A Fairytale Festival
Fairytales as a bridge between people and cultures
Rafik Schami / Photo: Root Leeb
From September to mid-October 2010, the scene will be set in Gelsenkirchen for a fairytale festival. Listen closely and let your imagination run free as talented storytellers weave their tales at various venues in the city and surrounding area.
"Once upon a time in a faraway place…" - From early September to mid-October, the city of Gelsenkirchen will be host to the Fairytale Festival Those who think this is just child's play will be in for a surprise because the diverse program has something exciting on offer for people of all ages.
Storytellers will be inviting audiences to listen, laugh, cry and dream in places all over Gelsenkirchen and surrounding areas. Key events include the Storytelling Festival in the Consol Theatre and the International Storytelling Festival. Puppet shows, music, storytelling tents, dance, theatre, exhibitions, films and a huge multilingual Fairytale Reading Day (Gelsenkirchen reads 125 languages!) in local schools and kindergartens are also on the agenda. Intercultural projects dealing with storytelling in schools and kindergartens, the training of teachers and educators and writing workshops in libraries round off the program.
One of focal points of the international Fairytale Festival will be on the story-telling traditions of different cultures. Among others, fairy tales and stories from the Jewish, Eastern European, Oriental, Turkish and Indian cultures will be told.
In addition, the congress of the European Fairy Tale Society will take place from September 29 to October 3, 2010, at the Musiktheater im Revier; its theme will be "Fairy tales as bridges between people and cultures". Experts and researchers will discuss the world's fairy tales, using practical examples for people of all ages. Renowned German-Arab author Rafik Schami will give the final keynote address.
Early September - mid-October
FairyTaleFestival
Selected events
11 / 12 September 2010, 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.| HÖR MAL – Storytellers' fairytale festival | Seven different venues
11 September 2010, 8 p.m. | Stories for adults | Consol Theatre, Gelsenkirchen
13 – 19 September 2010 | Gelsenkirchen Puppet Theatre Days | Consol Theatre and other venues, Gelsenkirchen
29 September – 3 October 2010 | Intercultural congress: Fairy tales as bridges between people and cultures | Musiktheater im Revier, Gelsenkirchen
Exhibitions
3 September – 15 October 2010 The Master Thief and Sleeping Beauty (Brothers Grimm Society) | Sparkasse Gelsenkirchen
17 September – 17 October 2010 | Exhibition of the Walter Kahn Fairytale Foundation | Gelsenkirchen Educational Centre
24 September – 29 October 2010 | Pictures of the future - intercultural encounters | Sparkasse Gelsenkirchen
Partners: The city of Gelsenkirchen, Kulturhauptstadtbüro Gelsenkirchen, Gelsenkirchen City Library, Musiktheater im Revier, Consol Theatre Gelsenkirchen, European Fairy Tale Society
Related topic:
The Culture Canal