small gazes
The territory of Bergamo is rich in theatre companies working for children, but one particular age group, the one ranging from 1 to 4 years, is scarcely taken into account.
Among different languages, the theatre is one of the most complete and nourishing: it is an actual multimedia landscape where words interact with gestures, sounds, feelings and different kinds of situations, able to convey both reality and fiction. It is a language that even the very first childhood can easily experience, drawing upon a large repository of skills and crucial interactions for the upbringing and development.
As a TYA company, we introduced a program of courses and productions addressed to the age group 1 – 4 years, named “Piccoli Sguardi” (Small Gazes).
Teatro Prova decided to take on a specific project addressed to the early years, working on workshops and productions addressed to them.
In 2014 inside our main programme Giocarteatro, Teatro Prova created a special sub-programme named Piccoli Sguardi with shows addressed to children aged 1-4.
On these particular events, the program and the venue turn into another place, able to meet the very small children’s needs: the shows are staged in the morning and in the afternoon; a corner is set up for breast-feeding, with an arm-chair and a changing table; shows are staged in spaces which are usually for audiences and not on stage, in order to facilitate visibility and proximity; lights are set ad hoc.
Teatro Prova hosts shows from other associations and companies and produces specific shows addressed to this age group.
In tandem with the programme, since 2015 Teatro Prova has organized and managed workshops addressed to children aged 1-4 and their families.
Duet
Produced with La Baracca Testoni Ragazzi, suitable for young international audiences ranging from 1 to 4 years old.
It is a project built around the theme of the creative use of technology with childhood.
The focus is on the child and his/her education to creative freedom.
The goal is to contribute to the development of an interaction between child and technology / art / creativity.
Eyes Up
To keep investigating the interaction child-technology- art and creativity, Eyes Up deals with drones and robots, or at least the ones of “domestic” usage, whereas Duet is meant to explore the world of the tablet and its applications.
Digital natives constantly confront with technologies in their daily experiences in lots of different domains: playing, education, their first relations, their first approach to information. An aware and correct use of such technology is needed to prevent damages to health and other forms of danger for the early childhood. For this reason, Eyes Up tries to investigate DDs on a creative and open-minded perspective, aware of the risks they can cause on the one hand and confident in the unavoidable overwhelming presence they have established on the other.
Creativity and art can help restoring a balance in order to deal with new languages.
BoboBoo is our work under the co-direction of Daryl Beeton.
