The caterpillar finds its perch and forms a chrysalis.
Inside, the dormant imaginal cells combine to create new form and structure.
They persist. They multiply. They connect.
They resonate at the same frequency.
They begin to act together.
That is the new beginning…
and a butterfly will be born.
The idea for the Chrysalis Festival first surfaced in 2010 when we started seeing more and more exceptional theatre made by young people in collaboration with talented artists and directors appearing across the country. Convinced that work of this quality deserved to be showcased to a wider audience, Youth Theatre Arts Scotland began to develop plans for the launch of a new platform.
With the Chrysalis Festival, we wanted to establish a programme of shows that were made and performed by young people and platformed in the same way we would see at other theatre festivals.
Our aim with our first Chrysalis Festival was to create a buzz, and witness original voices, fresh perspectives and new beginnings. By challenging expectations of theatre made by young people we wanted it to awaken curiosity, arouse a sense of discovery and raise aspirations for the future.
Through all of this we hoped to stimulate critical discussion around the programming of young people’s performance and the value we place on these shows as both audiences and venues.
Chrysalis finally emerged to bring together theatre companies from across the UK for a two-day celebration of original performance by talented young performers from 6-7 November 2015 at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.
Who performed at Chrysalis 2015?
The Chrysalis 2015 performances were as diverse as they were daring…
HEADZ (20 Stories High, Liverpool) was an insightful collection of gritty, challenging and humorous monologues on contemporary life for Liverpool’s young people;
SOUTHSIDE STORIES (Citizens Theatre Young Co., Glasgow) drew on interviews with people who lived and worked in Glasgow’s Govanhill area and featured original live music;
I’D RATHER HUMBLE THAN HERO (Junction 25, Glasgow) explored society’s fascination with fame, celebrity and image;
UNDER THE COVERS (Contact Young Company, Manchester) examined young people’s contemporary attitudes to sex, questioning myths and breaking down taboos.
