Report from the ASSITEJ’S constitutional conference , Paris, 1965.
Paris, France (7th – 9th June, 1965)
ASSITEJ’S constitutional conference

The 1960s were marked by the impact of World War II as well as the political division caused by the Cold War. The desire to educate young people politically, historically and culturally through theatre was therefore enormous. Representatives of different countries were meeting at international festivals as early as 1957, in order to promote the idea of founding an international organisation. In May 1964, the provisional “Union Internationale du Théâtre pour l’Enfance et la Jeunesse” was proclaimed in London. The following year, the ASSITEJ International was born.

The constitutional conference in Paris in 1965 was attended by a total of 187 representatives from 26 countries. Together they agreed on the ASSITEJ’s principles and goals, and established the 3 official languages of association: French, English and Russian. Important figures during the early days of ASSITEJ included Konstantin Vladimir Adamek (Czechoslovakia), Leon Chancerel (France), Rose Marie Moudouès (France), Ilse Rodenberg (GDR), Konstantin Shakh-Azizov (USSR), and Gerald Tyler (Great Britain). All of them  were committed to theatre for young audiences, and actively participated in the development of ASSITEJ. In the following years they were honoured as honorary members of the ASSITEJ.

Programme for the 1st ASSITEJ World Congress in Prague, 1966.
Prague, Czechoslovakia (26th – 30th May, 1966)
1st ASSITEJ World Congress

The first international ASSITEJ World Congress was held in Prague in 1966 under the motto “Theatre, Children and Youth”. In total, more than 99 delegates from 29 states participated in the event. The congress was opened by Vladimir Adamek (founder of the ASSITEJ National Centre, Czechoslovakia) and the provisional president of the ASSITEJ, Gerald Tyler (Great Britain). It was also here that the first “Executive Committee”, the ASSITEJ’s most important decision-making body, was elected for the next two years. (The term “World Congress” was not used until the 1990 meeting in Stockholm, where it became the standard name for the International Congresses.)

Brochure “UNESCO and ASSITEJ”, National Commission of UNESCO USA, 1972.
Albany, New York, USA (18th – 25th June, 1972)
4th ASSITEJ World Congress

The 4th World Congress of ASSITEJ was divided into two parts, and took place in 1972 in Canada and the USA, under the motto “What is Creative Dramatics”. On this occasion, the brochure “UNESCO and ASSITEJ” was published, depicting the relationship between the two associations. It was the first congress organised outside Europe. The Congress was opened by the then President of ASSITEJ, Konstantin Shakh-Azizov (USSR). At the Congress, Nat Eek (USA) was appointed as Shakh-Azizov’s successor. In total, over 500 representatives from 25 nations attended the congress. The official invitation made it possible for many representatives from Eastern European countries to enter the USA for the first time.

Photograph of the opening of the 5th World Congress in East Berlin, 1975.
Berlin, GDR (19th – 26th April, 1975)
5th ASSITEJ World Congress

The 5th ASSITEJ World Congress was held in East Berlin in 1975.  A total of 36 countries, as well as various representatives of international theatre associations, took part. This year’s focus was on “Professional actors and school”.  The ASSITEJ also celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.

At this point, the world organisation was able to claim a broad variety of achievements, such as international festivals, workshops, publications, seminars, and so on. At the same time, the Cold War divide between Eastern and Western Europe was becoming increasingly noticeable. The ASSITEJ was also impacted by these circumstances. The World Congress in Berlin therefore set itself the goal of further promoting and strengthening communication and cooperation between the member countries.

Programme for the 5th ASSITEJ World Congress (German/French/Russian), 1975.
Berlin, GDR (19th – 26th April, 1975)
5th ASSITEJ World Congress

Report on the International Directors’ Seminar, conducted by the National Centre of the GDR, 1981.
Berlin, GDR (11th November, 1981)
6th International Directors’ Seminar on “Problems with Directing at Children’s and Youth Theatres”

From 1976 to 1989, the GDR’s ASSITEJ centre organised an annual international directors’ seminar for the performing arts for young audiences. Despite the “Iron Curtain”, this event enabled different directors shaped by different political influences to meet one another, and supported an international exchange for theatre practitioners. ASSITEJ Germany has organised the directors’ seminar since 1990, and it is still held every two years at different member theatres. In 2012, the title of the event changed to DIRECTORS IN TYA – An International Exchange.

