present at the Kisumu Congress in 1998, as well as new generations of practitioners and scholars from Uganda and all over Africa. It is our joint feeling that IDEA has come home again to Africa and that many new members will join our association after this most important and successful event. 

Participants of the International Conference on Performing Arts in Kampala, Uganda; 27 March - 1 April 2023

The blended General Council Meeting, led by IDEA General Meeting Committee Vice President Ása Ragnarsdóttir and GMC Secretary Patrick Ogutu, accomplished its goal, with Liliana Galván, IDEA Vice President online, and Borisav Matić, IDEA Administrator, in person, carefully guiding the online participants so that they could feel included and that their voices could be heard.

I believe we all share the feeling that the world is regaining its normality after the years of the pandemic and that borders and countries are opening up more and more. For IDEA it all started with our Reykjavik Congress last year, as a meeting of friends and colleagues and the possibility to share and exchange, talk and be together in one space in real-time. But what these difficult times have brought us is the new paradigm that we can share not only an actual real-time place, but we can also include the presence of others that are thousands of miles away, and still feel like we are in the same room, that we are all together. These blended events, the Madeira Summit, the Kampala Conference and especially our Uganda GCM, proved that we can be together, work together and connect through screens and on-site.

Sanja Krsmanović Tasić at the keynote speech at the International Conference on Performing Arts

I am again full of admiration and respect for my colleagues that worked so hard to make these events come to life and also for those who have traveled so far to be there for all IDEA members, present and future. Marion Küster, Joachim Reiss, Colleen Roche, Mercy Mirembe Ntangaare, Liliana Galvan, Patrick Ogutu, Elisabeth Murrey, and many more.

But let us also reflect not only on successes and joyful events but also be aware of the turbulent world we live in, and that many of our colleagues need support and encouragement to pass difficult moments in their lives. We need to support our colleagues from the Creative Drama Association from Turkey, after the horrific earthquake that happened in February. There have been many turbulences in Greece, with the tragic train crash in Larissa and protests all over the country, involving drama school students and artists concerning the degradation of the position and qualifications of drama/theatre artists and educators. Not to mention the war in Ukraine and the suffering of all people in conflicted areas worldwide. And just recently the mass shootings in my own country, Serbia, where one of the shooters was a 13-year-old boy, and the victims were his schoolmates.

Discussion at the GCM in Kampala about IDEA-Africa relations and collaboration

It is impossible for us to solve injustices and world problems but what we can do is continue to nourish what we call IDEA culture. It is a culture of solidarity and support, without prejudice, inclusive and generous, warm and human. It is a special environment where drama/theatre educators, pedagogues, students, scholars, researchers, teaching artists, teachers and everyone who is involved in our field is welcome and feels a belonging and acceptance. We are here to connect, meet, develop and open doors and windows. We are a home for all. And we are growing stronger each day through the acceptance of our own vulnerabilities, imperfections reflecting our humanity.

I believe and practice in my work the African concept of UBUNTU, especially in my pedagogical drama/theatre education work on the prevention of bullying. It was exciting for me to talk about that in my keynote speech at the National Theatre of Uganda on World Theatre Day at the opening of the Conference, to talk about how African cultures and concepts inspire me and my work. So I share with you one of the essential messages of this concept:

“I am because we are.”

Enjoy reading our May newsletter!

Sanja Krsmanović Tasić, IDEA President

Dear drama/theatre and education community,

I address you after the World Summit of Arts Education that took place in Madeira from 1-3 March, with an important request.

As part of the presidential forum of the World Alliance for Arts Education, I have been involved in the preparation of the UNESCO survey that will help formulate the UNESCO process for the Framework on Culture and Arts Education.

In the last phase of the process a working group led by Robin Pascoe, our Immediate Past President, also contributed to the wording and clarity of the online form.

The purpose of this survey is to hear the voices of drama teachers, teaching artists, and all those involved in our field, to be able to map the situation concerning drama/theatre education in our case, or arts education as a whole, and also map the needs and obstacles we encounter making this our contribution to the consultation process for the UNESCO Framework on Culture and Arts Education, a new document that is much needed in this post-Covid era.

