Wonder Augmented Theatre. A Unique Summer School

Imagine…

…a Renaissance Castle in the Roman countryside, renewed to the highest standards by a world-famous architect.

…a summer of woods and lakes and never-ending blue skies.

…wizards and magical animals and knights gathering for your children.

…a place where children from all over the world meet, learn, play and share stories.

…a place where fairy tales come true.

… to make that happen.

What it is

Wonder Augmented Theatre is at one time a summer school and a week-long theatre happening.

At WAT, children will learn important skills: among them, creative thinking, teamwork, self-confidence, problem-solving, public speaking. All this, while having a tremendous amount of fun.

At WAT children will co-create an ongoing story. They will be actors, and directors, and playwright, and audience, at one time. They will use their fantasy and their imagination to create the best story there is – their own.

How does it work

The Summer School lasts one week, from Saturday to Friday.

On the first day the children are divided, through a quick game, into four Crews of eight people maximum. Each Crew is followed by a Pathfinder, a professional storyteller. The Pathfinder will help the children to create the character they will play during the week. After that, the adventure begins.

A team of authors has created a story-line which lasts the entire week, and will bring the children to meet metamorphoses and transformations inspired to the Italian fairy-tales collected by Italo Calvino. The story-line, though, is only a trace. In the tradition of interactive theatre, the children will change it, improve it, improvise on it. The Pathfinder will gradually teach them the skill they need to do just that.

Differently from traditional theatre summer schools, the children won’t learn their lines for a final show: the show will be ongoing, and the children will be inspired to think creatively and work on their imagination.

The story-line will make use of smartphones, holograms, and cutting-edge technology, and also of actors, make up artists, and professionals from the world of theatre and cinema.

The Skills

Society is changing quickly, and we don’t know which shape it will take in the next twenty years.

What we do know, though, is that some skills are becoming more important than ever, whatever the career and life path. The skills WAT teaches are the same taught to managers and high-level professionals, but it teaches them without pressure, and always putting on the forefront the goal to give children an unforgettable experience.

Children will have a unique opportunity to make friends from all over the world. Because of its international spirit, WAT is in English. Language is not a barrier, but an opportunity: children coming from non-English speaking countries will learn the language in a friendly environment, with the best motivations there are – friends and play.

WAT is not only about fairy tales.

WAT is where fairy tales come to life.