OPENDOEK makes a conscious effort to look beyond borders. International exchange brings fresh inspiration and helps performers from different cultures and traditions discover the value of diversity. Bringing people together across borders however, is not always straightforward.
Louder Together showed this all too clearly: groups from Argentina, India, Kenya, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire had to withdraw, one after another. Sometimes travel costs were too high; more often, visas proved an insurmountable barrier.
Yet every continent was represented in Antwerp. Volunteers came from Zimbabwe and Guatemala, Teaching Artists from Ghana and the Philippines. We welcomed the ambassadors of China, Czechia and New Zealand. Youth theatre groups from Hong Kong, Finland, the United States, Ukraine and New Zealand brought new stories and theatrical languages. During the Directors’ Forums, theatre-makers discussed these with one another and shared the challenges they face in their home countries.
Louder Together built on the World Festival of Children’s Theatre, which began in Lingen, Germany, in 1990 and has travelled the world every two years ever since. In Antwerp, OPENDOEK brought a fresh approach to this tradition: young people took centre stage alongside children, and the festival looked beyond performances alone. Workshops, debates, concerts and open mics were also part of the programme.
For the first time, an international conference for Teaching Artists was held alongside the festival. These artists bring their practice into education, youth work, care and wellbeing, and shared their expertise through the festival workshops. In turn, more than 200 young performers paraded through DE SINGEL with percussion instruments to help celebrate the opening of ITAC8.
AITA/IATA, the International Amateur Theatre Association, connects amateur theatre organisations and theatre-makers worldwide, encouraging knowledge-sharing and collaboration. During Louder Together, its General Assembly took place in the historic Museum Vleeshuis, bringing together representatives from different countries to discuss the organisation’s work and future.
But the international network could be felt throughout the festival: at ITAC8, in the festival centre, at performances, over the networking dinner and in informal conversations. These are the moments when ideas cross paths and the seeds of future collaborations are planted.
AITA Youth was there too. Young people from Finland, New Zealand, Ukraine, Germany, Italy and Lithuania acted as buddies for visiting national groups, supported social media activities, and hosted introductions and post-show discussions. AITA Youth was invaluable to Louder Together, both for the young people involved and for the festival team. Every new thread strengthens the fabric. These young people not only represent their own countries and cultures, but also bring different experiences together, gaining lifelong skills alongside unforgettable friendships.
Louder Together was just one event within OPENDOEK’s international work, but it brought together years of knowledge-sharing and offered everyone involved opportunities and inspiration for the future. We connected artists from Flanders and Brussels with an extensive international performing arts network. Links with Teaching Artistry and part-time arts education, alongside the many exchanges with policymakers and local organisations, also generated countless ideas for the future.
This takes partners. Louder Together could count on JINT, Erasmus+ and EPOS for international exchange and youth participation, as well as support from Antwerp and Flanders. This support is essential to reducing the financial and administrative barriers to international collaboration.
Louder Together showed that international collaboration takes effort, but brings rich rewards. Different voices offer fresh perspectives, young people take on responsibility, and international networks forge connections that last beyond a single festival.
The world is not a village. Distances, borders, costs and regulations remain. Yet they need not stop us from reaching out to one another. Coming together takes effort, but it broadens our perspectives - and our practice.
Relive Louder Together? You can.
Pictures by © Luca Depuydt
