On the edge, but right in the middle
By Astrid Rashed
In the Oderbruch region of Brandenburg, the local Theater am Rand, the Altreetz elementary school and the Brodowin eco-village have joined forces to expand the range of activities for disadvantaged young people in the region – supported by the Fonds Darstellende Künste as part of the GLOBAL VILLAGE KIDS program. The artistic director, actress Astrid Rashed, shares a few thoughts from the project.
Since the beginning of September, a total of 20 children and young people in various formations have been trying out and thinking about what theater is, can be and should be in the future for them here in the Oderbruch region.
Guests from many different areas have rehearsed improvisations and scenes with the group. Those working in music, movement, costumes and stage, text and action have come to develop, provide training in attentiveness and to test impact.
© Astrid Rashed
During an autumn camp in the second week of the school vacations, they not only cooked, ate, laughed and discussed and demonstrated loudly right through the village and all the way to the River Oder, but also developed a presentation that surprised and delighted not only the group but also the audience!
Afterwards, it was clear: This should and must continue. The children and young people had some demands:
We want to read and develop plays, rehearse, play, perform.
We want to amaze, entertain, confuse and inspire ourselves and our audience.
We want to be close to our topics, be inside the Oderbruch and call out to the world with what moves us.
And we want to attract many people here to the edge who have not yet found their way here.
Fortunately, the follow-up project can be continued over the next two years thanks to further funding from the GLOBAL VILLAGE KIDS program and we can look forward to the next results.
With GLOBAL VILLAGE KIDS, the Fonds Darstellende Künste supports projects at the interface of performing arts and cultural education in rural and digital spaces, financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of "Kultur macht stark. Bündnisse für Bildung."
The project "Rand in Sicht" (“Edge in Sight”) was carried out in fall 2023 in Oderbruch/Brandenburg with children and young people aged between 11 and 15.