Vacation workshop for children and young adults
»Das Kindergericht« (»The Children’s Court«) is a free vacation offer of the Schwankhalle together with the Frankfurt-based performance collective imaginary company and the Bremen-based association unperform e.V.. The inclusive format addresses children and young adults (8–21 years) with and without disabilities.
»Das Kindergericht« pursues the question of how justice is determined and what our sense of justice is all about. In a first step, we explore the court and question the ideas conveyed there. We get to know a courthouse in Bremen together. We want to acquaint ourselves with the place by means of description and observation assignments. How does one behave here? What do we have to do with the problems of others and how do we deal with them?
Based on real cases, we talk with the children and youths about their perspectives on social (in)justice. In various theatrical forms, real cases are to be reenacted and reflected upon in an actual courtroom and later on the theater stage.
In doing so, we ask: Has justice always been this way? How could we shape it differently? Was the indictment just? Was the verdict just?
A theatrical sketch is composed of different text elements, self-written texts and observations, in which the children’s court sits and administers justice. Each detail is important, everything is up for negotiation and at one point a verdict is reached. »Das Kindergericht« also wants to try a case: Exercise your right! Observe! Be a witness!
The performance group imaginary company was founded in 2017/18 at Mousonturm Frankfurt. The four young artists bring different theater backgrounds with them: From emancipatory performances and discourse theater to multimedia installations and radio plays to narrative theater for young audiences. They came together because of a common question: How can ambitious political theater for children and young people be realized that takes them seriously as spectators and players and yet remains empathetic? The resulting works do not see themselves as theater only for young audiences, but as theater for everyone.
imaginarycompany.de ↗
Das Kindergeicht is a cooperation with imaginary company, the Grundschule am Buntentorsteinweg and unperform e.V.. As part of the program »tanz und theater machen stark« of the Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste.