Flanders Arts Institute have translated the results of their 5-year document for policy makers:
Link to a longer document (also at the bottom of that news message above):
8 – 9 November 2019 at the Slovenian Theatre Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
The field of amateur theatre can be explored in various contexts. It is commonly weighed against professional theatre; the main differences between them, however, lie in the areas of funding, performers’ education, and time invested in creation. Drawing on comparative research on amateur theatre carried out by the international research group STEP (Project on European Theatre Systems), we will look at systemic organisation of the field in different European countries and try to identify the values (economic, social, ethical, aesthetic, etc.) prevailing in this type of theatre.
But in attempting this, we must bear in mind that the understanding of “amateurism” in the 21st century is changing parallel to the emergence of new cultural practices. It is important to see and question the distinctions between amateur and professional theatre from a historical perspective (e.g. Workers’ Stage, Pekarna Theatre, Pupilija Ferkeverk Theatre, etc.) as well as examine the roles of different types of theatre today, when new media and technologies make it remarkably easy to get around the guardians of professional performing arts (e.g. city and state theatres, educational institutions, etc.). New forms of commercial theatre (stand-up comedy, improvisation theatre, etc.) should be mentioned in this context as well, although in these cases we are no longer dealing with formally trained theatre makers. The idea that professional culture always starts as amateur activity is also quite common, and we think it is a relevant context for exploring amateur theatre offer in relation to education and professional production available in a specific environment.
The symposium is organized by the Slovenian Theatre Institute in cooperation with Amfiteater Journal, Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television of the University of Ljubljana Research Group, Public Fund for Cultural Activities, and the international research group STEP.
IETM – International network for contemporary performing arts – is inviting applications from an international field to fill the role of a new Secretary General.
IETM is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds.
The Secretary General is the driving force of the network. He/she is responsible for developing the vision and strategies of the network, defined together with the Board of Directors. He/she is in charge of their implementation, in order to ensure for IETM to be responsive, forward-looking and relevant network for the contemporary performing arts in a global environment. He/she represents IETM and engages in advocacy, and is also in charge of the management of the organisation.
We are looking for candidates with a strong motivation and he/she is required to have:
This is a full time position based in the Brussels office, with a fixed term of five years that might be extended for a second term. The position requires periodic weekend work, and frequent international travels. The wage is fixed according to the Scale A of the Flemish salary scales for the performing arts sector (CAO PC 304).
Recruitment process:
IETM is willing to cover travel costs for the interviews, if needed.
Both rounds of interviews will be held by a panel comprising members of the Board of Directors and the Secretariat Team.
Find the full job description here.
Theatre Info Finland (TINFO) has published the performance statistics from season 2016-2017 (1.8.2016 – 31.7.2017). This repertoire statistics include
Most of these theatres are repertoire theatres.
Note! 11 dance companies (subsidized by law) and The Finnish National Opera are included in some tables but not all.
Statistics give information about theatres’ repertoire by ie. genre, number of premieres and first premieres, country of origin and the most popular plays and performances. The data is provided by the theatres and is based on their repertoire and ticket sales. The statistics reveal strong representation of domestic drama and other non-text based performances. 63 % of all performances by ticket sales were Finnish.
Tables, graphs and charts have English titles.
Performance Statistics 2016 – 2017 (PDF)
For additional questions and information: mikko.karvinen(a)tinfo.fi
Ondřej Svoboda (The Arts and Theatre Institute, ENICPA Board member) made a small research among the members about a way how the directors of big theatres and opera houses are usually selected in European countries. The first question was if there are some kind of open calls or if one (or more) expert is addressed directly for preparing a conception or if there is another system for selection. The second question was who (which kind of authority/board of experts …) is responsible for the selection.
Here is the outcome of the survey. (PDF)
Polish Theatre Journal (PTJ) is an online Polish-English academic magazine examining contemporary Polish theatre and performance, published twice a year by the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute in Warsaw and The Department of The Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw.
Latest issues:
For more information and the latest issues check out: www.polishtheatrejournal.com
Here is a promotional video from Centro de Documentación de las Artes Escénicas de Andalucía (CDAEA).
The publication Perspective: Music Theatre aims to give an international audience an in-depth view of recent developments in the very diverse field of Flemish music theatre. The booklet starts with a landscape sketch by dramaturge Wannes Gyselinck that gives insight into the field’s organisation, historical developments, recent artistic trends and possible future developments. Following on this, you will find a series of interviews with a diverse array of artists, such as opera director Guy Joosten or composers Annelies Van Parys and Liesa Van der Aa. The publication also contains information on the most important producers, with a focus on a number of key projects with international potential. Flanders Arts Institute is thus responding to the growing demand from outside Belgium for good information on the work of Flemish performing artists and production houses for music theatre.