To ensure the inclusion of the voices of arts educators from different geographical points in the survey, we ask you to fill it in and also help us to disseminate it within your networks. Please send it on to cover as many actors from our field as possible. 

The survey was designed by the World Alliance for Arts Education (WAAE), in consultation with UNESCO.
In order to include a great range of opinions from arts educators around the world, we would like to invite you to reply to the Survey by clicking on the following link:
https://survey.unesco.org/3/index.php?r=survey/index&sid=883332

The deadline for completing the survey is the 15th of April 2023. The results of the survey will be presented on the 24th and 25th of May, during the UNESCO International Arts Education Week.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation!

Wishing you all the best,

Sanja K.Tasić

IDEA President 

WAAE Summit in Madeira, Portugal 1-3 March 2023

_______________________________________________________________ 

Estimada comunidad de drama, teatro y educación,

Me dirijo a ustedes luego de la reciente Cumbre Mundial de Educación Artística que tuvo lugar en Madeira del 1 al 3 de marzo, con una importante petición. Como parte del foro presidencial de la Alianza Mundial para la Educación Artística he participado en la preparación de la encuesta de la UNESCO que ayudará a formular el proceso de la UNESCO para el Marco sobre Cultura y Educación Artística.

En la última fase del proceso, un grupo de trabajo dirigido por Robin Pascoe, nuestro Ex Presidente Inmediato, también contribuyó a la redacción y claridad del formulario en línea.

El propósito de esta encuesta es escuchar las voces de los profesores de arte dramático, de los artistas docentes y de todos aquellos involucrados en nuestro campo, para poder trazar un mapa de la situación relativa a la educación dramática/teatral en nuestro caso, o a la educación artística en su conjunto, y también trazar un mapa de las necesidades y obstáculos que encontramos haciendo de esta nuestra contribución al proceso de consulta para el Marco de la UNESCO sobre la Cultura y la Educación Artística, un nuevo documento que es muy necesario en esta era post Covid.
Para garantizar la inclusión de las voces de los educadores artísticos de diferentes puntos geográficos en la encuesta, les pedimos que la rellenéis y también que nos ayudéis a difundirla en vuestras redes. Le rogamos que la haga llegar al mayor número posible de actores de nuestro ámbito.

La encuesta ha sido diseñada por la Alianza Mundial para la Educación Artística (WAAE), en consulta con la UNESCO. Con el fin de incluir una gran variedad de opiniones de educadores artísticos de todo el mundo, nos gustaría invitarle a responder a la Encuesta haciendo clic en el siguiente enlace: 

https://survey.unesco.org/3/index.php?r=survey/index&sid=883332

La fecha límite para completar la encuesta es el 15 de abril de 2023. Los resultados de la encuesta se presentarán los días 24 y 25 de mayo, durante la Semana Internacional de la Educación Artística de la UNESCO.

Gracias de antemano por su colaboración.

Le deseamos todo lo mejor,

Sanja K.Tasić

Presidenta de IDEA 

WAAE Executive Forum in Madeira, Portugal 

_______________________________________________________________

Chère communauté d'art dramatique/théâtre et d'éducation,

Je m'adresse à vous juste après le Sommet mondial de l'éducation artistique qui a eu lieu à Madère du 1er au 3 mars, avec une demande importante.

Dans le cadre du forum présidentiel de l'Alliance mondiale pour l'éducation artistique (WAAE), j'ai participé à la préparation de l'enquête de l'UNESCO qui aidera à formuler le processus de l'UNESCO pour le Cadre sur la culture et l'éducation artistique.

Dans la dernière phase du processus, un groupe de travail dirigé par Robin Pascoe, notre président sortant, a également contribué à la formulation et à la clarté du formulaire en ligne.

Le but de cette enquête est d'entendre la voix des professeurs d'art dramatique, des artistes enseignants et de tous ceux qui sont impliqués dans notre domaine, afin de pouvoir cartographier la situation concernant l'enseignement de l'art dramatique/théâtre dans notre cas, ou l'éducation artistique dans son ensemble. Et aussi cartographier les besoins et les obstacles que nous rencontrons, ce qui en fait notre contribution au processus de consultation pour le cadre de l'UNESCO pour l'éducation culturelle et artistique, un nouveau document dont nous avons grand besoin en cette ère post-Covid.

