TEAM Educational Theatre Company is planning to bring Devotion by Leo Butler to South Africa in September 2009, funded by Culture Ireland. Devotion will be performed mostly at theatres and schools in townships near Cape Town and Johannesburg from September 7th - 19th, 2009.
TEAM produces theatre for children and young people, touring around Ireland every year to Primary and Post Primary schools. One new play a year is commissioned by TEAM to keep up to date with issues relevant to young people living in Ireland at present.
TEAM will also feature at the African Children and Youth Theatre Arena which will be hosted by ASSITEJ SA from September 17th - 20th September in Johannesburg.
Participants will be from the 15 African countries who are ASSITEJ members and representatives from some European countries will also be present. TEAM will perform for the conference and host a forum to discuss the issues raised by the play, and the differences between Theatre-in-Education in South Africa, Ireland and the other countries which will be represented at the conferences.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for us to exchange ideas about theatre and it's role in social change and conflict resolution. It will allow us to foster new international relationships in Africa and beyond which will benefit TEAM and the theatre sector in Ireland for many years to come," stated John Breen Artisitic Director of Team.
He added, "The subject matter of the play and the manner of the storytelling captivated our audiences here in Ireland. In south Africa we will be presenting it in communities where violence, although not now State Sponsored, is still a part of life. I am confident that the production will generate debate and provide unique insights for our audience and that the experience of presenting the play in this context will deepen and broaden TEAM's experience of theatre making."
Devotion by Leo Butler was originally produced in 2005 for a national tour of secondary schools and this new production will feature Aine Ni Laoghaire, Conrad Kemp and Carl Kennedy and is directed by John Breen. Design is by Ferdia Murphy and Musical Composition/Direction by Denis Clohessy.
Devotion by Leo Butler is a gritty, humorous and provocative piece of theatre about conflict and its impact on the lives of young children. In a landscape devastated by war, two children are refugees in their hometown. The enemy has no face and the children have no knowledge of how the conflict started or when it will all end. On the brink of maturity they are caught in confusions of gender, faith and identity," said Mr Breen.
