A big Lowdown congratulations to Arena Theatre Company's Artistic Director Chris Kohn who has been chosen to represent Australia at the ASSITEJ International Directors’ Seminar in Cologne, Germany in July.

Chris will represent the Young People and the Arts Australia (YPAA) and was selected from a wide field of directors from across Australia. The seminar will be attended by 25 of the world’s leading theatre makers who will explore the theme “Money makes the world go round.”

“This is a unique opportunity to get in a room and test ideas with a very interesting and diverse group of theatre artists from around the world, all of whom make work for young audiences. I am sure there will be a wide range of perspectives on the provocative theme - the place of money in the lives of young people today.” Chris Kohn.

The seminar will deal with the omnipresence of money – its necessity, its absence, its waste, its loss, its abundance, its acquisition – plays an important role in everybody’s life, also in the everyday life even of young children.

The International Directors’ Seminar 2011 aims to discuss and dramatise questions and connotations of money. Where does it play a role in the dramatic texts we use and the stories we tell? Where is money in children’s theater? Are there stories about its relevance or irrelevance for life, for happiness, for choices and fate? Where does money come from and are there any things that are more important than monetary wealth or its multiplication? What is wealth and what is value?

Inspired by the global crisis of the financial markets, its apparent causes and obvious consequences, the Directors’ Seminar is an opportunity to discuss the implications of complex markets and global business in all its different contexts.

The concept is to create ideas and perspectives as well as concrete directing approaches that can be developed by a diverse group of participants in the directors’ seminar when working with this topic. This will be an inspiring exchange!

Since a major objective of the Directors' Seminar is to encourage cultural exchange between German artists and artists from abroad, twenty directors from countries all over the world will be invited to participate, as well as a number of German directors.

From 4 - 9, July, 2011 the participants will work practically in small groups, based on the seminar's theme. Theatre performances by the host theatre and other local companies as well as leisure activities will accompany and complete the daily work of the Seminar.

Lowdown wishes Chris Kohn the best of luck. As Mahatma Gandhi said "Be the change you want to see in the world"

Hey have you seen the Arena website yet? Click here if you want a peek. Its so 'mazing!!