Afin d'assurer l'inclusion des voix des éducateurs artistiques de différents points géographiques dans l'enquête, nous vous demandons de la remplir et également de nous aider à la diffuser au sein de vos réseaux. Veuillez l'envoyer pour couvrir autant d'acteurs de notre domaine que possible.

L'enquête a été conçue par l'Alliance mondiale pour l'éducation artistique (WAAE), en consultation avec l'UNESCO.

Afin d'inclure un large éventail d'opinions d'éducateurs artistiques du monde entier, nous aimerions vous inviter à répondre à l'enquête en cliquant sur le lien suivant :

https://survey.unesco.org/3/index.php?r=survey/index&sid=883332 

La date limite pour répondre à l'enquête est le 15 avril 2023. Les résultats de l'enquête seront présentés les 24 et 25 mai, lors de la Semaine internationale de l'éducation artistique de l'UNESCO.

Merci d'avance pour votre coopération!

Vous souhaitant tout le meilleur,

Sanja K.Tasić

Président de l'IDEA

_______________________________________________________________ 

尊敬的戏剧/剧场教育界同仁： 

    上周我在结束了马德拉举行的世界艺术教育峰会行程之后向你们发言并提出一个重要的请求。

    作为世界艺术教育联盟主席论坛的一部分，我参与了一项重要的联合国教科文组织调研的准备工作，这项调研将有助于形成联合国教科文组织的文化及艺术教育框架的制定。

    在这个过程中，IDEA的前任主席罗宾·帕斯科领导的一个工作组为在线调研表格的措辞及其清晰度做出了贡献。

    本次调研的目的是为了听到戏剧教师、教学艺术家，以及所有那些参与我们工作领域的同仁们的声音。此次调研能够勾勒出我们自己的工作案例中关于戏剧/剧场教育情况的图谱，或者是将艺术教育看作一个整体，同时也勾勒出我们工作中所遭遇的需求和障碍的图谱，我们的这些参与调研的贡献将形成联合国教科文组织文化及艺术教育框架咨商的过程。在后疫情时代，形成一份新的文件是非常必要的。

    为了确保此次调研中可以涵盖来自不同地理区域的艺术教育者的声音，我们要求您填写它，并帮助我们在您的网络中传播它。请把它发给尽可能多的来自我们领域的演员。

    该调查是由世界艺术教育联盟（WAAE）与联合国教科文组织协商后设计的。 
    为了尽可能大规模地涵盖来自世界各地艺术教育工作者们的意见，我们想邀请您通过点击以下链接来完成此次调研： 
https://survey.unesco.org/3/index.php?r=survey/index&sid=883332

    调研的截止日期是2023年4月15日。结果将于5月24日至25日在联合国教科文组织国际艺术教育周期间公布。

    感谢您的合作！

    祝您一切顺利！

IDEA主席

Sanja K.Tasić

After a year of continuous monthly conversations,  THE (HI)STORY OF IDEA Webinar series will end (at least for the time being) with a session on 28th January at 12 pm UTC (Check your local time here). 

You can watch the recording of the session here. 

Three featured guests of the last webinar will be Sanja Krsmanović Tasić (Serbia), President of IDEA, drama educator, theatre director and actress; Liliana Galván (Peru), Vice President of IDEA, drama educator and Peruvian Ministry of Education advisor; and Tomas Leijen (The Netherlands), a dramaturg, teacher and Co-Director of Projects and Concepts at IDEA. 

