We have returned from Valencia with our backpacks full of lessons and experiences from what we experienced between May 15 and 18 at the 2024 Playwriting Meeting for Children and Youth, organized by ASSITEJ Spain, AVEET (Valencian Association of Writers and Theatre Writers), and the Teatre Escalante Performing Arts Centre.
The panel discussions and other parallel activities, such as presentations of new publications, took place at the Teatre Principal in Valencia. In one of the halls of the Ribes Espai Cultural, recently renovated after its renovation as a cultural space, we were able to enjoy the performance "Miedo Come Todo... sueños en vuelo" (Fear Eats Everything... Dreams in Flight) by the Mexican company Flores Teatro Danza. At the same venue, to close the event, we attended a dramatized reading of Mónica Hoth's text "Martina y los hombres pájaro" (Martina and the Birdmen), performed by students from the Valencia School of Dramatic Arts, directed by Carme Juan. A third venue was the SGAE Foundation, where the intergenerational drama workshop taught by Jokin Oregi took place.
Regarding the panel discussions, this time, a special focus was placed on the editing and dissemination of theatrical texts for children and young people. A publishing event focused on internationalization was held with publishers such as Ediciones Antígona (Spain), Los Textos de la Capilla (Mexico), Nick Hern Books (United Kingdom), Editions Koinè (France), and Lansman Editeur (Belgium).
We also proposed panel discussions on dramaturgy in other disciplines, such as dance, and on various aspects such as its presence in higher education drama schools and its research, among others.
The 2024 Children's and Youth Playwriting Conference demonstrated that many people are currently writing for younger audiences, producing high-quality works. Although these works don't always find publication, the conference sparked conversations and future plans between playwrights and the specialized publishers attending.
We believe this meeting has contributed to forging bonds of unity and collaboration among the various stakeholders in the sector, including authors, researchers, educators, and others, confirming the importance of pursuing this path together, in pursuit of a future in which the performing arts for children and youth are at the heart of cultural policies.
