The International Festival for the Arts and Social Change
A 3-month festival , held on the stunning Clos de Gaye estate in south west France, that brings together global leaders, artists, young people, policy makers and government officials, individuals and families, from all over the world, to take part in extraordinary and life-changing artistic experiences that ask the question…..
We demand of our audience to take the inspiration and thought-leadership from their experience, into their communities, to be morally courageous, accountable and transformative leaders. And to change the world.
When the show ends, what begins?
An annual summer camp programme for schools, children, young people and families
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A 2-week programme for teenagers that will train them in all aspects of the performance process, learning theatre, dance, music, production skills, backstage, lighting, marketing and front of house. They will also learn valuable 21st century skills of collaboration, communication, critical thinking.
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Week-long residential camps for the entire family that provides activity for both parents and children. Children and adults will take part together in workshops lead by our arts and cultural leaders with the opportunity to take part in a small performance or presentation at the end of the week, strengthening family bonds and creating life-long memories for both!
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An annual certification summer programme where university undergraduates will learn critical ‘higher order’ leadership skills through working closely with young people to lead workshops and performances in local communities.
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Half-day and full-day workshops for children
A performance programme with some of the most outstanding artists of our time
Harvard Din and Tonics
Saturday 22nd June
Bridge and Wolak
Saturday 6th July
Guy Mendilow Ensemble
Saturday 20th July
Preeti Vasudevan
Saturday 27th July
Clarice Assad
Saturday 3rd August
Laurie Rubin
Saturday 17th August
Clos de Gaye Summit
High-level retreat programme bringing together global leaders, artists, social visionaries and thought-leaders to use arts and culture for high-impact and scaleable solutions to the most pressing issues our world is facing right now
Local Programmes
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Day workshops
An opportunity to take part in workshops with our visiting artists to get a taste for the work they do and to stimulate and inspire you own creativity too
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Evening talks and dinner series
Talks and ‘Jefferson dinners’ lead and facilitated by our visiting artists and global leaders in residence at Clos de Gaye
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Community Performances
Young people from around the world who have participated in our summer camp programme, perform their vision for the future to the local community in the Bearn region
Clos de Gaye
Extraordinary experiences where the world comes together for impact
The Festival is the brainchild of Caroline Watson, the founder of The Centre for the Arts and Global Leadership, and seeks to play a leading role in new ways of thinking about global governance and leadership, through participation in the arts and creative education
The International Festival for the Arts and Social Change seeks to showcase and promote artistic work that aims to uplift and inspire individuals and communities to build a better world.
All programming is based on the idea that each performance or piece of work should be designed around the central question: When the show ends, what begins?
We seek to explore the question of how theatre, music and the arts more broadly can inspire, provoke, debate, elevate and uplift individuals and communities to build a better world.
Our Vision for the Festival
We believe that when thought moves, action happens. We use the pillars of AWE, TRANSFORMATION and IMPACT as the guiding principles of our work and to make curatorial choices in the work we promote.
We have a comprehensive evaluation programme that also charts the impact of each performance, workshop and programme
Each year, the Festival will encompass:
2 commissioned or co-commissioned performances of new work performed at The Barn Theatre at Clos de Gaye and supported by Better World Productions
1 large-scale ‘cabaret’ style performance with ‘star’ performers and picnic to be held in the field of Fischer’s Farm, with the stunning backdrop of the Pyrénées at sunset, in the final week of the Festival in August
Reception of up to 4 touring productions from across the world
10 ‘grassroots’ productions for emerging artists
4 exhibitions of visual art and sculpture throughout the property of Clos de Gaye
A poetry and literature festival throughout the summer
A series of talks, workshops and discussions on the role of the arts in the world
8 weeks of summer camps for children from around the world, with 4 community performances by participants, showcased at the end of each camp
A teaching and learning programme for college-age social and art activists
Support for an ‘off-Fringe’ festival for local community arts groups in support of our mission
4 high-level ‘summit retreat’ programmes at the end of August, to move the needle on how arts and culture can play a key role in bringing about revolutionary thinking on the biggest challenges of our time
We employ a grassroots approach to curation and audience development, in line with more participatory and democratic models regarding access to culture.
Core themes and strands of our work include work in the following areas:
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Stories of pioneers and those who championed social justice
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Raising the profile of emerging artists from the Black community and making work around alternative narratives of the Black community
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How migrant and refugee populations have shaped the cultural landscape and the challenges and opportunities of our time
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Building new narratives for change
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Building empathy and understanding of ‘the other’ to enable a more peaceful and prosperous world
If you would like to be part of what we are building at the Festival and The Centre for the Arts and Global Leadership, please click on the link below
