Location: Turin, Italy

Organised by: Stranaidea SCS Impresa Sociale

Work Package: WP7

About the Event

The first Theatre Debate in Turin capped months of preparation under WP7, building directly on insights from the Citizens’ Workshop (WP3). It was presented in two editions, allowing the team to test the format across different venues and audiences: 1 July 2025 at the Evergreen Festival in Parco della Tesoriera, and 10 October 2025 in the Aula Magna of Istituto Superiore Plana. Both editions recorded high audience participation and rich moments of reflection.

Key Highlights

• Participatory installation: On arrival, guests shared thoughts on “being young today” via two cards—“I am worried about…” and “I find hope in…”. Selected reflections were read during the performance, turning audience members into co-authors of the event.
• EU HAVE A DREAM Box: Each person received a kit used during the debate (pencil, red/green voting cards, and a “birth certificate from the registry of dreams”).
• The Candidate “Vera Demaah”: A collective character, embodied by eight young performers from the workshop, introduced via live performance and a youth-made video.
• Focus on climate & sustainability: Four local stakeholders presented and sparked interactive audience work:
  • Fondazione di Comunità di Porta Palazzo – Renewable & Solidarity Energy Communities
  • Mercato Circolare – Circular economy in practice
  • Fridays for Future Torino – Sustainable urban mobility
  • VanVerburger – Plant-based food & sustainable consumption

• Interactive methods: After each talk, participants used the debate box to reflect, vote, exchange ideas in pairs/small groups, and share proposals in plenary.

Participation

Total participants: 215 from 5 countries.
Gender distribution: 102 female, 109 male, 4 non-binary.

Conclusions

The performances blended theatre and civic dialogue to elevate youth perspectives, with audiences responding enthusiastically to becoming active protagonists. The learnings from WP7 directly feed the next phases of EU HAVE A DREAM. 

• Location: Municipality Gardens of Pafos, Cyprus
• Organised by: One Terrene International Group (OTI Group)
• Work Package: WP8
• Date: 18 October 2025
• Format: Participatory Theatre Debate (In-situ)

About the Event

The First Theatre Debate in Cyprus culminated months of preparation under WP8 of the EU HAVE A DREAM project. Staged in the Municipality Gardens of Pafos, the live participatory performance brought forward voices and proposals developed during earlier Citizens’ Workshops (WP4). The debate centred on two themes: Climate Crisis & Environmental Protection and Democratic Participation, Transparency & Youth Empowerment, presented through the fictional political figure Charis Dima and a manifesto calling for sustainable water management and climate resilience in Cyprus, anti-corruption reforms, transparent governance, and stronger youth involvement in democratic life.

Event Flow & Scenario

• Welcome by OTI Group and a short campaign video introducing Charis Dima.
• Live address by the candidate blending theatrical delivery with civic dialogue.
• Commentators’ reflections (educators, local council members, civic actors) followed by audience Q&A.
• Interactive participation with questions, opinions, and voting via symbolic gestures and paper-based methods (digital tools were unavailable due to a last-minute issue with the hosting festival’s media setup; the youth teams adapted in real time with printed visuals, hand signals, and direct discussion).

Highlights & Outcomes

• Attendance by the Mayor of Pafos, local council members, and national media; presence of the Erasmus+ National Agency (IDEP).
• Open-air, accessible setting with diverse participation, including youth from rural and underrepresented areas performing for the first time.

• Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany
• Organised by: Forum kunstvereint e.V. / Consol Theater
• Work Package: WP9
• Type: Presentation & discussion (in-situ)
• Dates: 18, 19, 20, 23, 24 May 2025

About the Event

After a multi-week workshop process, young participants co-created a 90-minute theatre debate led by a professional direction team. The production premiered at Consol Theater and then toured to three schools serving diverse communities. A final sharing took place at a city festival at the invitation of the Mayor of Gelsenkirchen, reaching audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