Charter of the Children and Young People’s Theatre Centre in the Federal Republic of Germany, published on the 16th February 1989.

Frankfurt am Main, Germany (16th February 1989)

Foundation of the Children and Young People’s Theatre Centre in the Federal Republic of Germany (in German: Kinder- und Jugendtheaterzentrum in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany

The Children’s and Youth Theatre Centre in the Federal Republic of Germany was established in 1989 on the initiative of ASSITEJ Bundesrepublik Deutschland e.V. by the Federal Youth Ministry. At the inaugural meeting of the board of trustees, Jürgen Flügge (Chairman of ASSITEJ Germany) was elected the first chairman of the KJTZ, and Wolfgang Schneider was appointed as its founding director.

The former GDR ASSITEJ Centre’s “International Office” was instead established as one of the KJTZ’s project offices (Berliner Projektbüro), initially as a department for training and further education, before being used to support young theatre practitioners. Today, the project office also supports the selection process of the plays shown at the biennal AUGENBLICK MAL! theatre festival in Berlin, and is responsible for the on-site organisation of this major event.

Poster from the 1st Kinder- und Jugendtheatertreffen (Children’s and Youth Theatre Meeting) in Berlin, Germany, 1991.

Berlin, Germany (21st – 27th April, 1991)

1st Kinder- und Jugendtheatertreffen (German Children’s and Youth Theatre Meeting) (known as  “AUGENBLICK MAL! Festival” since 1995)

Photograph of the 1st Kinder- und Jugendtheatertreffen (1st Children’s and Youth Theatre Meeting) in Berlin, Germany, 1991 © Sigrun Janiel.

Berlin, Germany (21st – 27th April, 1991)

1st Kinder- und Jugendtheatertreffen (German Children’s and Youth Theatre Meeting) (known as  “AUGENBLICK MAL! Festival” since 1995)

Programme from the 1st Kinder- und Jugendtheatertreffen (Children’s and Youth Theatre Meeting) in Berlin, Germany, 1991.

Berlin, Germany (21st – 27th April, 1991)

1st Kinder- und Jugendtheatertreffen (German Children’s and Youth Theatre Meeting) (known as  “AUGENBLICK MAL! Festival” since 1995)

The 1st Deutsche Kinder- und Jugendtheatertreffen (German Children’s and Youth Theatre Meeting) took place in Berlin in 1991 under the patronage of the then Federal President, Richard von Weizäcker.

Ensembles from East and West Germany met for the first time. Given the ongoing German reunification process, the newly-founded Children and Young People’s Theatre Centre in the Federal Republic of Germany endeavoured to bring both theatre scenes closer together. Performance venues included the “GRIPS Theater” in former West Berlin, and the “Theater der Freundschaft” in the eastern part of the city.

Since then, the festival has fostered debates and discussions on a national and international level. It functions as the venue for the ASSITEJ Awards, ASSITEJ’s “Next Generation” programme, and the international “Artistic Gathering”, as well as serving as a platforming for various training seminars for Goethe-Institut staff from all over the world.

“The Formation of ASSITEJ” by Ann M. Shaw, ASSITEJ Annual 1996/97. Yearbook of Theatre for Children and Young People, 1996.

One Theatre World Symposium (ASSITEJ USA), Seattle Children´s Theatre, Seattle, Washington, USA (10th May, 1995)

30th Anniversary of ASSITEJ International

The ASSITEJ Executive Committee met in 1995 during the One Theatre World Symposium in Seattle, USA. At the same time, the World Association celebrated its 30th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Ann M. Shaw (ASSITEJ USA) wrote the first ever chronicle about the ASSITEJ, giving an insight into the development of the ASSITEJ International between 1965 and 1995. The chronicle describes the difficult period during the Cold War, up to the modernisation of the association, throughout new initiatives and international exchanges. The chronicle was published in the yearbook of ASSITEJ 1996/97.

Poster of the 14th ASSITEJ World Congress in Seoul, 2002.

Seoul, South Korea ( 20th – 26th July, 2002)

14th ASSITEJ World Congress

In July 2002, the 14th ASSITEJ World Congress was held in Seoul, on the theme of “Why and How to Mix Tradition and Technology”. This was the first World Congress to be held in Asia. With over 700 representatives from abroad and 300 from Korea, it was the largest congress to date. More than 30 performances from Argentina, China, Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Spain and Sweden were on show at the event.