You can join the webinar via the Zoom link below or follow us on Facebook live.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86245509687?pwd=dmRIcU9VMk4vNmtKTThiUEhBNDNadz09

Meeting ID: 862 4550 9687

Passcode: 397449 

Biographies of speakers: 

Sanja Krsmanović Tasić, President of IDEA, drama educator, theatre director and actress 

Theatre director, choreographer, actress, dance and drama teacher, producer. Sanja is an acclaimed international expert in the realm of drama/theatre education, devised theatre and dance. She has developed an original methodology she calls “ecology of the soul”, based on developing creative potentials of each individual through an artistic process. Together with her theatre group and individually, she tours performances and conducts workshops around the globe. Author and producer of numerous programs and projects both educational and artistic, developing also work with disabled dancers. Author of innovative TIE and DIE methodologies in the prevention of bullying and cyberbylling. She is one of the founders of Association Artistic Utopia and director of Children and Youth Theatre Festival Mater Terra. Founder and Artistic Director of the festival Days of Smiljana Mandukić, dedicated to the preservation of the non-material heritage of Serbian contemporary dance. President of Centre for Drama in Education and Art-CEDEUM, the Serbian member of IDEA, and director of Hleb Teatar, a theatre group based on ensemble work fusing theatre, dance and live music.

She has initiated the world wide action “Bells for Arts Education” as part of the celebration of UNESCO International Week of Arts Education in May 2020. She writes essays, reviews and articles about drama/theatre education, theatre for young audiences and dance. She is member of the Magdalena Network (Network of Women in Contemporary theatre), Drama Association of Serbia, Dance Association of Serbia and CEDEUM and Hleb Teatar are members of the ANKSS, Association of the Independent Cultural Scene of Serbia.

Liliana Galván, Vicepresident of IDEA, drama educator, Peruvian Ministry of Education advisor

Executive Vice President of the International Association of Drama, Theater and Education (IDEA). Founder and director of art education School’s as “Tuquitos”, “Rasgos Teatro Taller” and “Integrarte, Arte para descubrirnos”. National art education advisor and consultant for the Ministry of Education. Founder of Starscamp, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Learning Director of ProAdalid Consultores and Vice President of the Center of Visual Anthropology of Peru. Has been officer of IDEA for two periods 2004-2007 and 2007-2010.

Licensed as Educational Psychology from the Cayetano Heredia University. DEA in Research by the Polytechnic University of Cataluña. Author of books “Creativity for change: Innovation for life and business” (UPC), Huellas Forum, a milestone for transforming art education in Peru (SINEACE), Agenda de Innovación para la Danza Escénica, por el Consejo Nacional de Danza Peru. 

Tomas Leijen, born in 1996, is as a dramaturg, teacher and curator for (participatory) theatre and art projects. In 2015 he received his degree in Acting in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After that he did the Theatre and Education (B.E.) course to become a theatre teacher at the Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, which he finished in 2020. He also followed the courses Community Art, Audience and Spectatorship and Theatre and Dance History at the University of Utrecht and the course Cultural Sociology at the University of Amsterdam. 

He now works as a dramaturg, giving dramaturgic advice at very divers places such as theatre companies and community centres. A lot of the projects Tomas works for as a dramaturg and curator/programme director are interdisciplinary and search for co-creation and collaboration within and outside the ‘artistic’ field, his believe is that at these places new forms and inspiration can be found.

Besides that Tomas Leijen is the Director of Projects and Concepts at IDEA (International Drama/Theatre and Education Association), the fringe programme director for AfroVibes Performing Arts Festival, part of the artistic team of RIGHTABOUTNOW Inc. and he teaches at multiple art universities different courses such as Concept development, Theatre Theories and Reflexivity. 

Dear readers, dear colleagues, dear members and friends of IDEA,

Here we are coming close to the end of the year that celebrates thirty years since the founding of our association. And what a year it was! 

Many of us met at last in person after a long time, in Reykjavik, Iceland, at our wonderful and significant Congress organized with love and care by our colleagues from FLISS and the University of Iceland. I met at last face to face some of the Elected Officers that I meet regularly over Zoom every month, for we were elected on the first ever IDEA Online GCM in December 2020, and work together closely. And we have succeeded in having a face-to-face GCM at the Congress itself.

