Youth Solidarity Stage

Youth Solidarity Stage: Theatre for Community Dialogue is a year-long European Solidarity Corps project that brings together young people and the local community around theatre, creative learning and dialogue. 

The project develops New East as a space where young people can not only experience theatre as spectators, but learn how performances are created, experiment with different theatrical forms and use theatre as a tool for exploring issues that matter to their community. 

What we do 

Throughout the year, the project combines learning, artistic experimentation, community dialogue and practical theatre-making. 

– theatre and performance creation;

– Forum Theatre and Playback Theatre methods;

– workshops and practical training for young people;

– collecting community stories and transforming them into artistic material;

– scriptwriting, scenography and dramaturgy;

– choreography and physical theatre;

– stage lighting, sound and technical theatre skills;

– open rehearsals and work-in-progress presentations;

– performances in New East and public spaces;

– discussions and community dialogue around performances;

– international artistic exchange;

– reflection, evaluation and sharing the results of the project. 

A stage created together with the community

An important part of Youth Solidarity Stage is that young people are involved not simply as participants but as co-creators of the programme. 

During the project, participants move through the whole process of theatre-making — from discussing ideas and collecting stories to rehearsing, developing the visual and technical language of a performance and eventually meeting an audience.

The project therefore creates both an artistic programme and a learning environment in which young people can develop creative, organisational, communication and collaboration skills.

Activities 

The programme includes regular workshops, training sessions, creative laboratories, performances, open rehearsals and community discussions at New East and in other spaces in Daugavpils.

Among the activities are training in Forum and Playback Theatre, story collection sessions, script and scenography labs, choreography workshops, technical theatre and light/sound training, theatre ideas labs, public performances and facilitated discussions with audiences.

New activities and performances are developed throughout the project together with its participants and the wider New East community.

Funding 

Youth Solidarity Stage: Theatre for Community Dialogue (Project ID: ESC30-SOL-11F0E9B7) is implemented within the European Solidarity Corps – Solidarity Projects programme.

Funded by the European Union. The project is supported by the National Agency of Latvia – Jaunatnes starptautisko programmu aģentūra.

Project period: 20 January 2026 – 19 January 2027

The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the National Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.