Yvette Hardie

Yvette Hardie is a theatre director, producer, and educator active in the world of theatre and performance, with a focus on children and youth.

She initiated the launch of ASSITEJ SA in 2007 and leads the organisation as Director. She is currently serving her third term (2011 – 2020) as President of the international ASSITEJ, which operates in close to 100 countries. In these capacities, she creates opportunities for artistic exchange, mentorship, skills development and cross-cultural collaboration across the world, while working to invigorate the South African theatrical landscape with work of the highest quality and widest accessibility. Under her leadership, ASSITEJ SA won the bid for the 19^th ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival held in Cape Town in May 2017, the first time this prestigious mega-event has been held on African soil in the 52 year history of ASSITEJ. She has written and spoken extensively on issues relating to arts for young audiences, arts education and arts for reconciliation and conflict resolution around the globe.

She is valued for her work in Arts Education, having written national curricula and textbooks for both Dramatic and Creative Arts, and having been involved in teacher training over a period of some 15 years. Yvette also runs workshops in a variety of aspects related to theatre, including a focus on voice and speech, and is a certified teacher of the Lessac technique. She has an MA in Theatre Practice from the Tshwane University of Technology.