Children's arts festival to tackle climate change, racism and the horrors of war

Theatre, storytelling, circus, dance, music, puppetry and magic to be performed

Shows tackling the impact of climate change, racial discrimination and global conflicts are to be showcased when the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival this year.

Productions inspired by the origins of humankind, silent cinema, the geography of the Cairngorm mountains, cultural differences, and human discoveries and inventions will unfold during the event.

The programme for the forthcoming festival, which will run from 25 May till 2 June, will embrace theatre, storytelling, circus, dance, music, puppetry and magic.

Schoolchildren from Forthview Primary celebrate the launch of the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival at the Royal Botanic Gardens with artist Suzi Cunningham ahead of the performance of ‘Soup,’ which will be part of the event's opening day celebration at the National Museum of Scotland. Picture: Julie Howden

The event - which is aimed at children up to the age of 14 - will bring together performers from the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Africa, Ireland and Scotland.

An audience of more than 15,000, including around more than 300 international delegates from around 40 countries, normally attends the festival, which will open with a day of pop-up performances and experiences at the National Museum of Scotland.

Programme highlight include French show By Trial and Error, which will focus on two disorientated acrobats, Irish production An Ant Called Amy, a sensitive exploration of sibling loss, both at the Traverse Theatre, and dance-theatre piece Black, which will be performed at Dance Base by Ivory Coast artist Oulouy, and is partly inspired by the “Black Lives Matter" movement and the African urban scene.

Czech production Cabinet of Miracles, which will be staged at the Festival Theatre Studio, is billed as a theatrical introduction to planet Earth,” while Spanish show An-Ki, at Summerhall, will see an “immersive theatrical experience” about humankind lead audiences on a journey into the world of a young girl battling to save her environment.

Shō and the Demons of the Deep will be staged as part of this year's Edinburgh International Children's Festival. Picture: Mihaela Bodlovic

Also tackling climate change will be the Scottish shows Shō and the Demons of the Deep, set in a city which has been plagued by nightmares and based on a picture book by Canadian illustrator Annouchka Gravel Galouchko, and The Unexpected Gift, which will reverse the idea that wrapping paper, cardboard boxes and ribbons should be discarded.

Other Scottish productions include So Far So Good, a Cairngorms-inspired circus show from performance company Superfan, which has been developed in Grantown-on-Spey, and The Yellow Canary, which will follow the journey of a young bellow trying to flee the horrors of war.

Festival director Noel Jordan: “Artists who work in this sector are really responding to the contemporary world and asking what young audiences need to be hearing about and exploring. Theatres are the safest place to do that.

“My colleagues in the adult world sometimes ask me: ‘Do you really do stuff about that?’ Some of those works appear more terrifying on paper than the actual experience of seeing them live.

The Unexpected Gift will be staged as part of this year's Edinburgh International Children's Festival. Picture: Andrew Perry

“I think it’s so important that this festival is where we can find out about the world in the safest way possible. We can explore the extremes, from joy to sadness, and unpack it all with parents and teachers.”

Dana MacLeod, executive director of arts, communities and inclusion at Creative Scotland, one of the event's main funders, said: “The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival presents an enriching opportunity for children and young people to be immersed in world-class performance.

“It’s a testament to the skill of the artists and producers that such bold and complex themes are explored in ways that are accessible and educational for young audiences.”