Launch of Edinburgh International Children's Festival, Imaginate

Launch of Edinburgh International Children's Festival, Imaginate.

Transcript

00:00Okay, I'm Noel Jordan. I'm the Festival Director of the Edinburgh International Children's

00:07Festival, which is hosted by IMAGIN8 here in Edinburgh.

00:12And it's the festival launch today, Noel. Can you tell us a little bit about what we're

00:15going to expect this year?

00:16Yeah, okay, I will. It's our 35th edition. We have 13 productions from seven different

00:22countries and it really does feature the best that the world has to offer in theatre and

00:26dance for children and young people.

00:29And what are the highlights of the program this year?

00:31Yeah, well, I like to think everything is a highlight, but we have a particular focus

00:35or a spotlight on Flanders, which although it's a tiny region, it really does punch above

00:41its weight in terms of producing some of the most exciting and dynamic work for young audiences.

00:47So this year we have four productions from Flanders.

00:50Fantastic. And I know you're holding events sort of all over Edinburgh this year. And

00:55the idea is to kind of get children into the theatre who may not usually do that. How does

01:00that sort of impact them? And how does it help them sort of create a lifelong love of

01:05theatre?

01:06Okay, so we have lots of programs where we particularly work in areas of deprivation,

01:12and that's particularly through our schools program where we might offer free bus subsidy

01:16transport, because that is a big cost, is actually getting kids from schools into theatres.

01:23And I like to think of coming to the festival as like a step one, it opens minds and imaginations.

01:29It's really, there was a study done in New York about the impact of the arts on young

01:34people's lives. And the number one takeaway was aspiration. So you're introducing concepts,

01:42cultures, narratives, you know, just environments that are new and outside children's realm

01:48of imagination sometimes. And that is this beginning of an aspiration for life and what

01:55they might do with their own lives. And I know very much for me growing up in suburban

02:00Melbourne, that was my case. I was in a very sporty family, and the arts was my kind of

02:06ticket to a wider world and going, you know what, anything is possible if you set your

02:10heart and mind on it. And you kind of, you know, you do need to be driven and have, sometimes

02:17it's just a doorway that's opening up for you.

02:20Fantastic. And this is your last festival after about 10 years in the post, is that right?

02:25You're heading back to Australia.

02:26I am going home. Look, I originally came on a five-year working visa, which expired during

02:31COVID, and Australia sealed its borders. And, you know, I didn't have any sense of how long

02:36I would stay, but sealing Australia's borders meant I couldn't go home. So, you know, next

02:42minute it's 10 years later. And, you know, it is my home, and I had always intended to

02:49go back. I don't know what I'll do next, but this has been one of the best jobs of my entire

02:55career. I worked at Sydney Opera House, and that's what brought me to the Children's

02:59Festival in the first place as an international delegate. And then to run it for 10 years

03:05has just been a gift. It's been an honour. And, yeah, I look forward to seeing what that

03:10next chapter might be for the new person coming into the role.

03:14Thank you very much.

03:15Pleasure.