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Theatre inflames, provokes, excites. The sparks leapt up and ignited a blaze that spread among young people’s theatrical troupes worldwide.

Of all school projects, drama mobilizes the greatest commitment and the most burning enthusiasm among everyone involved. Plays by up-and-coming theater people often deal with today’s most relevant issues, truly EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL. This project, which had previously been confined to Upper Austrian school and youth drama groups, went international for the Capital of Culture year. As a City of Peace, Linz invited drama groups from regions in which brutal political and social realities prevail. These groups of young people, together with 10 Upper Austrian troupes selected by an expert jury, staged a varied and exciting program over four days. The target audience included both young and old theatergoers. The dramatic offerings were complemented by multi-day workshops with renowned international artists that also fostered dialog among the thespians themselves. Two guest productions made EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL a place of encounter for young people from vastly different ethnic, cultural and biographical backgrounds. Support from Linz09 made it possible to bring a theater group from South Africa (Market Theatre: Thursday’s Child) and one from Palestine (Alrowwad Theatre and Dance Company: We Are the Children of the Camp) to Austria, whereby Linz made yet another important contribution to cultural and social understanding and lived up to its reputation as a City of Peace.


WHAT // School drama festival
WHEN // April 15-18, 2009
WHERE // Hafenhalle09, Landestheater Linz, Theater des Kindes im Kuddelmuddel, Theater Phönix, Chamber of Labor, Fadingerstraße High School
www.zuendstoff.at