Youth Theatre on Air is an international online and radio festival of audio drama for children, teenagers, and young adults, jointly organized by three arts organizations: Poupoulo in Thessaloniki, Motivation in Arts in Paphos, and the Creative Drama & Arts Centre in Melbourne. Its aim is to bring the Greek language, culture, and theatrical expression to Greek communities worldwide through radio and the internet. Open to everyone, the initiative connects Greek children from different parts of the world.
Every year since 2020, theater workshops and schools around the world have submitted their radio plays and performances. More than 4,000 children and young people in primary and secondary education have participated so far, from Greece and Cyprus, as well as Greek children from recent immigrant families and first-, second-, and third-generation Greek communities in Melbourne, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
The festival has received consistent support from three major public broadcasters—ERT, SBS Australia, and CyBC—which have shared children’s voices with the Greek diaspora for seven years. Festival supporters include the National Theatre of Northern Greece, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the International Hellenic University, the Language, Language Teaching & Culture Laboratory of T.A.F.P.P.I., and La Trobe University in Australia.
Among the productions recognized at the 7th Youth Theatre on Air was “The Little Prince,” performed by Class D1 of the 24th Primary School of Kavala, which received second prize in the primary school category.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince” is one of the best-loved and most widely read books of all time. A tale for all ages, it speaks to the hearts of children and adults, exploring timeless values with simplicity: friendship, responsibility, love, loss, and, above all, the essence of things—what cannot be seen with the eyes.
This year, Class D1 of the 24th Primary School of Kavala explored the work through radio theater, creating an original dramatization and adaptation. The group consists of 14 students. Three took on sound engineering duties, discovering the magic of sound and its technical possibilities, while the others played the story’s characters.
Preparations included role-playing, improvisation, and movement and voice exercises, helping the children discover the story’s meaning through experience. Roles were assigned by drawing lots, encouraging cooperation and equality. Through rehearsals, discussions, and experimentation, the children came to know the Little Prince, the Rose, the Fox, and the Pilot—and, above all, gained a better understanding of themselves and the world.
The result is a collective creation filled with sensitivity, authenticity, and children’s imagination. A journey through sound and imagination, a small universe reminding us that it is only with the heart that we can truly see.
Teacher in charge: Lefteris Tektonidis
Media partner: Voice of Greece – ERT