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The local company joined 22 other theatrical groups from New Zealand to Uganda to express themselves and their cultures through interpreâ€" tive dance, music and drama. "It must have been the most extraordinary 10 days these children will ever experience," said Greta Fairhead, director of the company. "The whole global aspect of this festival, if anyone had any prejudices they would have been abolâ€" ished. We became one people... we developed such respect for all the different languages and cultures and religions, for all the different people. "My children became best friends with children from Uganda, Bangladesh, New Zealand and, of course, Germany." The Woodstock children arrived in Lingen, Germany on June 13. The festival ran from June14â€"22. On stage and off stage, the experience was emotional, inspiring and overall very rewarding. . The company of child actors from Adventures in Children‘s Theatre in Woodstock returned from Germany last week after representing North America in the seventh World Festival of Children‘s Theatre. ~ "It was very pressuring. It was scary, but once we knew what we were doing it was fine," said Eric Hall, 14, of & was a lifeâ€"altering experience for many as children from around the globe communicated in a language they all understood. She said that all the countries, no matter what their social or political background, all attended the festival to serve the same purpose. 4 1 C OO# V EV CVGOCEULLID "They had the chance to produce their own play and see it played out," Fairhead said. ‘"They have the freedom to do that. Some children don‘t." > "My children became best friends with children from Uganda, Bangladesh, New j 997 Zealand and, of course, Germany. â€" Greta FairHeap The childrem wrote a play called The Quest about an abâ€" original girl, Carly, who runs away from school after being teased by the other children. She finds herself in a magical forest where she is taken back to the past and shown her purâ€" pose. She learns to find peace in the world. The children coâ€" ordinated the entire production from the music to the costumes. "The highlight was our performance, definitely," she said. "It was our moment to shine. I think (other theatre groups) loved it. We had fun, we did our best and I think it went well. "It was really exciting to perform our own play and it was exciting to be there." Woodstock, a member of the ACT cast. "It was overwhelmâ€" ing at times but the people were very friendly." Danica Mott, 12, of Woodstock, was excited about being in another country. She said the shows were definitely the best part of the trip. OX coep â€" RéJnZ? BY BARB HESTERMAN STAFF WRITER ~ u&Y 6 2007 C ~v n opocarimg Ine same fanguage," she said. "We were empowering children through theatre... Their way of life was secondary to what they were doing." Fairhead said some of the Third World countries such as Bangladesh and Burkina Faso (in Africa) freely expressed their countries‘ sorrows through drama. Through fluid moveâ€" ments and emotional expressions, the children spoke of wa and children left homeless to live on the streets. ‘"The children weren‘t about the entertainment, they wanted to send a real moral message and they followed it through to the end," Fairhead said. "I‘m proud that they stayed consisâ€" tent with their production." K.« Mey.â€" .:z 7 / _ At the end of festival, no one was ready | to come home. The children had gained a mew sespect for different cultures and people. and a deep respect for their own sountr y. ""We had a little difficulty with language putting on the show because the technicians working the lights didn‘t speak Enâ€" glish," Fairhead said, adding it was a little stressful since they had very little rehearsal time. Fairhead said everyone around her spoke near perfect Enâ€" glish which helped the kids communicate with others who in turn taught them their native languages. Many of the cast members picked up quite a bit of German. The only time language was a problem was during the actual performance. "After a couple of days you couldn‘t tell who our kids were and who the rest were," Fairhead said. "It was a sea of red and white." Hall now has pen pals around the world. C "People were so receptive to Canadians. They asked if they could have pictures taken with us and exchange eâ€"mail." ""People were awestruck," Fairhead said. "They didn‘t know how we did it." The theatre groups set up pavilions, sold memorabilia from their countries and showed off their culture. The Woodstock actors donned themselves in hats, bandanas and Canada Tâ€" shirts. The Canadian pavilion was wildly popular. But when ACT took the stage, complete with black lights and flash, Fairhead said the response was overwhelming from the other countries. Although many other countries relied on traditional scripts and plays, the Canadians were nonetheless inspired by the foreign and exotic costumes and movement. "There were so many countries from what used to be the U.S.S R.," Fairhead said. ‘"These children were given opporâ€" tunities they never would have dreamed of years before." _ Fafthead hopes to attend future World Festivals, particularly the one to be held in Cnuba two years from now. UlItimately she would love for the festival to be held in Canada. â€" . "‘Tlhe connection these childrén- could n_;ak‘ic with other children by doing the arts wouild be lifeâ€"changing," she said. _ "Artists live a different life. We perceive the world in a different spectacle and it can be lonely," she said. "When I came back I felt alone. There aren‘t many people who perceive things like I do. The networking of people from all pockets of the world was an uplifting but emotional experience. It gave‘ me a new focus for why I do what I _ "I wiitnessed the transformation and fuâ€" 'elling of these children," Fairhead said. "They| were given the opportunity to be mover‘s and shakers, moulders and successâ€" ful leaders." C _ Fairhead said her love for the arts and the people who belong to them rekindled in herscif as well, just being witness to the 'experfien‘cq,. t do." ftnessed the transformation and fuâ€" of these children," Fairhead said. were given the opportunity to be s and shakers, moulders and successâ€" of wars