THE COMPANY
Founded in 1976, La Baracca has been working in the field of theatre for young audiences for the past 43 years, producing and programming shows for families and schools.
Since their first project “A place for kids”, which started in 1980, La Baracca has strengthened their relationship with the territory.
In 1983, the company started to administer the Sanleonardo Theatre, in agreement with the Municipality of Bologna. It was the first agreement
between a public institution and a theatre company for children and young people in Italy.
Since 1995, the company has continued its work in the premises of Teatro Testoni. This is how La Baracca - Testoni Ragazzi, theatre for children and young people, was created.
In addition to the activities of the Teatro Testoni Ragazzi in Bologna, the company manages a small theatre hall inMedicina (district of Bologna), Medicinateatro.
Along with the Municipality of Bologna, the work of La Baracca - Testoni
Ragazzi has been recognised and acknowledged by the Ministry of Culture since 1979 (currently as a Theatre for Children and Young People) and by the Emilia Romagna Region since 1982. Since 2005, thanks to the Small size project, it has been supported by the European Commission.
PRODUCTIONS
The company produces shows exclusively for children and young people: from very small children attending crèches to teenagers attending secondary school.
The productions are based on actor’s theatre and on original dramatic work. Over the years, the company has developed a poetic style that seeks amazement in the young audiences, focusing on simplicity and essentiality, as well as on the constant interaction with the audience.
Far from entertainment, it is a kind of theatre that supports the idea of competent and sensitive children, who can fully enjoy a high-quality artistic experience at any age.
To date, the company has produced over 220 different shows for children and young people for all age groups, totalling over 13.280 performances. Every year, new productions for the different age groups are created.
EUROPEAN PROJECTS
Over the years, La Baracca - Testoni Ragazzi has established important connections with other national and international artistic institutions.
From 2005 to 2018, the company has been project leader of Small Size, the European Network for the Diffusion of Performing Arts for Early Years, recognised and financed by the European Commission through its various programmes for supporting culture, for four subsequent projects: “Small size” (2005-2006), “Small size, the net” (2006-2009), “Small size, big citizens” (2009-2014) and “Small size, performing arts for Early Years” (2014-2018).
In 2007, the Small Size Association became an International Artistic Association (now Small size Network), and it currently counts 72
members among companies, institutions and individual artists, from 31 countries and 5 continents, and it is one of ASSITEJ International’s international networks.
In July 2018 the new project coordinated by La Baracca, Mapping – A Map on the aesthetics of performing arts for early years, has been selected by the program Creative Europe of European Commission.
The project, that will last up to 2022, involves 18 partners from 17 Countries and will develop an artistic research on the sensitive relationship with the early childhood through the performing act.
+INFO: http://www.testoniragazzi.it/