Discovering a New Audience for Theatre. The History of ASSITEJ Vol. I (1964-1975), Nat Eek, Sunstone Press, New Mexico, 2008.

In 2002, Nat Eek (ASSITEJ USA) began writing a 3-volumed chronicle about the history of the ASSITEJ. The first part was published in 2008, covering the first 11 years since the ASSITEJ was founded. In 2011 and 2014 the other two volumes were published, which cover the time period up until the year 2005. Nat Eek has been an active member since the foundation of ASSITEJ, and held the position of president of the International ASSITEJ between 1972 and 1975. The chronicle begins with the first preparatory meeting in 1957, and traces the development of the ASSITEJ up until the World Congress in Canada in 2005. Throughout the three volumes, Nat Eek documents all the major events and activities of ASSITEJ up to that time, including the individual meetings of the “Executive Committee”, the international congresses, and the various achievements and setbacks of the ASSITEJ International. He also includes his own personal observations. A unique feature of the chronicle is that Eek always considers the development of ASSITEJ in the context of global political events. He discusses, for example, the history of international bloc politics, the wars in Yugoslavia, and the war in Iraq, as well as the influence of these particular political events on the work of the ASSITEJ International.

Expanding the New Audience for Theatre. The History of ASSITEJ Vol. II (1976-1990), Nat Eek, Sunstone Press, New Mexico, 2011.

Maintaining the New Audience for Theatre, The History of ASSITEJ Vol. III (1991-2005), Nat Eek, Sunstone Press, New Mexico, 2014.

Video with messages from various ASSITEJ representatives on the 50th anniversary of ASSITEJ, 2015. (7:39 min. )

Berlin, Germany (April 21 – 26, 2015)

13. AUGENBLICK MAL! Festival/ ASSITEJ Artistic Gathering

The 50th anniversary of ASSITEJ was celebrated in 2015 during the 13th “AUGENBLICK MAL! Festival” in Berlin. On this occasion, the exhibition“MOVEMENTS” was on view at different locations in Berlin. The exhibition provided impulses to discuss the history and future of theatre for young audiences. The exhibition on the history of ASSITEJ was accompanied by discurse formats of the ASSITEJ Artistic Gathering.

Report on the 19th ASSITEJ World Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, 2017.

Cape Town, South Africa (17 – 27 May 2017)

19. ASSITEJ World Congress /Cradle ofCreativity Performing Arts Festival

The 19th ASSITEJ World Congress was held in Cape Town, South Africa in 2017. It was the first international congress to be held in an African country. The theme was “One Step Beyond: Intercultural Exchange”. Among other things, the focus was on providing insights into theatre for young audiences from Africa and on strengthening cooperation and infrastructures. The report uses statistics to provide an overview of the organisation, implementation and feedback on the ASSITEJ World Congress in South Africa.

The ASSITEJ Magazine Online – In Search of New Ways to the International Young Audience (assitejonline.org)

Bibu ASSITEJ. Leave no one behind. The Online ASSITEJ Magazine.

Tokyo/Nagano, Japan (March 22 – April 1, 2021)

20. ASSITEJ World Congress / MIRAI 2020

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 20th ASSITEJ World Congress was postponed for one year and could not be held in person. Therefore, the congress and the festival took place virtually. In total, over 1100 visitors from 75 different countries took part in the event. During the crisis, online alternatives were jointly sought to maintain the visibility of theatre for young audiences. For example, the ASSITEJ Online Magazine was launched during the congress. On our website, articles, interviews, photos, and videos are regularly uploaded to give an insight into the ASSITEJ’s international cooperations.

Poster for the 21. ASSITEJ World Congress in Havana, Cuba, 2024.

Havanna, Cuba (May 24 – June 1 2024)

21. ASSITEJ World Congress

The 21. World Congress was held from 24 May to 1 June in Havana, Cuba. The theme was “Voces de un Mundo Nuevo” (Voices of a new World). The General Assembly of ASSITEJ International elected a new Executive Commitee for the term from 2024 to 2027.

The next Artistic Gathering will take place in Nantes, France in 2025.