We were successful in completing ten sessions of THE (HI)STORY OF IDEA online webinars, connecting different generations of IDEA members, bridging the past, present and future of IDEA through dynamic, vivid dialogues that will stay forever in IDEA’s archives, and that could be viewed on IDEA’s Facebook page, and soon on IDEA’s YouTube channel. Besides that, we organized IDEA forums and online events with different subjects, gathering our members in the best possible way on platforms where we could learn from each other, be in dialogue, and most of all, support each other over the globe.

We have published two books, one dedicated to 30 years of IDEA and the book dedicated to the Young IDEA lab that took place in Togo.

We celebrated in the best possible way our IDEA Day on the 27th of November, also presenting our new members and activities of our community from different parts of the world.

We have celebrated, together with colleagues from the World Alliance for Arts Education the UNESCO Arts education week in May with a rich online program, advocating together for arts education for all.

We have published our quarterly IDEA Newsletter, sharing information with our membership and broader.

I am proud of our team of committed and hardworking elected officers, and I am confident that new quests and adventures lie ahead, such as the General Council Meeting in Kampala, Uganda, as part of the IDEA-endorsed International Conference on Performing Arts with the theme: “Performing Arts and the university of the 21st Century: Concepts, Training, and Practice”, organized by the Makerere University.

Hoping many of us will meet in March in Kampala, I wish you all a blissful and happy Christmas and New Year!

May you and your families be healthy, happy and safe.

May we give joy and meaning to many children, youth and persons of all ages through drama/theatre education.

Sanja Krsmanović Tasić

IDEA president 

IDEA is organizing the webinar Holistic Approaches to Drama/Theatre Education that will take place over Zoom on 3rd December at 11 am UTC (Time and Date link). 

The speakers will be Andrew Byrne, the Head of Performing Arts at Prahran High School, Melbourne Australia, the President of Drama Victoria and the Director of Projects and Guidelines for Drama Australia, and Matthew Sheahan, the current president of the Council of Ontario Drama and Dance Educators (CODE). The host and moderator of the webinar will be Sanja Krsmanović Tasic, the IDEA President. 

Andrew Byrne's experience is with teaching First Nations Content and Concepts in the Drama classroom. He regularly presents professional learning and development and was a part of the development of a comprehensive teaching resource to support teachers in this field. He is currently completing a Master of Education (Research) with a focus on how teachers can support their students to meaningfully produce Contemporary Indigenous Theatre in the Drama Classroom.

Central to Matthew Sheahan's practice as a drama teacher and Indigenous Studies teacher, has been the utilization of Indigenous voices, issues and pedagogy without the appropriation of voice or culture. In this webinar, we will discuss how we can integrate and utilize Indigenous material and voices in a meaningful and safe way in the drama classroom that furthers the power of authentic voice in a way that leads toward reconciliation and decolonization, not appropriation. 

You can access the webinar via the Zoom link below or follow us on Facebook live. 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82870079247?pwd=TkEzU2RuWUR4WEtsWXVZSkFZdm1TZz09

Meeting ID: 828 7007 9247
Passcode: 780066

Dear friends and colleagues around the world, all of you involved in the living practice, theory, research, education, promotion and support of our field, drama/theatre and education,

This year is an important year for IDEA, a year of re-embracing and re-empowering our presence and visibility on the world scene and in the lives of our members and the world community.

We are celebrating 30 years since IDEA was founded, and we celebrated this important anniversary in the best possible way, something we have missed in almost a decade: the IDEA Congress in Reykjavik.

It was a place for us to meet, talk, learn from each other, rethink ourselves in the context of the new tendencies of drama/theatre education and find support and new winds to carry us to future ventures and adventures in our work and life. It was also a place for us to acknowledge that not everyone could be present, and we dearly missed our colleagues who could not join, again realizing what a complex and also unfair world we live in. A world with huge economical differences, visa restrictions, conflicts and war zones, with the tides and traces of the Covid virus still lingering around. 

Photo: Anastasia Tasic/ Symposium "Creative Potentials of Partnership Between Teachers and Artists" at the Children and Youth's "Mater Terra" Festival in Belgrade, 18th November

I am a successor of many remarkable former Presidents of IDEA, that have also found ways for us to continue functioning and gathering our membership in turbulent times. But this is a time like no other.  A time when we have to search for advantages in disadvantages, where we strive to find ways of connecting and collaborating, exchanging knowledge and experiences from the spaces of our own homes and offices, classrooms and parks via Zoom and other online platforms. We will continue in this exploration of possibilities that the World Wide Web is offering us, making plans and strategies for how to make our events and gatherings more accessible to all.

