Ukraine - action taken by the live performance sector

Intro

On 16 March, Pearle* members exchanged views about the situation of Ukraine and their respective actions taken by their organisations and/or members to help Ukrainian artists, cultural organisations and refugees following the Russian invasion on 24 February.

It was also discussed in which way further cooperation with Russian artists and cultural organisations can be considered and how to support artists and refugees coming from Russia and Belarus opposing Putin’s war against the Ukraine.

On this website, we gather information about actions taken at the European level and at the national level by Pearle* and its members as well as by partners in the cultural field.

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Actions taken by the live performance sector

Throughout Europe, numerous actions were taken by the live performance organisations to support Ukraine, its artists, cultural organisations and refugees fleeing the war, such as:

• Providing residencies and/or rehearsal rooms for artists
• Supporting Ukrainian artists, theatre technicians and other cultural professionals to travel and find employment in the live performance sector
• Creation of websites of help for Ukrainian artists
• Charity concerts and fundraising campaigns, social media action in support of Ukraine and artists
• Programming Ukrainian composers and writers, inviting Ukrainian artists, and/or Russian artists to perform together
• Colouring cultural venues to show support of Ukraine
• Supporting refugees throughout wider national humanitarian aid networks
• Guidance of sector federations to their members on how to help Ukrainian artists and consider changes to programming due to the changed political situation

July 2022: New programm promotes cooperation between German theatres and artists fleeing their home country

With the new federal program U*act, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media Claudia Roth, together with the German Theater and Orchestra Association, Deutscher Bühnenverein, is promoting cooperation between theaters in Germany and artists who left their homeland because of the war in Ukraine.

More information on the website of Deutscher Bühnenverein in German language. Applicants can download all necessary documents to get funding. Deadline for applications: 31 August 2022.

April 2022: Online platform "StayOnStage - Support in the Performing Arts" created in Germany

The German Theatre and Orchestra Association, Deutscher Bühnenverein (DBV) together with the International Theatre Institute Germany created the platform that went online on 22 April. It aims to support people who have fled war and violence and are looking for work or performance opportunities in exile. The website https://stayonstage.iti-germany.de lists job offers in the performing arts from all artistic, technical and administrative areas, with references to possible accommodation. Also listed are artist residencies, offers of guest performances, use of rehearsal rooms for performers, musicians and dancers, and other support opportunities. The offers are posted by the members of DBV as well as its partner associations in Switzerland and Austria.

April 2022: Ukrainian orchestra to be founded in Poland

The orchestra is formed of refugee musicians. It will be affiliated to our National Opera in Warsaw.

In addition, after Easter, a programme of residencies and stipends for Ukrainian professionals will be launched. It will channel financial support to orchestras offering such residencies/stipends to musicians, graphic artists, stage technicians and other professionals an orchastra may need. A similar programme is already run by Polish theatres.

March 2022: The Melodia project

With the aim to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine through live performance, member orchestras of the Society of Polish Philharmonics started a campaign around the music piece “Melody” by the Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk (1938-2020). On Friday 18 March, or around this date, orchestras in Poland included it in their programmes. Orchestras from other European countries followed up on the initiative to create a wider campaign. Under the hashtags #OrchestrasWithUkraine and #Melodia4Ukraine Pearle* as well as orchestras, musicians and the International Federation of Musicians FIM shared the campaign on social media. See Pearle's tweet on the campaign.

Resource websites for Ukrainian artists:

• Culture Action Europe provides information and resources for Ukrainian artists, cultural workers and students who had to flee Ukraine.
• The European Cultural Foundation published a Ukraine edition of the Culture of Solidarity Fund to support cultural initiatives and action to stand with Ukraine.

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Employment: Job offers in the live performance sector

On its platform for jobs, Pearle* offers an overview of relevant websites, with the aim to facilitate job searches in the live performance sector, be it for technicians, artists, managers, communication officers, project managers or other positions.

Pearle* will extend this website to include specific sites for Ukrainian artists looking for a job in European countries.

• In Poland, a ministry agency has created a database of Ukrainians seeking jobs in the arts
• The agency of artists in exile based in France opened hotlines in support of Ukrainian and Russian artists
• In the Czech Republic, refugees can contact Pearle* member adp, the Association of Professional Theatres with their demand for work in the cultural sector: pomoc@asociacedivadel.cz

European Sectoral Social dialogue live performance

On 4 March 2022, Pearle* held an exchange with its social partners at the European Sectoral Social dialogue meeting about actions taken by the individual members organisations in their respective countries.

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EU wide statements in the live performance sector:

• In the first days after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Pearle* co-signed a letter with European cultural networks, drafted on the initiative of European Theatre Convention (ETC). Read the open letter "International Cultural Cooperation With Ukraine Must Be Supported By World Leaders". The letter was published on 28 February and can still be signed under the provided link.
• Opera Europa published a statement on their website and offers its support to Ukrainian opera houses and all people of Ukraine suffering from the invasion. Find more information here. 
• The European Festival Association (EFA) published the letter "Solidarity to Ukraine" on 4 March 2022.
• The European Association of Artists Managers (aeaa) published a statement on their homepage.
• The Chamber Orchestra of Europe (COE) published the statement "Supporting Ukraine".

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Statements of Pearle* members in their respective countries:

AFO, Les Forces Musicales, ROF, France

ABO, UK

DBV, Germany, general statement

DBV, Germany, on the destruction of the  theatre in Mariupol

APD, Czech Republic

Filharmonie Brno, Czech Republic

Moravian Philharmonic Olomouc, Czech Republic

FEAS, Belgium

MSZT, Hungary

VNPF, Netherlands

NTO, Norway

orchester.ch, Switzerland

Other Pearle* members signed statements of the wider cultural sector in their respective country.

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Declaration of Culture Ministers of the EU on the situation of Ukraine:

In a declaration approved on 7 March at a meeting of Culture Ministers in Angers, France under the French Presidency, EU Member States express their support for artists, journalists, cultural and media professionals. They recall the principle of freedom for the press and media pluralism as well as the importance of freedom of expression and artistic creation.

Read the declaration