Image by Hans Gerritsen
Irish artist Orlaith Ní Chearra at BRIK Festival 2023

What is BABEL?

BABEL - or The Art of Listening in TYA is a European large scale Creative Europe project involving 14 partners from 11 European countries, coordinated by Teatercentrum i Danmark (DK).

The BABEL project runs over a period of four years (2022-2025) entailing in total 16 international festivals: Aprilfestival (organized by TeaterCentrum - Denmark), Brik Festival (by De Stilte - Netherlands), Baborò Festival (by Baborò - Ireland) Lutke (by LGL - Slovenia), Kitoks (by Menų Spaustuvé -Lithuania), International Theaterfest (by Agora - Belgium), Festival Import/Export (by Montagne Magique and Bronks - Belgium), Festival El Petit (by Rialles - Spain), Festival Visioni di futuro, Visioni di teatro (by La Baracca - Italy).

The partners will - together with performers, artistic facilitators, and researchers - investigate the opportunities given by artistic languages to create high-quality shows for children, overcoming the barrier of languages and potential misunderstanding, fostering intercultural and intergenerational dialogue in the Performing Arts for Young Audiences. BABEL is structured as a long, shared, and widespread training pathway.

The project foresees a diverse set of activities all intertwined in terms of timing and implementation: the Festivals/Babel Squares, the Multi-lingual creation groups, the Island of reflections, the Mosaic pieces, the Catalogue of Inspiration, the Intertwined pathways (dedicated to young artists, and to bring an extra-European dimension through sharing of the experience). This close connection between these activities will allow a synergic development, thus helping Babel to coherently pursue the targeted objective and priority, while setting out its specific aims to reach the goals the partners have established.

The partners are: ASSITEJ International, La Baracca (IT), Agora Theater (BE), Bronks Jeugdtheater (BE), Théâtre La Montagne Magique (BE), Stichting De Stilte (NL), Baboro International Children's Festival (IE), Lutkovno Gledalisce Ljubljana (SI), Menu Spaustuve (LT), Rialles Espectacles Infantils I Juvenils (ES), Scènes d'enfance - Assitej France (FR), Assitej Serbia (SB) and Assitej Sweden (SE).

How is Baboró involved?

As a BABEL partner, Baboró will select a total of 8 artists based in Ireland –2 artists per year of the project–to participate in workshops hosted by each partnering festival. At the festivals, each artist will see work and build relationships while also engaging in the weeklong workshops. Baboró will host workshops in 2024 and 2025, welcoming artists from all across Europe.

"Baboró is thrilled to be a partner in our 4th Creative Europe large scale cooperation project. Babel will support 8 Irish artists to attend weeklong residencies exploring intercultural dialogue at arts festivals across Europe. Baboró is also excited to host our European colleagues in October 2024 and 2025. Babel will enliven and enrich the performing arts for children sector in Ireland and across Europe whilst promoting the rights of children to full cultural citizenship," said Aislinn Ó hEocha, Executive Artistic Director.

Timeline of workshops

Round 1 (concluded)

Workshop Series 1
January 2023 - Kitoks Festival (Lithuania)
October 2023 - International Theatrefest (Belgium)

Workshop Series 2
June 2023 - Brik Festival (Netherlands)
November 2023 - Festival El Petit (Spain)

Round 2 (in progress)

Workshop Series 1
March 2024 - Festival Visioni di Futuro (Italy)
June 2024 - Brik Festival (Netherlands)

Workshop Series 2
April 2024 - KLAP (Denmark)
September 2024 - Festival Lutke (Slovenia)

Round 3

Workshop Series 1
September 2024 - Festival Lutke (Slovenia)
November 2024 - Festival El Petit (Spain)

Workshop Series 2
October 2024 - Baboró (Ireland)
January 2025 - Kitoks Festival (Lithuania)

Round 4

Workshop Series 1
March 2025 - Festival Visioni di Futuro (Italy)
October 2025 - Baboró (Ireland)

Workshop Series 2
April 2025 - KLAP (Denmark)
November 2025 - Export/Import Festival (Belgium)