On the 19th of November this year we have had our 9th Mater Terra Festival in Belgrade. It is a showcase of all drama/theatre and education initiatives that have resulted in performances, workshop presentations or work-in-progress presentations from Serbian schools and drama studios, involved in drama for learning, as well as drama/theatre as art education. We have as our principal themes all these years ecology and ecology of the soul, a concept I have been developing for many years as my teaching methodology and art practice.  One of the most important parts of this Festival, which is not competitive but a place for support, growth and development, is the Conversations in the Round, where after a block of presentations, we all sit together in a circle and talk about what we have seen, or how we do our work. We comment, ask questions, explore together and search deeper the meaning of what has been presented. We are all equal in this circle: the children and teenagers, teachers, parents, artists and our expert team. We speak, but most importantly listen to each other, carefully, completely involved in the process of listening. In the younger group, when all the voices, comments, questions and answers have run out, and when I proclaimed the end of the session, something strange happened. No one moved. No one wanted to move. We just continued sitting there, together, in silence. And we had 8, 9, 10 year-olds and older children with us.

I suddenly realized that the children and everyone in that circle wanted this feeling of togetherness, support and understanding to last. Just for us to continue to be there for each other. I also realized this circle is like a nest, a nest of safety in this strange and turbulent world, and that nest is something we as drama teachers create in all our work and contact with children, youth, elderly, disabled, each and everyone involved.

One of the significant outcomes and results of the 9th IDEA Congress in Iceland is the Reykjavik Manifesto, one more tool we can use for the advocacy in our field, and I would like to share with you its content in this IDEA Day message:

    “Being mindful of the goals, strategies and action items of the UNESCO SeoulAgenda’s Goals for the Development of Arts Education and acknowledging the principles expressed in the Frankfurt Declaration and the Winnipeg Declaration,We understand that Drama/Theatre Education is a powerful creative process and subject for multi-dimensional learning in formal, non-formal and informal education; a platform for inclusivity and decolonisation; venue and methodology for research; an agent for enhancing health and wellbeing, and introduction to this art form, including drama in education and diverse theatre traditions around the world, and opportunity for enhancing social awareness, empathy and collaboration and personal and community development, and platform for expression and action on matters of local, global and intercultural concern such as Peace, Sustainability, Equality and Economic empowerment.

We, the participants at the 9th IDEA World Congress in Reykjavik, Iceland under the theme “Drama for All, Drama for Tall and Small” meet in the context of drama in the changing world. We pledge our commitment to raise awareness to contribute to the implementation of the objectives and practice of Drama/Theatre Education. We call upon all levels of government to make official legislation to support this materially, and in spirit, to ensure equitable access to high quality Drama/Theatre Education for all children, youth and life-long learners as part of a full, human education.”

At the end I would like to thank my fellow Elected Officers for all their work and commitment, our colleagues from FLISS and the University of Iceland for organizing the IDEA Congress, and all of you who strive to make this world a better place with drama/theatre education, a safe nest that will allow flights of all involved in future times.

                                                                          

                                                               Sanja Krsmanović Tasić

                                                               IDEA President                                                    

The 9^th session of THE (HI)STORY OF IDEA webinar will take place on Saturday, 12^th November at 12 pm UTC.

The featured guests will be Patrice Baldwin (United Kingdom), Chair of the Council for Subject Associations and President of IDEA from 2010-2013, and Borisav Matić (Serbia), a dramaturg, playwright and critic. The session host will be Zeki Özen (Turkey). 

