Launch of Edinburgh International Children's Festival, Imaginate.
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00:00When are you going to go?
00:01That's it.
00:02Hi, I'm Jane Bradley, Arts, Growth, Wonders and Scotsman, and I'm here today at the launch
00:07of IMAGIN8, the Edinburgh International Children's Festival.
00:12Okay, I'm Noel Jordan, I'm the Festival Director of the Edinburgh International Children's
00:17Festival, which is hosted by IMAGIN8 here in Edinburgh.
00:21And it's the festival launch today, Noel, can you tell us a little bit about what we're
00:25going to expect this year?
00:26Yeah, okay, I will.
00:27It's our 35th edition, we have 13 productions from seven different countries, and it really
00:33does feature the best that the world has to offer in theatre and dance for children and
00:37young people.
00:39And what are the highlights of the program this year?
00:41Yeah, well, I like to think everything is a highlight, but we have a particular focus
00:45or a spotlight on Flanders, which although it's a tiny region, it really does punch above
00:51in terms of producing some of the most exciting and dynamic work for young audiences.
00:56So this year, we have four productions from Flanders.
01:00Fantastic.
01:01And I know you're holding events sort of all over Edinburgh this year.
01:04And the idea is to kind of get children into the theatre who may not usually do that, you
01:09know, how does that sort of impact them?
01:11And how does it help them sort of create a lifelong love of theatre?
01:16Okay, so we have lots of programs where we particularly work in areas of deprivation,
01:21and that's particularly through our schools program where we might offer free bus subsidy
01:26transport, because that is a big cost, is actually getting kids from schools into theatres.
01:32And I like to think of coming to the festival as like a step one, it opens minds and imaginations.
01:38It's really, there was a study done in New York about the impact of the arts on young
01:44people's lives.
01:45And the number one takeaway was aspiration.
01:48So you're introducing concepts, cultures, narratives, you know, just environments that
01:55are new and outside children's realm of imagination sometimes.
02:00And that is this beginning of an aspiration for life and what they might do with their
02:05own lives.
02:06And I know very much for me growing up in suburban Melbourne, that was my case.
02:11I was in a very sporty family.
02:13And the arts was my kind of ticket to a wider world and going, you know what, anything is
02:18possible if you set your heart and mind on it.
02:21And you kind of, you know, you do need to be driven and have sometimes it's just a doorway
02:27that's opening up for you.
02:29Fantastic.
02:30And this is your last festival after about 10 years in the post, is that right?
02:34You're heading back to Australia.
02:35I am going home.
02:36I am going home.
02:37Look, I originally came on a five year working visa, which expired during COVID and Australia
02:42sealed its borders.
02:43And, you know, I didn't have any sense of how long I would stay, but sealing Australia's
02:48borders meant I couldn't go home.
02:50So, you know, next minute it's 10 years later and, you know, it is my home and I have always
02:57intended to go back.
02:59I don't know what I'll do next, but this has been one of the best jobs of my entire career.
03:05I worked at Sydney Opera House and that's what brought me to the Children's Festival
03:09in the first place as an international delegate.
03:12And then to run it for 10 years, it's just been a gift.
03:15It's been an honour.
03:17And yeah, I look forward to seeing what that next chapter might be for the new person coming
03:22into the role.
03:24Thank you very much.
03:25Pleasure.