UK: Contacting the World theatre festival

[caption id="attachment_2659" align="alignright" width="300" caption="CuciOtak theatre company, Indonesia"][/caption] Contacting the World is a pioneering, biennial festival and collaborative project for young people across the globe. Youth theatre companies from Indonesia and India are part of the global programme in Manchester, UK. Since the first Contacting the World in 2002, it has inspired innovation, creativity, inter-cultural dialogue and genuine collaboration amongst hundreds of young people. Produced by Contact Theatre in Manchester, UK, it is a programme of exchange involving 150 young theatre makers from 12 different companies across the world, who are randomly twinned to work creatively and collaboratively over a six month period, culminating in a vibrant UK based performance festival. The 2010 Contacting the World takes place in Manchester 19-25 July. Among the twelve selected companies this year are theatre companies from Indonesia and India. CuciOtak are a theatre company located in area of former conflict, Pasuruan in Indonesia. The company consist of over ninety members made up of Christian and Muslim Youth. Through traditional contemporary practice CuciOtak incorporate martial arts and physical theatre into there performances to maintain and increase a knowledge of Indonesian Culture. Working Title_2.0 is the vibrant and emerging youth wing of an Indian theatre company that has, for over a decade, pushed the boundaries consistently of Indian stagecraft. They thrive on the endless creative debates that stem from young and passionate opinions originating from every corner of India. Their work includes ‘Once Upon A Tiger’ – an original text that focused on the precarious fate of the Indian tiger.