International Youth Arts Festival
International Youth Arts Festival (IYAF) is an annual youth arts festival held in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames every July. The festival was founded in 2009 by Robin Hutchinson MBE and has involved more than 25,000 young people as participants and volunteers since 2009.
It is an open-access performing arts festival: it does not book performers and anyone may participate. The festival programme includes a range of art forms including theatre, dance, music, comedy, visual arts and children's shows.
Venues change
Venues across the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames support artists in the festival by transforming their spaces into performance venues. The festival includes over 200 staged events in venues including Rose Theatre, Arthur Cotterell Theatre, Kingston Library, Fairfield Recreation Ground, Eagle Brewery Wharf and The Library club. The venues are close together, enabling audience members to visit multiple performances.
People change
Artistic Directors change
2016 - Andy Currums
2015 - Trevor Blackman
2009 - 2014 Aniela Zaba
Patrons change
Patrons of International Youth Arts Festival include Angellica Bell, Michael Underwood, Tom Holland, Tom Chambers, Sheridan Smith and Matt Lucas.
Chairman and founding Trustee change
Robin Hutchinson MBE