FOSTERING a new generation of artists across the country

Stages Theatre Group, together with Kindernothilfe Sri Lanka, initiated a programme of theatre workshops to teach children artistic, creative and critical thinking skills that are outside the school curriculum. The programme works by connecting artists with schools and students who are invited to participate free of charge. Our aim is to help children learn, cope and become resilient through creativity and introduce teachers to new and creative teaching methods.

Currently we have 10 child and youth workshops running in various parts of Sri Lanka. The lead artists in charge of the workshops are for the most part native to the areas they are working in. Each artist brings a unique style and discipline, but what they all have in common is the practice of devised theatre, the employment of a child-led approach, high quality training and a firm committed to the long-term continuity of the workshops. We believe that investing in the arts and nurturing creative expression in children is essential for the growth and well-being of our society. It is critical to close the widening gap in general awareness, creativity, critical-thinking skills, and self-expression.

Our workshop programme Connects artists to schools and communities in order to conduct workshops for children, providing them with the space and platform to creatively express themselves and voice their opinions. The workshops are typically conducted over a period of three to twelve months (with the possibility to extend). During that time, the artists train the children to write, design, devise, act and produce original pieces of theatre, which is showcased to an audience of their families, teachers and the wider community.

Exposure to critical arts pushes children to reflect on themselves and the world around them. It may not provide the money they need to go to school, or any security from having to take a job; but it does offer each child, the freedom to think for themselves, confidence to speak their concerns, a hunger for justice and the imagination to dream of a better world for themselves.