How did this grant contribute to the realization of your project in regard to artistic exchange, local cultural development and/or the promotion of cultural diversity?

I was invited to a three weeks artist-in-residency program as the cultural and art manager of Irbid Art Theatre Troupe. We wished to expand our professional network with Danish theaters and ASSITEJ Denmark and to learn new methods to work with our target group. ASSITEJ is the umbrella organisation working with children theater. We use the tools of theater to work with children with Jordanian and refugee backgrounds from Syria, Iraq and Palestine. The field of Danish theater is well known for their work with children and refugees to create social cohesion. Previously we worked with a Danish organisation C:NTACT. We were invited by ASSITEJ to get introduced to other theaters. Through the residency program we meet artists but we also got spent a week of theater training. We achieved new and strong partnerships with some theaters in Denmark. Hopefully these partnerships will be fruitful and we will be able to find new ways and methods to start new initiatives in Irbid, Jordan.

How does exchange, networking and international contacts contribute to the development of your artistic and cultural project?

We were welcomed by many theatres who would like to have more interaction with our theatre troupe in Irbid. We made connections especially with two theatres and exchanged good workshop and theatre experience with others. When I returned we had a board meeting with the board members of the troupe. We discussed about the festival outcomes and discussed the possibility to put in some elements that we observed in the festival during our work. We as a troupe have subsequently invited ASSITEJ Denmark and their affiliated theatres to Jordan. We offered them our network to find sites, target groups and partners for any creative projects with Jordanian and Syrian youth which they responded with great interest.

Can you elaborate on the learning and knowledge you have gained and shared throughout this experience?

One of the aspects that suprised and inspired me and my colleagues was how to use simple theatre methods to produce theatre for children. In Jordan, the production of theatre is costly due to a theatre tradition that is demanding. I attended workshops and, with other artists, we produced work to evoke children’s fantasy and youngster’s innovation by simple means. I saw how school buildings, asylum centres were turned into theatres and how interactive theatre can be used in such spaces.

Please indicate a link to your current work (website/facebook page)

https://web.facebook.com/ArtTheaterTroupe/