Yvette Hardie

Yvette Hardie is a theatre director, producer, educator and advocate, focusing on theatre and performance for young audiences. She initiated the launch of ASSITEJ SA in 2007, and leads the organisation as National Director. She served from 2011 to 2021 as President of the international ASSITEJ (International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People), which networks across over 100 countries, and is now t of the association. She serves as Chairperson of the STAND (Sustaining Theatre and Dance) Foundation. She was responsible for hosting the 19th ASSITEJ World Congress & Performing Arts Festival, Cradle of Creativity for the first time in Africa, in 2017. She produced the award-winning Colonnades Theatre Lab production, Truth in Translation, which toured widely for several years. For her own company, FreeVoice Productions, she directs and produces productions, which have toured extensively nationally and internationally. She is valued for her work in Arts Education, having written national curricula and textbooks for Dramatic and Creative Arts. She was the Head of the Drama Department at the National School of the Arts, where she taught between 1991 – 2004. She has also taught at the Market theatre Laboratory, AFDA, University of Cape Town and other tertiary institutions. She has an MA in Theatre Practice from Tshwane University of Technology. 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 was awarded the Mickey Miner Award for Lifetime Achievement from IPAY (International Performing Arts for Youth), based in Philadelphia, USA, for her contribution to theatre for young audiences locally and globally.