SHORT HISTORY

The Children’s Theatre Centre started its activities in 1999 as a short-term operational project for lowering the stress effects of the refugee children from Kosovo. The project lasted 5 months, as long as the refugee crisis. During this period, over 20 projects were implemented animating the children, youth and a big number of refugee artists, artists from Macedonia and abroad. All of them worked together in all refugee camps and gathering centres so as through theatre and other forms of scene art to create a few moments of laughter and to make a space for creative expression and release of the hard experiences of the refugee children.
These activities were supported by SIDA (Swedish International Development and Cooperation Agency) and FOSIM (Foundation Open Society Institute – Macedonia) and were implemented in close collaboration with Intercult – Cultural Organization from Stockholm, Sweden.

During this period, CTC received additional support from UNICEF, IOM etc.

Realizing the power of theatre as an artistic tool, but also as a generator for discussions and promoter of ideas, CTC decided to continue with the work, but focusing it on the children and youth and the artists from Macedonia.

With the continuous support by FOSIM and SIDA and with the new support by SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation), CTC has turned from a project into an independent cultural organization in 2000.

The same year, the Ministry of Culture granted CTC the facility of the old cinema “Napredok” to be used and renovated by CTC. Such decision by the Ministry of Culture encouraged CTC to step forward determinedly on the way of its establishment as an institution which can take a serious place in the cultural and artistic life of Macedonia.