Rural Inclusive Outdoor Theatre Education; Street theatre education methodology and network cooperation model in rural enviroment 2 Erasmus Project

Project Title

Rural Inclusive Outdoor Theatre Education; Street theatre education methodology and network cooperation model in rural enviroment 2

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Social dialogue; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The present project called “Rural Inclusive Outdoor Theatre Education 2” (RIOTE 2) ended in 31th August 2019 after 22 months of project time.

The partnership members were: Teatro Tascabile di Bergamo (Italy) Kud Ljud (Slovenia), SpecStreet Association (Hungary), Control Film Studio Association (Hungary; coordinator), Shoshin Theatre Association (Romania), Dartington (UK), and Take Art Limited (UK).

The project RIOTE 2 came from a previous project, called RIOTE what was 12 months and started in September 2016. Both projects were based on a knowledge and skills exchange between performing arts- organisations, which provide adult education through outdoor theatre, physical theatre or other cultural and adult educational practices in rural settlements. The project is at the same was trying to answer for the fallowing question: ‘How do we develop the reach of our adult educational activity, as arts organisation, so that we can connect with more of our target group?’

The project, RIOTE 2 used the experiences and outcomes of the previous project and developed them to produce three intellectual outputs 1. a Practical guide for outdoor theatre; 2. a Rural touring handbook; 3. a Film of outdoor theatre in rural environment. They were presented in each partner country within the frame of multiplier events.

One of the new partners comparing to the RIOTE project were Take Art Limited, which is a National Portfolio Organization in the UK. Take Art supported the partnership from the aspect of promotion of outdoor theatre in rural arias. Take Art was the lead in the research about theatre management in rural environment producing a handbook, as a resource of this competence receiving the support of the South-West Rural Touring Network Federation. The other new partner was SpecStreet from Hungary, an organization which greatly combines outdoor Commedia dell’Arte theatre techniques with adult education in geographically disadvantaged specially segregated locations, like their rural touring network in Borsod County in which frame also the Gipsystan Festival is organized.

1. The partnership exchanged outdoor theatre education methods through eight joint staff trainings, where each served the aim of exchange, implementation and dissemination and in the same time the creation of the common outputs. Their aim was to implement their knowledge and to create the handbooks and new methodology which has an innovative relevance on European level. The project’s main idea is that outdoor performing experiences and educational methods could offer an extraordinary support for theatre activities in rural areas was tested by three outdoor performances (as project outcomes: “The Feast”, “The Black Bull”, “The Confernece of Birds”) created by the partnership members and supported by their ideas and advices.

Outdoor performing adult education can revitalize culture in socially marginalized environments with proposing: dialogue approach; critical sociology by revealing social problems; interactive cultural exchange; collective education; development of multiple intelligence; trigger the visualization of social change; empowerment of the community; strong pedagogical aspect; collaborative process.
The implementation of the outdoor theatre competences and teaching methodology was tested in villages and in cities such as Bonchida, Torockó, Cluj-Napoca, Satumare, Oradea, Vlaha (Romania) and in Dunaszekcső, Zsámbék, Bermend, Zugló (Budapest), Homorogd, Kázsmárk (Hungary). In the cases of Vlaha/Fenes and Dunaszekcső, Kázsmárk and Homorogd the partnership realized the so called “barters” by this we mean a cultural exchange between professional artists and local people who offer their own folk songs, local history, or other unique skills.

2. The other aim was to understand the English model of the rural touring network and we started to implement their model of rural touring network in Hungary and in Romania. This is one of the element what made for us a sustainable project with a lasting impact.

The English partner, Take Art had a leader role in this area of research and Italian and Slovenian partners contributed to the outcome greatly with their long history of outdoor touring. This was offered to Hungarian and Romanian partners to help them establish a network in their own locality. Shoshin, Control and SpecStreet had a lead role in preparing a professional background of a similar network.
The project was presented in seven multiplier events at least once in every partner country, for details please visit the relevant page on our website: https://riote.org/multiplier-events/
The national networks are growing with the intention to meet in a long-term prospective creating the European Rural Touring Network. This prospective intends sustain in long term the outputs of the project giving space within also to outdoor theatre practices.

The project’s history and results please see on our website: www.riote.org

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 187320 Eur

Project Coordinator

Control Stúdió Filmegyesület & Country: HU

Project Partners

• Kud Ljud
• ASOCIATIA TEATRALA SHOSHIN
• The Dartington Hall Trust
• TTB Teatro tascabile di Bergamo – Accademia delle Forme Sceniche soc. coop. sociale
• TAKE ART LIMITED
• Utca-SzAK Színházi Alkotó Közösség Kulturális Egyesület