Patrice Baldwin is Chair of the Council for Subject Associations (UK). She was Chair of National Drama (UK) for 11 years (until 2014) and President of IDEA from 2010-2013. Patrice has been a Headteacher, School Inspector, School Improvement Officer, National Curriculum Consultant (Drama), and a local government Adviser for Arts Education and Cultural Learning, as well as Head of a Music Service. She is an educational author, BBC Education scriptwriter and consultant. Her most recent book is, ‘Process Drama for Second Language Teaching and Learning’, co-written with Alicja Galaska. During 2019-21, she was Oak National Academy’s Primary Drama Subject Expert, providing drama lessons for home learning.

Borisav Matić is a dramaturg, playwright and critic from Serbia. He is the Regional Managing Editor at The Theatre Times and regularly writes about theatre for a range of publications and media - one of his focuses is theatre education. He’s a member of the feminist collective Rebel Readers with whom he co-edits Bookvica, their portal for literary criticism, and organizes non-formal educational programs for young adults in literature and critical thinking. He works as a dramaturg or a scriptwriter for theatre, TV, radio and other media. He is the Administrator of IDEA and the Secretary of CEDEUM – Center for Drama in Education and Art (Serbia). He participated in the Young IDEA Lab at the 2022 IDEA World Congress in Reykjavik.

Check your local time of the event here. Follow us live on our Facebook page or join directly on Zoom via the link below.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85421480184?pwd=aEpsbTU1clRYbEx1NFNFYnhHV3BnQT09

Meeting ID: 854 2148 0184

Passcode: 279183

The IDEA Day on the 27th of November is the day when we celebrate drama/theatre education and advocate for the universal right to cultural life and full participation within it. 

This year, we have planned a special IDEA Day weekend with two online events.

The first is another THE (HI)STORY OF IDEA webinar. The featured guests will be our Past-Immediete President Robin Pascoe (Australia) and Aishwariyah Shanmuganathan from the Singapore Drama Education Association. The IDEA Vice President Liliana Galvan will moderate the session. The webinar will be held on the 26th of November at 12 pm UTC (check your local time here). 

You can join the webinar via the Zoom link below or follow us on Facebook live.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86329055303?pwd=L2JRNVBoNHZJRlREVnV0eCt4R3RSQT09

Meeting ID: 863 2905 5303

Passcode: 991509

The second event is the IDEA DAY CELEBRATION on the 27th of November at 12 pm UTC (check your local time). IDEA’s Elected Officers from around the world will talk about recent developments in the drama/theatre education field, presenting the most inspiring actions in practice and research. 

What will you see and hear?

- The IDEA Day message by IDEA President

- Announcement and Invitation of the Second Online IDEA Festival Together We go On 2023 by IDEA Directors of Projects

- News about Arts Education and UNESCO

- Invitation for the Conference and GCM that will take place at the Makerere University

- Welcome and presentation of the new members of IDEA

- IDEA day messages from all over the world

Join us via the Zoom platform with this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82646564974?pwd=ZVNFekgzTDg3eEMyMXRFTnFVNlJ5UT09

Meeting ID: 826 4656 4974

Passcode: 783726

or follow the live stream of the session on our Facebook page.

In addition to these online events, we want to ask you how you will be celebrating IDEA Day - either through in-person activities or through symbolic gestures posted online. Please, send us your actions, plans, thoughts, ideas, provocations, etc. (Contact: ad.ideadrama@gmail.com) 

For inspiration, here are messages of IDEA’s Elected Officers for last year’s IDEA Day. And here you can find messages if IDEA members. 

THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PERFORMING ARTS

DATE: 27 March-1 April 2023

VENUE: Makerere University Kampala

THEME: Performing Arts and the university of the 21^st Century: Concepts, Training, and Practice 

Conventionally, universities exist as seats of knowledge. Learners and faculty use and contribute to knowledge stores through teaching, research, and publications. However, the 21^st Century has seen increasing demand for universities to be more accountable directly to communities they are located; to play a more active role in the development and sustainability of society. (OSISA 7 2016; Tiferra 2015; Coker-Kolo 2013; Matas 2012; Bleiklie et al 2005; Mignolo 2000; and others, like related articles in University World News) Golden is gold. To commemorate its 50 years of molding young Ugandans and others for careers in performing arts and film, Department of Performing Arts and Film (DPAF) at Makerere University will host an international conference and associated events to take stock of knowledge, partnerships, and friendships gained. Importantly, together with stakeholders, DPAF will reflect on its life and work, and plan its next 50 years and beyond.

