Oxford Youth Arts International

19-28 July 2012

www.pegasustheatre.org.uk

MeshProduced by Pegasus in partnership with

The North Wall Arts Centre

Theatre can transform lives. Pegasus wholeheartedly believes this. Pegasus is a place where children and young people, professional artists and local people meet, share stories and make theatre.

We have the responsibility to give young people the tools to explore who they are, what power they have and what their role could be in a rapidly changing world.

The three Pegasus Youth Theatre Companies specialise in theatre, dance and technical theatre and are open to 14-19 year olds. Each member is supported in developing leadership qualities leading projects, mentoring younger groups and developing tutoring skills.

Mental health is a growing issue for young people – what it means, how it affects us and what we can do about it.

These new performances take different approaches to understand this wide subject.

UK (Oxford) Double Bill

The Listeners + Stuck‘The Listeners’, by Mojisola Adebayo in collaboration with The Samaritans and Pegasus Youth Theatre Company, is set in England in 2017. Teenager Magz has survived an apocalyptic event and is locked in a bedroom communicating only by internet. Desperately lonely and in need of intimacy, Magz orders a Listener, from a support website who turn up

at the door.

‘Stuck’ is a new dance performance by Pegasus Youth Dance Company

that delves into the effects of the mental conditions of agoraphobia and claustrophobia. Using a series of abstract journeys they explore the emotions, tensions and stresses through evocative movement.

Welcome to Mesh 2012 – what better way to celebrate the Olympic

spirit that is pouring into the UK this summer than with Oxford’s

very own Youth Arts International. Now in its second year, Mesh

is produced by Pegasus in partnership with The North Wall Arts

Centre. It is co-planned, hosted and run with, by and for young

people and is a landmark event in the Oxford calendar!

Mesh brings together young people and professional artists from

around the world in a 10 day celebration of electric performances,

workshops and debates. Come and experience their energy,

thoughts and creativity in performances: a dramatic depiction of

life in Baghdad today (IRAQ); the effects of phobias and loneliness

in an evocative double-bill (OXFORD); medieval stories with human

like animals (GRENOBLE); old tales of kidnapped travellers on misty

roads (LEIDEN); the search for love and adventure (BONN) and

Thai national epic, ‘Ramakein’ looks at what is the duty of mankind

(THAILAND).

Join us at Pegasus or The North Wall to see 160 talented young

people in action plus an outdoor procession and a thrilling finale,

a modern adaptation of Aristophanes ‘The Birds’ at the Newman

Rooms.

Yasmin Sidhwa

Director, Mesh - Oxford Youth Arts International

Welcome to Mesh 2012

Pegasus Youth Theatre Companies

DATE: Friday 20 July TIME: 4.30pm & 8.30pmVENUE: Pegasus COST: £7 full price, £5 concessions

Créarc with Bayard Théâtre GroupCréarc runs an international youth theatre festival and network Rencontre du Jeune Théâtre Européen as well as creating productions, hosting residencies and performances and other cultural projects.

Collège Bayard has been one of Créarc’s partners for several years. The Group’s strength is the diversity of its membership. Some of them are new to theatre, while others have been developing their theatre skills over time. But all of them are taking the opportunity to discover themselves, through theatre.

France (Grenoble) and UK (Leeds) Double Bill

The Fox’s TaleFox’s Tale (le Roman de Renart), is

a collection of medieval French narratives from the 12th and

13th centuries. The characters are animals with human characteristics and voices representing medieval society. The play is a satire on the behaviour of the ruling classes: the inability of society to feed the ‘little’ people; a parody on courtly romance; highlighting

corruption in established religion and society as a whole.

