Announced in July 2020, the “European Theatre Forum 2020: European Performing Arts in Focus” will gather for the first time 200 theatre and performing arts representatives and policy makers. Together, they will create a vital representation for the entire sector, within and outside Europe. The event will also be available anywhere in the world via livestream.
The sectorial meeting is organised in the frame of the German EU Council Presidency and in cooperation with the German Minister of State for Culture and the Media and the European Commission. Originally planned to take place in Dresden, Germany, the event has been transformed into an artistically innovative virtual meeting and will take place online, due to current travel and event restrictions.
“The timely, important initiative is expected to have a strong impact in strengthening and professionalising our diverse sector with a strategic perspective and to help overcome the current crisis.” – Heidi Wiley, Executive Director European Theatre Convention, member of the Initiative Group
Over the last six months, 12 European and international networks of theatre and performing arts have come together to collaborate towards a shared goal of establishing a creative dialogue process within the sector and with policymakers and jointly curate an ambitious programme for the Forum.
An innovative online platform has been created in cooperation with the artist collective CyberRäuber. Guests of the “European Theatre Forum 2020: European Performing Arts in Focus” will be able to meet, discuss, exchange views in a state-of-the-art virtual space representing the Staatsschauspiel Dresden theatre. Also in the virtual host city of Dresden, the coinciding online offer of the Fast Forward - European Festival for Young Stage Directions will be available for all to watch for free.
Topics to be discussed over the three days include international collaboration, working conditions, environmental sustainability in the sector, accessibility and diversity and European theatre as a public space. It will contribute to the long-term goal of the formulation of a cultural policy strategic agenda for the sector. The programme of the European Theatre Forum’s first edition will aim to:
View the full programme on www.europeantheatreforum.eu.
The majority of the Forum programme will be broadcast live on the www.europeantheatreforum.eu website. Theatre and performing arts professionals are invited to watch the programme live from anywhere in the world. All sessions will be in English with live captioning.
European Theatre Convention, Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste and International Theatre Institute – German Centre are the initiative group for a European Theatre Forum, in the frame of the German EU Council Presidency, in cooperation with the German Minister of State for Culture and Media and the European Commission.
The European Theatre Forum 2020: European Performing Arts in Focus is funded by the European Commission, the German Minister of State for Culture and Media in the frame of the German EU Council Presidency and European Theatre Convention.
The European Theatre Forum is coordinated by the European Theatre Convention.
Communication: Joséphine Dusol communication@europeantheatre.eu +49 (0) 30 28441 460 / +49 172 3572 092
More information on www.europeantheatreforum.eu
Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union
Minister of State for Culture and the Media Federal Republic of Germany