The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival celebrates its 30th birthday this year with another eclectic and unique programme of shows from around the world. Ensuring the performing arts have a place in children’s lives is a personal mission for the Festival’s director, Noel Jordan.
It's very specifically for children, and there are not many of these types of events in the world.
How would you describe the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival?
NJ: In short, it's probably one of the most celebrated children's festivals of its type in the world. Particularly in the English language-speaking world it has an international reputation among professionals as a really unique gathering point for like-minded individuals to see work; to potentially meet other artists, other companies, and programme work to their venues back home. For local people, it's a celebration of the arts through the eyes of a child; It's very specifically for children and there are not many of these types of events in the world.
How challenging do you find it matching such a diverse audience?
NJ: We focus on programming for roughly zero-to-14-years of age. Within that, you do have very early years, perhaps 18-month-old babies to two year olds, then two-to-five, then five-to-eight, eight-to-twelve, and then kind of 10 or 12 plus. I might see upwards of 250 productions for young audiences a year, and even though I'm only looking at selecting perhaps 12 already-made works, I'm looking for a very particular high quality of level of work. So, yes, it is challenging finding that work. What's useful is our ability here in Edinburgh to commission a new work each year. And in 2019 and 2020 we’re commissioning two; That obviously adds to what's available.
Is there something in particular that you look for in the shows you select, or is it more a case of recognising something special "when you see it"?
NJ: I liken the experience, in many ways, to directing a production; You don't really know what you have until it's in front of you. I don't go out with a set agenda. For me, what I am looking for are works that really resonate in a universal way, that connect our hearts and minds. They make us think and feel, and empathise with human beings across the globe, and they make us feel aspirational about the possibilities we could have in our own lives, whether we’re seven years old or the 47-year-old parent of the seven year old.
This is the third festival you’ve fully curated as Director. Do you feel settled into the role now?
NJ: I definitely feel settled. You’re always constantly responding to what you see in front of you, and for me it's a constant search, looking for the best - Panning for gold! You’re after these little nuggets that you bring together, and serve up on a smorgasbord platform for a week.
What's constantly changing and evolving here is the organisation. The Festival is only one thing [Imaginate] delivers throughout the year, and, in terms of my role, it takes almost my full focus. But, we deliver programmes across the year which I'm involved with as well. It’s been exciting to see us expand and develop our networks further and further. One example of that is Theatre in Schools Scotland (The provision of theatre and dance performances which schools can host for their pupils) which started as a free pilot, and now, through recent funding, we've been able to guarantee will continue for another three years. I'm very heavily involved in the selection of productions.
Edinburgh has long been known as “the Festival City”. How well does the Children’s Festival fit among all the others?
NJ: There are 11 festivals that make up the networking body "Festivals Edinburgh" and we're fortunate to be one of those 11 festivals. What it enables us to do is give joint leveraging to a range of opportunities, whether that’s funding or sharing ideas.
[For example] we have a "Teacher's Theatre Club" which we're sharing with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, inviting teachers to come to our festival. We’ll have selected the works that they see and they can sit down with members of those artistic teams or with a key artistic leader, and discuss the works in detail afterwards. Then, during the Fringe they'll see a number of works again and discuss their responses to them. The idea is it helps develop language and skills and approaches to how they might follow up the work in the classroom.
What do you hope for the future?
NJ: I really hope that, over time, particularly families and the general public [will recognise the Festival] through [our] consistent and high quality programming, not least through their own children coming home from school excursions to the Festival.
I have to say Edinburgh schools completely embrace the Festival and often school demand outstrips supply. Over the next three years, we have the green light to increase our capacity and I hope that just continues. We are looking to extend the dates of the festival to allow more performances—not just bringing in more work, but making the most of the productions we already have coming in.
