Presented in collaboration with the Alliance Theatre, this year’s convening will focus on the theme of possibility. Article sourced from American Theatre

Theatre for Young Audiences USA (TYA/USA) has announced its 2024 national festival and conference will be held in Atlanta from March 13-15. The festival and conference will be presented in collaboration with the Alliance Theatre on the theme of possibility.

“This is an unprecedented and challenging time for our theatre industry, and it is crucial that we gather together for artistic exchange, dialogue, and framing for the future that will motivate us to action,” TYA/USA executive director Sara Morgulis said in a statement. “We are proud to partner with the prestigious Alliance Theatre, a true leader in the TYA field, for this remarkable event.”

The annual national festival is the largest convening of TYA leaders, educators, artists, and organizations. The 2024 convening will feature 10 live performances, staged readings, and concerts presented in conjunction with the Woodruff Arts Center’s Toddler Takeover; a Song Slam Cabaret with music direction by composer Deborah Wicks La Puma; 21 different breakout sessions on accessibility, community-centered theatre devising, and funding models; and keynote addresses from activist and author Yolanda Renee King, playwright Pearl Cleage, Alliance artistic director Christopher Moses, and Children’s Theatre Company artistic director Peter Brosius.

TYA/USA and the Alliance will also offer a free pre-conference training program for students and emerging professionals on March 12, 2024. The professional development event will lead attendees through a new work development program and will culminate with a panel discussion with TYA/USA board members.

“It’s hard to imagine a more perfect marriage of theme and place,” Moses said in a statement about the Alliance’s collaboration with TYA/USA. “To collectively contemplate new possibilities in a city that still
brims with hope promises to inspire our field at this most critical time.”

Registration is open now.

Theatre for Young Audiences/USA is a national service organization that promotes the power of professional theatre for young audiences through excellence, collaboration, and innovation across cultural boundaries. TYA/USA is the American center for the International Association of Theatre & Performing Arts for Children & Young People.