Devising multimedia theatre with young performers : documenting the Marinando Festival's XANDRU U X-XIXA (X&X)

Abstract

This article documents the process of devising a mixed-media dance theatre production in Malta that was later presented at the Marinando Festival, in Italy. This is a unique Mediterranean youth theatre and film festival based on the theme of the sea. The festival is unique both for its educational objectives on the theme of the sea, fishing and nutrition, and artistic as well as professional development objectives for both actors and theatre makers. Working collaboratively with theatre professionals, choreographers and media artists, a group of young people, aged 11–16, devised a multimedia piece that helped them explore and experiment with stylistic modes. This article discusses how the facilitation of the devising process was approached and the challenges met through this process. The young performers were interviewed at intervals and asked to keep journals to capture the evolution of the piece through research, improvisation, photography, filming, dialogue and rehearsals. The performance Xandru u X-Xixa (X&X) was the result of a process of collaboration between director, choreographer, young performers and media artists, a genuine melding of people and media, which made each component indispensable to the others.