Format & Flow

• Pre-show campaign: Youth teams registered visitors, presented key topics and demands, and welcomed engagement with intervention materials reflecting critical and anti-Vera viewpoints.
• Prologue: Moderated welcome and introduction of the fictional EU candidate Vera; recap of the two core themes: Future of Work and the Climate Crisis.
• Part I – Future of Work: Vera’s proposals followed by live polls, interviews and expert inputs, including a company director from a local bakery and a representative from a regional trade union. A youth protest group energized the debate with interjections and an ironic song.
• Part II – Climate & Water: A “new” Vera introduced climate impacts on daily life, with a visual Q&A on water use, a video interview with a regional water supplier expert, and a pre-recorded interview with a farmer in Italy to open the European dimension of water scarcity and climate adaptation. The intervention team returned to challenge priorities and spark discussion.
• Audience interaction: Performers stepped out of character to share personal wishes and demands for real-world decision-makers, then invited the audience into four small groups to collect feedback, opinions and new proposals.

Key Highlights

• Wide reach across theatre and education settings, including upper-secondary and vocational schools.
• Strong representation of communities with migration background in Gelsenkirchen.
• City-level visibility through the Mayor’s invitation to a public festival and a follow-up sharing with local politicians.
• Post-event recognition: invitation to a November conference on participation, citizenship and politics.

Conclusions

The theatre debate met its goals of activating civic dialogue with young citizens, building bridges between artistic expression and public discourse, and informing local stakeholders. The touring format, school engagements and city-festival appearance broadened access and impact, while the interactive segments generated concrete feedback and proposals to carry forward.

• Location: Thessaloniki, Greece
• Organised by: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
• Work Package: WP10
• Type: Theatre Debate
• Date: 25 September 2025
• Venue: Art Box Fargani Theater, Thessaloniki City Centre

About the Event

The Theatre Debate on Climate and Environment in Thessaloniki marked the Greek edition of the EU HAVE A DREAM project’s transnational debate series. The event, hosted at the Art Box Fargani Theater, brought together youth, civic organizations, educators, and policymakers to discuss climate and environmental issues through an innovative blend of theatre and democratic dialogue. Rehearsals took place over the summer months at the creative hub Lissasmeni Gata, where young participants co-created the script through research, discussion, and collective writing.

Rehearsal Process

The rehearsals involved young people from smaller towns and diverse academic and professional backgrounds. Guided by the artistic team, they co-designed both the narrative and the interactive components of the performance. Early sessions focused on research and fact-checking, followed by script development and group debates. The interactive sections were designed playfully, emphasizing the need for accessible communication about the environmental crisis. Final rehearsals refined the dramatization, ensuring that the performance was both comprehensible and impactful for all audiences.

Theatre Debate Performance

The production titled “EU HAVE A DREAM, A DREAM DEBATE” was both an artistic and educational intervention aimed at raising awareness about the climate crisis and sustainable development. It blended live dialogue, theatrical performance, and expert interventions through video interviews to create a dynamic and participatory experience. The discussion was structured around four core themes: natural disasters, circular economy, energy, and pollution.

The host, Maria, together with invited guest Vera Veroglou — a fictional candidate for the European Parliament specializing in green development — led the audience through a journey that combined political debate, personal reflection, and creative expression. Through alternating monologues, participants shared real experiences and emotions, giving a human face to abstract issues like overconsumption and environmental degradation.

Interactive Activities

• Climate Awareness Quiz: Audience members raised hands to respond to questions about the existence and understanding of the climate crisis, revealing differing levels of awareness.
• Pollution Source Game: Participants identified main sources of air pollution using illustrated cards (house, factory, car, ship), leading to discussion on personal responsibility and daily choices.
• Public Transport Reflection: Through humorous questions like “How many came by bus?” and “Who regrets coming by car?”, the exercise linked everyday frustrations to larger sustainability issues.
• Recycling Challenge: Blue and green boxes symbolizing recycling and regular bins were distributed; the audience sorted waste items live on stage, opening a practical discussion on recycling habits.

Additional Activities

On the day before the performance, participants were invited to Dion TV headquarters to present their work and share their experiences in a live interview. The broadcast further promoted the project’s visibility and inspired civic engagement among young audiences.
Watch the interview on YouTube