Pearle* 2018 Awards Winners Announced!

The Pearle* 2018 Awards celebrate the achievements of Employers Associations in the European live performance sector

Major stakeholders related to the live performance sector in Europe gathered together yesterday evening in Brussels to attend the Pearle* 2018 Awards Ceremony, The aim of this high level event was to highlight and celebrate the groundbreaking achievements many European employers’ organisations have accomplished in recent years, in fields as wide-ranging as equal opportunities, diversity, lifelong-learning, social dialogue or heritage with the ultimate objective of making live performance a healthier, fairer and more secure sector in which to work.

The outreach of the employers associations belonging to Pearle is significant: between them they represent more than 10,000 arts organisations from all over Europe which in turn provide jobs for over 1,2 million employees, making the live performance sector into the biggest employer in the European cultural industries.

The five awards that were given were announced during a festive event attended by people from all over Europe and celebrated at the emblematic Bozar Centre for Fine Arts in the centre of Brussels. For once the spotlight was trained on organisations whose work is normally carried out anonymously “behind the stage”, and on this occasion focused particularly on the winning projects undertaken in the context of Estonian theatres, French orchestras or circus companies, Czech dance companies, Dutch collective bargaining or Europe’s first think tank devoted to researching a digital strategy for drama. A wide range of initiatives reflecting the diversity of the sector itself and all characterized by their initiative, innovation, and scope.

Organised by Pearle*-Live Performance Europe, the Pearle* 2018 Awards are an essential component of Behind the Stage, an innovative project run by Pearle* with the financial support of the European Union, aimed at empowering the role and capacity of employers associations and strengthening social dialogue in the European live performance sector. This project has been devised and developed in the context of the “European Pillar of Social Rights” which was proclaimed and signed exactly a year ago by the Council of the EU, the European Parliament and the European Commission during the Gothenburg Social Summit for fair jobs and growth.

(See attached full list of award winners)

PEARLE* 2018 AWARD WINNERS

Cooperation Award:

• The Award goes to: Eesti Etendusasutuste Liit (Estonian Association of Performing Arts Institutions) for “The Tale of the Century”
• Special Mention: Association of British Orchestras and UK Theatre for “The Family Arts Campaign”

Diversity & Equal Opportunities Award

• The Award goes to: Association Française des Orchestres and Les Forces Musicales for “CHARTER FOR GENDER EQUALITY WITHIN THE ORCHESTRAS AND OPERA HOUSES”
• Special Mention Svensk Scenkonst (Swedish Performing Arts Association) for “Work against sexual harassment in the performing arts sector”

Skills/Training/ Lifelong Learning Award

• The Award goes to: Asociace profesionálních divadel České republiky (Association of the Professional Theatre of the Czech Republic) for “The Dance Career Endowment Fund”
• Special Mention: Association of British Orchestras “Find your Way”

Social Dialogue/Collective Bargaining Ex-aequo Award

• The Award goes to Werkgeversvereniging Nederlandse Podia (Dutch Employers'Association of Theaters and Concert-halls) for its work in favour of the protection of self-employed workers in the cultural sector
• The Award goes to Syndicat des Cirques et Compagnies (French Union of Circuses & Creative Companies) for the creation of a "Circus Artist" title in the National Collective Agreement for Artistic and Cultural Enterprises
• Special Mention: Overleg Kunstenorganisaties (Flemish industry for the Arts) for its creation of a single collective agreement for the performing arts and music sectors

Spotlight on Heritage in Culture and the Arts: a special award for an individual organisation’s outstanding achievement

• The Award goes to: European Theatre Convention the project European Theatre Lab: Drama goes digital
• Special Mention: CRIT Companyia de Teatre for the project “Escena Erasmus”