DATE: Saturday 21 July TIMES: 4.30p & 8.30pm

VENUE: The North Wall Arts Centre PrICES: £7 full price, £5 concessions

The Dance Company The Dance Company is a school based in Leeds set up by ex- Pegasus Youth

Theatre Company (dance) member Raymond Pelekamoyo. It works by helping dancers become the best they can

be through technique and character development. Each of the 30 dancers has their own unique

style of dance and has trained with founding members of Phoenix Dance and Avant Garde. In its first two months it has been noticed internationally by schools such as Millennium Dance Complex in the USA. The group coming to Mesh are talented, young and energetic and full of character some of whom are already connected with major dance organisations in the UK from contemporary to

Beatbox and hip hop.

ReasonIs reason simply the angel and devil on your shoulders? Focusing on different meanings for the word ‘Reason’, inspired by poems and other writings on the subject, this piece takes you on a journey composed of religion, love, human nature and emotions. Do animals have reason? What is Reason? Follow the dancers on a voyage of discovery and self understanding.

BPlusCBPlusC is a group of dance students from the centre for arts and culture in Leiden.

Some of the students aspire to be professional dancers but most dance for fun. The group is made up of a range of students from different classes many of whom are experienced dancers.

The aim of the dance education at BplusC is to pass on the love of dance and theatre to the young students.

The Netherlands (Leiden) and Croatia (Sisak) Double Bill

Witte WievenAccording to old Dutch beliefs the witte wieven (white women)

appeared as mists in the fields and captured lonely travelers who were never to be seen again. In the piece the witte

wieven stands for the unspoken thoughts of the nine female dancers, aged between 14 and 19. The

choreography is inspired by a Dutch piano piece “canto ostinato” by Simeon Holt which is said to have changed the lives of some of its listeners. The dancers (who will also act and sing) and audience will be confronted with the dilemma of adapting to the rules of society or breaking out without caring about what’s right and wrong. The result will be an entertaining piece that will provide food for thought.

Sisak Theatre - Drama Youth Studio & Young DaskaThe Drama Youth Studio was founded in 1950 as part of Sisak’s professional theatre. It currently has around 70 students, varying in age from elementary to high school. The group came to Mesh last year with the play “And you, how are you?” by prizewinning authors Nebojsa and Damir Borojevic.

Daska Theatre has won numerous prizes at festivals in Croatia, former Yugoslavia and Europe. In 2000 ‘Daska’ was nominated for the award for best ensemble at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, by The Stage. Daska uses educational dramatic work to bring young people together in their own independent space called Daskaliste.

The Girl Who Hates To Be LateThis performance was made over a year and looks at violence in relationships. It has been inspired by true events, but the authors of the show (all present participants) together with the leader and director Nebojsa Borojevic, created their own version of the story. Using improvisation and devising techniques this cautionary tale interweaves true stories with fictional accounts creating a new theatrical work reflecting life around us. Performed in English.

DATE: Sunday 22 July TIME: 4.30pm & 8.30pm

VENUE: Pegasus PrICE: £7 Full price, £5 concessions

Finale and Street Theatre

Human Rights and Young People’s Mental Health

DATE: Sunday 22 JulyTIME: 1.30-3.30pm

VENUE: The North Wall Arts CentrePrICE: Free (booking required)

World events and the everyday stresses that young people live through around the world can profoundly affect their emotional and mental wellbeing. This debate fronted by a human rights and mental health expert and one of the young leaders from the Pegasus Youth Theatre Companies will kick off proceedings by presenting two views for discussion.

International participants and the general public are invited to take part in a facilitated discussion and give feedback on the general view from different cultures and share ideas addressing these issues through creativity and the arts.

Supported by Nick Peters (International Education Officer, Oxfordshire County Council) and Creative Junction

The Grand Debate

Aristophanes’ play ‘The Birds’, first performed in Athens in 414BC, is a comic and political satire that is as relevant today as it was when he wrote it all those years ago.

Two friends, sick of debts, taxes, cuts and a life that is too much of a struggle, leave the city and go in search of the fabled kingdom of the birds - a place that they hope will be paradise on earth. They encounter the worlds of the birds and the Gods, where cultures, nationalities, languages and species meet. Can animals, humans and Gods co-exist? Can they create their own utopia or is this an impossible dream?

