ricca ricca*festa 2016 Event Report

Through the connections gained from this event, we have a possibility to build strong collaborations and long-term partnerships with professional TYA practitioners.
Nouth Phouthavongsa (Laos)

The Asian TYA Network aims to understand the current situation of TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) in East/Southeast Asia and to connect TYA professionals towards promoting TYA in Asia while developing long-term relationships and co-operation across countries.

As representatives of our country, we were recommended to participate in this event by Mr. Hiroshi Uchida, Director of the Japan Foundation to Lao PDR in Vientiane.

The ATYA network and ricca ricca festa was an opportunity for us to build connections, collaborate and exchange ideas about TYA in our home country to develop TYA in the future. We were able to observe and experience many things:

  • TYA performances from Japan, East Asia, Southeast Asia and Europe which includes: Good Night Sleep Tight, The Dream of a Yellow Sock, Petites Furies, Guji Guji, The Story of the Little Gentleman, NOX, Destiny, SAND SONG, LEO, Faithful Elephants, A Mano (BY HAND), OKINAWA SANSAN, raw, GABEZ Show, Les Moutons, TARO - Parade of Life, Uncle Shiro’s One-Man Show, and Baby Space.
  • We also had opportunities to network with many professionals such as Directors, Artistic Directors, Artists and Performers specializing in various forms of TYA performances from Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia.
    Through the exchanges and personal presentations, we gained a better picture of the situation of TYA from other countries. We also had an opportunity to present our work and the culture of Laos to ATYA participants from around the world.
  • Observe the challenges and solutions to conduct large-scale festivals specifically catered for young audiences and run it smoothly.
  • We were exposed to a huge variety of new kinds of theatre, which is in stark contrast to the traditional performances and shows we’re used to. The concept of theatre for babies, in particular, was something we had never experienced before.
  • We had the opportunity to explore Naha city and interact with the friendly local people. We have never ridden on a monorail before, so doing so for the first time was both a wonderful and frightening experience.

Asian TYA Network

After ricca ricca festa, we are still keeping in touch with our fellow participants through Facebook and email. We hope that more people will join and grow this meaningful network.

Through the connections gained from this event, we have a possibility to build strong collaborations and long-term partnerships with professional TYA practitioners. In the future, we hope that we will be able to present our country’s traditional dance or puppet troupes at this festival.

On behalf of our respective departments and ministries, we would like to extend our gratitude to the organizers of ricca ricca festa and the Japan Foundation for inviting us to participate and observe the festival. We believe we will be here again next year.

Best regards,

Nouth Phouthavongsa

Head of Research
Department of Performing Arts, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Lao PDR.
www.laos-puppetry.weebly.com

  • Asian TYA Network
  • Asian TYA Network
Participant at ricca ricca*festa
Nouth Phouthavongsa
Laos
Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
Performing Arts Department
Participant at ricca ricca*festa