Small Size was founded in 2005 with the support of the European Commission and the Culture 2000 programme. It was established by four professional theatre and educational arts organisations, La Baracca (Italy), Theatre de la Guimbarde (Belgium), Accion Educativa (Spain) and GOML - Gledalisce za otroke in miade - (Slovenia). Small Size set up a year-long programme of activities, including conferenc
es, training events, dissemination of research documentation and the showcasing of productions and co-productions for children age 0-3 and 3-6. During this period, three additional partners were invited to become co-organiser to support the development of Small size; Helios Theater (Germany), Polka Theater (UK) and Teatrul Ion Creanga (Romania). Further funding from the European Commission and Culture 2000 programme was subsequently awarded in July 2006 for a three-year project: "Small size, the net". The aim of this project was to extend the network across Europe and beyond, develop the web site, undertake research, produce multi-media documentation and, through doing so, expand the potential for collaboration and exchange of professional development, expertise and practice. The new professional relationships entwined during this period brought to a new expansion of the Network: five more partners – Annantalo Arts Centre (Finland), Baboró Festival (Ireland), Toihaus Theater (Austria), Kolibri Theatre (Hungary) and Ville de Limoges (France) – were involved in the creation of the following step, the five-year project Small size, big citizens. The project, supported by the European Commission through its Culture Programme for the period 2009-2014, followed and expanded the path undertaken, and brought to significative results in the diffusion of performing arts for early years in Europe and in the rest of the word. With a strong focus on the rights of young children, such as the right to enjoy the Arts to be part of the artistic processes that nourish their emotional intelligence and help them develop harmoniously their sensibilities and competences, Small size, big citizens succeeded in making the network stronger and stronger by giving a more definite role to Small size Artistic International Association, which became a member of ASSITEJ International as a Network. During the five years the partners presented many activities, such as the 64 festivals all over Europe, 77 new productions and co-productions for children 0-6 years old, and promoted the creation of new productions by emerging companies through the 3 calls of proposals of the Small size seeding fund. In October 2014 a new Small size project has started, Small size, performing arts for early years: supported by the Creative Europe programme of the European Commission, 17 partners from 15 countries will work for 4 years towards the diffusion of performing arts for children between 0 and 6 years. A real “current non-audience”, especially as far as children under 36 months are concerned. The project promotes audience development, in particular the development of children-spectators, making children approach performing arts both in Europe and worldwide. For we firmly believe that children, even the youngest ones, have the right to be viewed as spectators of today and not only of tomorrow, because they are human beings and not just “human becomings”.