You can download the publication here.
INAUGURATION OF THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF PUBLIC THEATRE IN POLAND
2015 marks the 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF PUBLIC THEATRE IN POLAND. The celebration began on February 12, 2015 at the National Helena Modrzejewska Stary Teatr with a ceremony involving artists, creators, and representatives of public theaters and Prof. Małgorzata Omilanowska, Minister of Culture and National Heritage. The evening ended with the unveiling of a new curtain created for the main stage of Stary Teatr in recognition of 250 YEARS OF PUBLIC THEATRE IN POLAND and with the staging of Trilogy, directed by Jan Klata.
On December 1, 2014 the Polish Sejm announced that 2015 would be the Year of Polish Theatre. This decision was connected with the fact that 250 years ago this November the first performance was delivered by a playing company founded at the initiative of King Stanisław August Poniatowski. The group served as the seed of the oldest public, national theater in Poland, which would eventually come to be known as Teatr Narodowy (The National Theatre). The celebration consists not only of dozens of theater shows on a common theme that were produced throughout the country, but also of educational events, exhibitions, competitions, and activities in urban spaces.
The events are coordinated by the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute in Warsaw.
THEATRE ON A HUMAN SCALE TICKETS FOR 250 GROSZY
The main event in the celebration of the 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF PUBLIC THEATRE IN POLAND, an event involving every single public theatre, is the universal, nationwide campaign enabling everyone in Poland to buy a theatre ticket for the symbolic price of 250 groszy.
The goal of the project is to highlight the role that theatre plays in contemporary life as a place to reflect, discuss, and share opinions. Public theatre, financed by public funds.
MAY 23 – the DAY OF PUBLIC THEATRE – shows will be performed at the special ticket price in every theatre.
PUBLIC THEATRE. UP CLOSE
www.250teatr.pl
A special website providing information about events connected with the anniversary. It contains descriptions of projects being implemented all over Poland, a calendar of events, virtual exhibitions, walking tours, radio interviews, and other related materials. All throughout 2015, it will be supplemented and expanded daily.
THEATRE WALKING TOURS
Citywide actions whose main goal is to spread culture on a local scale. Theatre-themed walking tours are organized for residents (and conducted by local tour guides). The proposed routes present an opportunity for an unconventional way of viewing and learning about the theatrical – and hence cultural – history of the city.
THEATRE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST CONNECTED WITH A TRAVELLING EXHIBITION
In September 2014, the Theatre Institute announced the Theatre Photography Contest, which consists of two categories: a contest for a series of photographs documenting the rehearsal process and the resulting theatre production, and a contest for “Theatre Photo of the Season.” The second category leaves it up to the photographer to determine how to interpret the subject. Winning photos will be exhibited outdoors or indoors in Polish cities in the form of a travelling exhibition.
ELECTRONIC ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POLISH THEATRE
An online compendium of knowledge on Polish theatre. An expanded platform that integrates existing digital resources on Polish theatre, source databases, and new archives, and an electronic library and reading room for digital periodicals, enabling users to make use of information organized in a traditional manner and to create their own histories by accessing a multitude of narratives. Dr. Wojciech Dudzik and Prof. Dariusz Kosiński are responsible for the supervising the project as a whole.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AT TEATR NARODOWY
The Theatre Institute and Teatr Narodowy are joining forces to organize an international conference on the role and importance of national theatres throughout the world. The conference will take place on November 20 and 21 during the upcoming edition of the Meeting of National Theaters.
EXHIBITIONS
In February 2015, two virtual exhibitions prepared by the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute “opened” at the Google Cultural Institute: “The History of National Theatre in Poland” (in cooperation with Teatr Narodowy) and “250 YEARS OF PUBLIC THEATRE IN POLAND.”
You can visit the exhibitions here: www.google.com/culturalinstitute/u/0/exhibit/polski-teatr-publiczny/QRJWi6sF
Flanders Arts Institute is a new organisation that saw the light of day on 1 January 2015. Flanders Arts Institute serves the arts sector in Flanders and is a merger of VTi (Institute for the Performing Arts in Flanders), BAM (Flemish Institute for Visual, Audiovisual and Media Art) and Flanders Music Centre. Flanders Arts Institute is the new reference for all of your questions about art in Flanders. Our core functions include a focus on research, international activities, supporting the practice of art and policy support. We collect and distribute knowledge and expertise daily about and for the arts in Flanders, in an international context. The institute is the ideal contact point for foreign art professionals in search of information on the arts in Flanders. We can provide you with tailored information on relevant research, directions and trends in the Flemish arts sector, up-and-coming names and must-sees, visitors’ programmes …
More details can be found on http://www.flandersartsinstitute.be.