This week editor Pim Kemasingki talks to Alex Soulsby, creative education specialist and founder of Prem Artist in Residency Thailand. Alex is an advocate for the importance of art and creativity in all areas of education.
This week, however, we discuss Alex’s efforts in spearheading the – fingers crossed – upcoming Chiang Mai Festival initiative.
Having worked with numerous theatre companies and educational groups in the UK over the years, Alex is a key member of a group of people who are hoping to emulate the successful annual Edinburgh Festival right here in Chiang Mai. The aim is for Chiang Mai to host a city-wide festival in December 2023.
Is this yet another pipe dream?
In fact, in 1997, Citylife’s founder John Shaw MBE proposed the exact same concept, featuring the idea on the front page of our publication. Sadly, it was a few decades ahead of its time, but Citylife is thoroughly excited to see this long dormant idea come to possible fruition.
We discuss the possibility of organising a world class ‘Chiang Mai Festival City’ – possibly expanding the month-long festival into a year round city feature. “This is about creating an opportunity for performers to come together for a monthlong festival following the approach of the Edinburgh Fringe festival, the largest of its kind in the world,” explained Soulsby.