Teater My receives Children's Theatre Award

The mayor’s speech at the award ceremony for the Horsens Municipality’s Children’s Theatre Award, Saturday September 20th, 2009, at Scandic Bygholm

It is with great pleasure that I once again get to present the Horsens Municipality’s Children’s Theatre Award on the occasion of the Horsens Children’s Theatre Festival. The award consists of a monetary grant of 25.000 kr, and also a more tangible bestowal: a statuette sculpted by Kaj Rugholm.

It is indeed a pleasure to present this award, because it distinguishes a theater or person, who through their commitment and the necessity of year-round hard labor, take part in giving children a first class cultural experience.

When children and the arts connect, and the arts touch the children through a live cultural experience, then a seed is sown in these children that lets them meet the world and the live arts with ears and eyes wide open. The children get to sense that there is something very special about experiencing art in close proximity.

This encounter between a child, with all antennae extended, and art, personified in a living, breathing person doing something as odd as theatre, must be an overwhelming and surprising experience for anyone who has yet to learn to decipher the theatrical language.

It is clear to me that it takes something special in order to make theatre for children. One must address them with great respect, and the artistic approach should be both curious and serious all at once. One shouldn’t resort to slapstick and high-pitched silly voices just because the target audience is children. It’s not a clown show. It is theatre of high integrity and respect.

This year’s recipient possesses a skill that is irresistible to both children and adults. With a firm gentleness towards both audience and art, our recipient tackles the stories of life, as well as the audience and the arts. From the very moment our recipient initiates the performance, any chance of blankly slipping away into nothingness is void. You are held by the hand and guided through a play where the style is enchanting and intense, and, in respect for the young audience, also calm and assuring.

This evening’s recipient has performed theatre for all age groups, but has a unique talent for capturing the very youngest with her personal enigmatic charisma.

Performing for this age group demands something special, and this year’s recipient has shown the ability to play for the young ones without resorting to the “cute” and without ever taking the easy way out. Through images and stories, this person gently grasps those tiny ones and challenges their beings as well as melting the hearts of the audience.

A special space is created wherein the focus and tranquility that is needed in order to speak to us as an audience pervades. Through beautiful performances, purebred aesthetics, poetic visions and respectful calm, the recipient gains the attention of the audience and in return wins their respect for the arts.

This recipient’s own theatre is barely a dozen years old. Hopefully we still have a good number of performances in store, yet to emerge from this artistic treasure trove. And tonight we will honor her for her great work for the little ones.

We pay tribute to her because she, through her talents, grants the little ones a unique and respectful encounter with theatre and with the arts.

We reward her for planting the seeds for tomorrow’s human beings and perhaps the theatre audience of tomorrow.

The recipient of the Horsens Municipality’s Children’s Theatre Award 2009 is Mette Rosleff from Teater My.