Festivals & Tours When the stage crosses borders
From the neighbourhoods of Ouagadougou to international stages, ATB brings works, artists and ideas into circulation, creating lasting encounters between cultures.
A work reaches its full power when it meets new audiences
From its creative stages to community spaces, festivals and international encounters, ATB supports the circulation of performances and artists.
Each journey is an opportunity to share stories, bring different perspectives together and create dialogue between life in Burkina Faso and the realities of the audiences we meet.
Touring a work is not simply about changing stages. It allows the work to encounter new perspectives and take on new meanings.
“Every new stage becomes a new space for dialogue between the work, the artists and the audience.”
Create, present, connect
ATB’s reach is built on a living cycle: creating rooted works, bringing them to new places and building lasting connections with audiences.
Rooted works
Develop performances inspired by the social, cultural and human realities of Burkina Faso while remaining open to the questions shaping our world.
Taking productions beyond our walls
Bringing performances to neighbourhoods, provinces, festivals, partner stages and spaces for artistic encounter.
Building bridges between cultures
Encouraging exchange between artists, institutions and audiences so that every performance becomes an experience of dialogue and openness.
From local stages to international encounters, every journey extends the institution’s mission of creation, knowledge sharing and dialogue.
Landmark events that have shaped ATB’s cultural life
Throughout its history, ATB has created, hosted and supported festivals and gatherings that have advanced the circulation of works, the training of artists and dialogue between African and international stages.
FITD
Established in 1988, the International Festival of Theatre for Development held 14 editions through 2014. It helped spread this practice and connect African stages with the rest of the world.
Theatre for Development · Encounters · Knowledge sharing
CTF
The Forum Theatre Competition brings together Burkinabè theatre companies around creation, training, innovation and the sharing of experience.
Theatre creation · Training · Artistic exchange
CASEO
Established in 1997, the Ouagadougou Arts Competition for Secondary School and University Students encourages the practice of performing arts in schools and universities.
Arts education · Youth · Knowledge sharing
Hosted festivals and gatherings
Espace ATB also hosts tour stops, performances and decentralised activities organised by other cultural initiatives.
ATB’s festival legacy is a living memory that will be progressively documented through posters, programmes, photographs, testimonies and archives.
“Touring brings the work closer to people who do not always have access to cultural venues.”
Atelier Théâtre BurkinabèBringing the stage to the heart of communities
Tours allow productions to reach audiences far from permanent cultural venues. They transform courtyards, public squares, schools and community spaces into stages for meaningful encounters.
Every journey is carefully prepared so that the artistic, technical and logistical arrangements can be adapted to local conditions.
Villages
Performances adapted to community spaces and local realities.
Neighbourhoods
Performances reach urban audiences and outlying areas.
Schools
Schools become spaces for creation, awareness-raising and knowledge sharing.
Provinces
Tours strengthen the connection between stages and communities across the country.
Cultural venues
Collaborations with partner venues and organisations.
Communities
Performance becomes a tool for sharing, exchange and social cohesion.
Formats, stage design, equipment and organisation are adjusted to the hosting conditions to preserve the quality of the artistic encounter.
Amplifying Burkinabè theatre beyond borders
International tours and encounters enable ATB to share its productions, compare practices and raise the profile of Burkinabè theatre on stages abroad.
A global presence
Through the FITD, training programmes and partnerships, ATB’s Theatre for Development experience has reached Africa, Europe, the Americas and Asia.
Cross-cultural encounters
Bringing together stories, perspectives and artistic sensibilities from different regions.
Artistic cooperation
Building relationships with partner companies, festivals and cultural institutions.
Promoting Burkinabè creation
Showcasing the forms, stories and expertise carried by artists from Burkina Faso.
Sharing expertise
Sharing methods of creation, mediation, training and Theatre for Development.
Every international journey combines performance, professional exchange and an opportunity for cultures to engage in dialogue.
Behind every journey, true cultural engineering
Taking a production on tour requires artistic, technical, logistical and institutional coordination. Every profession helps preserve the quality of the performance and the encounter with audiences.
Artistic direction
Adapting the work, preserving its coherence and guiding staging choices according to the venue, audience and performance conditions.
Actors and technicians
Bringing the performance to life while managing stage operations, lighting, sound, sets and every condition required for a high-quality presentation.
Logistics and mobility
Organising transport, equipment, accommodation, schedules, installations and the specific constraints of each destination.
Partnerships and hosting
Coordinating relationships with festivals, institutions, cultural venues and local teams that make every tour possible.
“A successful tour is a collective endeavour in which every profession transforms travel into a genuine artistic encounter.”
Stages in motion, encounters that endure
A glimpse of performances, journeys, artistic encounters and moments shared with audiences in Burkina Faso and beyond.
Taking works to new stages
Creating in close contact with audiences
Welcoming stages and cultures
Taking stories to the heart of communities
This gallery will progressively feature posters, programmes, archives, videos and photographs from ATB festivals, national tours and international performances.
Let us take works and ideas further
Festival, institution, cultural venue or partner: host a production, plan a tour or work with us to create an artistic encounter tailored to your audiences and community.
ATB’s team will work with you to assess the artistic, technical, logistical and institutional requirements needed to bring the project to life.