6th INTERNATIONAL ONLINE RADIO MEETING OF AMATEUR THEATRE
GREECE – CYPRUS – AUSTRALIA
“Youth Theatre On Air”
After a successful online debut in 2019-2020 during the pandemic, the 6th International Online Meeting/Festival “Theatre in Front of a Microphone” – “YOUTH THEATRE ON AIR” continues as an established institution, inviting children, teenagers, students, and young people to take part in this innovative initiative by preparing a radio theatre performance or sketch and sending it to the organizers.
The “YOUTH THEATRE ON AIR” Festival is organized by the Theatrical Visual Artistic Centre “Poupoulo” (Thessaloniki, Greece) in collaboration with the Motivation in Arts Foundation (Paphos, Cyprus) and the Creative Drama & Arts Centre (Melbourne, Australia).
Its aim is to spread the Greek language, culture, and theatrical expression through radio frequencies and the internet to Greek communities around the world. The unique and comparative advantage of this initiative lies in its “location” – it has a digital presence, thus it knows no borders. It is open to everyone on the global web and connects Greek youth from all over the world, creating “satellites” to disseminate the Greek spirit.
It is worth mentioning that in previous International Meetings/Festivals, more than 3,500 children and young people from primary and secondary education in Greece, Cyprus, and Greek children of new migrants (1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation) from Melbourne, Poland, and the Czech Republic have participated.
Our event is consistently supported by three major state radio stations – ERT3, SBS Australia, and RIK, which for the past five years have broadcast the voices of children to Hellenism abroad.
Supporters of the Festival include:
National Theatre of Northern Greece (NTNG)
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH)
International Hellenic University (IHU)
Language, Teaching & Culture Lab – School of Early Childhood Education AUTH
La Trobe University in Australia
All performances are also available via:
https://www.dramacenter.gr/copy-of-theatro-mprosta-apo-ena-mik
This year, submissions exceeded all expectations, with audio theatre pieces arriving from across Greece, Cyprus and Australia. We are truly delighted to see growing interest in the art of radio and theatre.
As part of the same Festival, we conduct online/experiential workshops for students, pupils, and educators, aiming to familiarize them with radio techniques and sound as a storytelling tool:
2021: Online training seminar for drama educators (PE91) in primary and secondary schools with participation from across Attica, Thessaloniki, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, and the Aegean islands.
2022: 10-hour online workshop for drama teachers: “Creating and recording our own (audio) performance together.”
2023: NTNG Foyer – “Image and Sound.”
2023: Masaryk University (MUNI), Department of Modern Greek Language and Literature – “Speech expression in the magical world of radio.”
2024: School of Education, AUTH – “Creating sounds for theatre sketches on the radio.”
2025: School of Education, AUTH – “Sound on the radio.”
This year, the Online Opening Ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, May 3rd, with members of the committee in attendance, including:
Dr. Stavroula Nikoloudi, professor and coordinator of the Modern Greek Studies Program at La Trobe University, Melbourne
Asterios Peltekis, Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Northern Greece
Kyriakos Pastidis, radio producer at RIK1
Representatives from local government, university faculty, artists, and authors
They will welcome the start of the Festival and highlight the significance of radio art in modern education.
During the ceremony, the awards, distinctions, and the favorite performance voted by listeners (based on voting results) will be announced. Additionally, students and educators will have the opportunity to connect and share their experiences from the audio recording process, creating a space for the exchange of ideas, best practices, and inspiration.
The Organizing Committee of the Festival “YOUTH THEATRE ON AIR”
