Theater workshops for children and youths in the Stadio di Lecce quarter.
THE PROJECT IN DETAIL
Objectives
Recognizing in neighborhood theater the role of “social-urban capacitor” that fosters exchange and interaction, increases the quality of local culture being offered and the synergistic activities between local topics, institutions and citizens. Combating the school drop-out rate of youths and the isolation of women residing in the area; educating attentive listening, hindering isolation and implementing a form of dialogue; enriching the occasions for meeting in theater. Activating rational thought and well being, promoting inclusive welfare and activating critical thought.
Beneficiairies
Approximately 50 children and adolescents in the Stadio quarter and throughout the city of Lecce.
Activities
The project foresees the realization of creative activities at the Nasca il Teatro, located on the ground floor of a public residential building in the Stadio – ex 167B Zone quarter of Lecce.
For 2026, the project is called UNicA Ancora un Sogno. Looking at what is happening in the world, as many children have no chance to dream, and die at the hands of unscrupulous men, it is fundamental to “still find a dream” for them. The aim is to continue and enhance the workshops for children and adolescents that started in 2023 and once more offering performances and events dedicated to them, with the ever more active participation of the inhabitants of the quarter thanks also to the collaboration with nearby associations like the Volare Alto homes managed by the L’albero Cooperative.
In the workshop for children (6-11 years old), the starting point will be “play”, a fun process for knowledge and acceptance of one’s own human machine, both via the body, such as through physical training, understanding space and emotional expression, and via the use of voice and words to recount a poetic and adventurous trip.
The main objective of the workshop for adolescents (12-16 years old) is to discover the world of theater and reawaken the desire to believe in oneself and in one’s abilities. The young participants train and observe, learn the use of scenic space and how to listen to and respect their own body and that of others, along with giving voice to their feelings and discovering what it means to collaborate in order to reach a common goal, in this case the creation and staging of a final performance written together. It is a fun and constructive adventure that promotes creativity, theater, writing and dance as important means of personal and collective expression. Finally, the project foresees monthly meetings with external experts to be acquainted with and integrate other arts (music, literature, cinema, meditation, contemporary art and circus arts) as well as a vision for performances that accompany the training and complete the experience of the young workshop participants.