Created during Mesh by all the young people from Oxford and the International visiting countries. This finale performance brings together a cast of 160 young people and marks the end of Mesh – Oxford Youth Arts International for 2012. A fitting international celebration of nations, cultures and young people in the UK’s Olympic year.

The Birds – Aristophanes a modern adaptation

Date: Saturday 28 JulyStreet Theatre: 5pm-6pm

Finale: 7pm-9pmVenue: The Newman rooms,

rose Place, St. Aldates, Oxford OX1 1rDPrices: £7 full price, £5 concessions

Bertolt Brecht GesamtschuleThe Dance group from Bertolt Brecht Comprehensive

School are young people between 14 and 17 years of age who already have some theatre and dance

experience. They all have strong personalities and enjoy moving and developing ideas

together with their choreographer.

Principally our way of working is to improvise and then to structure a performance from these ideas.

Germany (Bonn) and Iraq (Baghdad) Double Bill

Lola RunsInspired by a German film of the same name by Tom Twyker, the theme focuses on adventures taken by young people in their search for love and new realities. This dance- theatre piece is performed by ten students of the Bertolt- Brecht- Gesamtschule, Bonn who developed the choreography with Simona Furlani using modern dance, theatre and improvisation.

DATE: Tuesday 24 JulyTIMES: 4.30pm & 8.30pm

VENUE: The North Wall Arts CentrePrICES: £7 full price, £5 concessions

Teatro di Nascosto – Hidden Theatre (Volterra, Italy), co-founded and directed by Annet Henneman, makes theatre reportage. Annet has worked and lived with refugees and the homeless living the day-to-day consequences of war, oppression and great poverty around the world. Her journalistic theatre voices the true stories of people whom society does not, cannot or will not hear. Voices of Baghdad are young Iraqi citizens telling stories of growing up in Iraq and living in the “prison” of Baghdad today.

Voices of BaghdadOn 31st October 2010 Our Lady of Salvation Catholic Church in Baghdad became the bloody scene of yet another explosion leaving 58 people dead. In October 2011, in the building opposite that church, four young Iraqi actors, under the direction of Annet Henneman, rehearsed for a performance of theatre reportage that tells of the violence that does not stop in their city against Christians, Muslims, soldiers and civilians.

Teatro di Nascosto – Hidden Theatre

Thailand (Pathum Thani) and Russia (Perm) Double Bill

CRUSHPerm CRUSH Dance Centre was founded in 2003. It works with more than 30 modern dance styles: street and hip-hop, club-dance, ballet, exotic dance, dance fitness and contemporary dance. CRUSH has no age

limits for dancers or requirements for special training. Most dancers are students and young

people.

CRUSH groups perform in Perm all year round, the centre organizes concerts in Perm and dance

championships. CRUSH is a prize-winning participant in All-Russia dance championships.

Moradokmai Theatre TroupeMoradokmai pupils aged from 12 years old, learn

traditional Thai theatre, music and dance and Western art forms, along with self-sufficiency - growing their own crops, cooking their own food, building their own shelters and living a simple communal way of life - while embracing artistic innovation. Moradokmai Theatre Troupe are taking part in Mesh despite the fact that their premises were destroyed in the

floods following the tsunami of last year.

Duty is DutyInspired by the Thai national epic ‘Ramakien’, this interactive contemporary musical where all actors

are also musicians, tells the story of Mayarap the giant

warrior. When Todsakan the great giant refuses

to surrender the kidnapped queen Sida to her husband Prince Rama, Mayarap decides that he must ignore his pride even when facing his own destruction and fights on alone.

DATE: Wednesday 25 JulyTIMES: 4.30pm & 8.30pm

VENUE: PegasusPrICES: £7 full price, £5 concessions

Dependence and IndependenceIn the modern world man appears to be dependent on

technologies: telephone, Internet, TV, computer etc. They begin to govern the mind. We forget natural

sounds like waves on the ocean, the crunch of snow underfoot, dripping water, silence… What

is most scaring: technology will become more and more sophisticated and supplant live personal interaction.

Welcome to Mesh 2012. One of our main priorities as young leaders of this International event is to ensure that everyone taking part has the opportunity to show off their talents and to be creative

with people from different backgrounds and countries.

The idea of Mesh is to experience 10 days of cultural diversity through dancing, acting,

technical theatre and production, writing and film making; creating a showcase of every participant’s ideas and thoughts throughout the festival.

In the year that the Olympic Games are taking place in the UK we hope to increase the awareness of international relations and the principles of freedom, respect, equality and dignity for participants and audiences.

You can watch international groups perform in an exciting array of dance and drama shows from around the world as well as discuss your ideas in an interactive Grand Debate focusing on Human Rights and young people’s Mental Health.

We’re looking forward to seeing you at Mesh 2012!

Maddison Ball and Manon Franklin-Fraiture

Mesh Planning Committee

Meet the Mesh Planners What is Mesh?

Mesh 2012 seeks to be bigger, better and more thrilling than its first year and will coincide with

and compliment the celebration of the highly

anticipated London Olympic Games. As in 2011, Mesh will offer participants the chance to perform and watch each other’s productions alongside the general public who they are equally aimed at. Participants will work creatively to present this year’s finale which will be an original and international modern adaptation of Aristophanes’ ‘The Birds’ to be performed at the Newman Rooms in Oxford City Centre.

Mesh also gives performers and spectators a chance to develop a greater understanding of what they are participating in. Each performance is discussed and debated which enables the performers to express their understanding of their own piece and for spectators to identify more with what they have seen.

Mesh isn’t just about performing and individual merit; it’s about creating new bonds through international friendship and fraternity. In such a short space of time it’s amazing to see how groups from across the world can overcome language barriers and cultural differences to create a high quality finale – we feel that this speaks volumes about the event and all the young people involved. Mesh is about connecting young people from different cultures through the arts, creating a catalyst for greater cultural understanding and tolerance, and is an opportunity for young people to be in leadership roles, opening pathways for a brighter future.

James Roberts and Kema Daley

Mesh Planning Committee

Calendar

Date/Time Shows Country Venue

Friday 20 July The Listeners UK (Oxford) Pegasus4.30pm & 8.30pm Stuck

Saturday 21 July Reason UK (Leeds) The North Wall4.30pm & 8.30pm The Fox’s Tale France (Grenoble)

Sunday 22 July The Grand Debate The North Wall1.30pm Human Rights and Young People’s Mental Health

Sunday 22 July Witte Wieven The Netherlands (Leiden) Pegasus4.30pm & 8.30pm The Girl who Hates Croatia (Sisak) to be Late

Tuesday 24 July Lola Runs Germany (Bonn) The North Wall4.30pm & 8.30pm Voices of Baghdad Iraq (Baghdad)

Wednesday 25 July Duty is Duty Thailand (Pathum Thani) Pegasus4.30pm & 8.30pm Dependence and Russia (Perm) Independence

Saturday 28 July Street Theatre International cast Oxford City Centre5pm and Procession

Saturday 28 July The Birds International cast The Newman Rooms7pm

Mesh Oxford Youth Arts International has been supported by The Oxford International Link and:

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission and British Council.This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the European Commission and British Council cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

Booking infoTickets can be purchased online, by telephone or in person at the venues one hour before the shows

Pegasus, Magdalen Road, Oxford OX4 1RE

Booking line 01865 812 150

www.pegasustheatre .org.uk

Opening hours Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 8pm

The North Wall Arts Centre, South Parade, Oxford, OX2 7NN

Booking line 01865 319 450

www.thenorthwall.com

Opening hours Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm

Information in this guide is correct at the time of publishing. Please ring or check online for the latest information.

Pegasus Theatre Trust is a registered charity no. 1055305