International mobility and practical experience

Thanks to financial support from the International Office (IO) and the Friends of Ludwigsburg University of Education, eleven students from the Cultural and Media Education (BA) and Cultural Education (MA) degree programmes, as well as teacher training students specialising in drama and theatre education, were able to take part in the Schöne Aussicht international children’s and youth theatre festival at the Junges Ensemble Stuttgart (JES) alongside eight students from Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet).

The students attended a total of ten national and international productions by artists and ensembles from, amongst others, Catalonia, Taiwan, France, Burkina Faso and Belgium. In facilitated feedback sessions and discussions with the artists, the participants reflected on their impressions together and contextualised them within their respective cultural backgrounds. Time and again, this highlighted the unique power of theatre as a medium of understanding. As one participant aptly put it: “Theatre is a ‘language’ that helps people from different cultures to communicate about just about every topic.”

A particular focus was placed on the two-day workshop ‘Democratic Practices Across Borders’. Here, participants explored questions of democratic action, cultural diversity and transnational cooperation. Democracy was not merely discussed as a topic, but was brought to life through collaborative working processes: via joint decision-making, shifts in perspective and the development of performative forms of exchange.

The diverse impressions gained from the performances were not merely processed on a discursive level, but were also explored physically and through performance. In joint theatre education exercises and theatrical experiments, the students translated their experiences into movement, images and short performative sequences, known as the ‘Mission’. This created a vibrant space in which different perspectives became visible and cultural experiences could be directly experienced.

Taking part in the festival together impressively demonstrated how theatre, as an international language, can build bridges between people from different backgrounds. The project enabled the students to discover new artistic perspectives, reflect on democratic processes and build international networks. At the same time, this excursion marks an important milestone for further collaboration between the Ludwigsburg University of Education and Oslo Metropolitan University and marks the start of a long-term international partnership.