The Conference uses the tagline, Golden is Gold, under the theme, “Performing Arts and the university of the 21^st Century: Concepts, Training, and Practice”.

NOTE: In this conference, performing Arts will embrace those artforms by which we are identified or make our livelihoods. They include creative, performed, and digital arts. They cover Music, Dance, Drama, Storytelling, Poetry, documentaries, comic strips, batik, handcrafts, and screen arts like Film, cartoons and animations. These categories and forms may inform performances and disciplines of study or research.

The Conference and Associated Events

A number of exciting events will take place within / alongside the Conference:

(i).The General Council Meeting (GCM) for IDEA (International Drama / Theatre and Education Association. IDEA is an international professional association for Drama / Theatre teachers and practitioners). IDEA President, Sanja Krsmanović Tasić, will speak at the Conference.

(ii).A Stakeholders’ Summit to discuss the state of performing arts training and research, and prospects for increased graduate study in the area.

(iii).A Planning Meeting for Authors of the African Theatre Webinar (ATW) Series.

Paper and workshop presentations, round table discussions, theatre / cultural exhibitions, a book bazaar, sight-seeing, and open-air performances by students and staff will spice up the conference. Guests will be hosted to a theatre show on 27 March 2023 during World Theatre Day celebrations at the Uganda National Theatre in Kampala. (Refer to the Programme below) Book your place NOW! Visit: https://paf.mak.ac.ug/

The full programme is available in the this document. 

KEY to the Programme

Keynotes: These are plenary sessions on topical issues on scholarship in the performing arts and of general interest to all participants

SIG= Special Interest Group to facilitate exchange and sharing of knowledge, skills and experiences specific to disciplines. It’s also a good time for networking.

Round Table: Round table sessions are intended to debate key issues arising especially from the keynotes and specifically on graduate training in the performing arts

Parallel sessions: This is the time dedicated to paper presentations and workshops by conference participants who are not key speakers. Care will be taken to give chance to as many presenters as can be accommodated by the programme.

Genius / Flair session: This is an entertainment yet creative session led by students of Performing Arts and Film Department at Makerere University. All are free to present

Melting Pot: This is intended as a relaxation and exchange moment where the conference participants are free to share artistic work by way of performance. 

Conference Papers and Workshop Presentations

Conference papers and workshops are invited on general topics listed below. Abstracts should be 250 words maximum. The end product is a book publication while digital material will be published on DPAF’s hence Makerere University’s e-Library resources.

·       Theories and Aesthetics

·       Text and Performance

·       Practice and Context

·       Interculturality and Globalization

·       Performing arts and university education

·       Institutionalization, Curriculum, and Scholarship

·       Publishing the performing arts

·       Knowledge production and reproducibility

·       Performing artists for tomorrow

·       Digitalization and New Media

Submission deadline: January 31, 2023

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

Registration for the Conference will open by 1 November 2022 at the Conference website: https://paf.mak.ac.ug/. Registration will close by 15 March 2023.

Conference Fee: (Covers conference kit, lunch and breaks) per participant:

Early Bird: US$ 200

Late Registration: US$ 250

East Africans: US$ 150

Ugandans: UGX 350,000

Lecturers at Ugandan universities will pay UGX 300,000 and the Students UGX 100,000

Conference Organizers:

1.    Conference Convener and Chairperson Organizing Committee:

Dr. Mercy Mirembe Ntangaare, Associate Professor of Drama, Department of Performing Arts and Film (DPAF), Makerere University Kampala. Tel. +256 772 663734 E-mail: mmmirembentangaare@gmail.com / mercy.ntangaare@mak.ac.ug

2.    Conference Co-Convener & Head of Department, DPAF Makerere:

Prof. Sylvia Antonia Nakimera Nannyonga-Tamusuza. E-mail: pafchair@gmail.com

3.    Other Committee members:

Coordinator, Music, DPAF;

Coordinator, Dance, DPAF;

Coordinator, Drama & Film, DPAF