European Theatre Forum 2023 & The Future of European Theatre - Part 2

I do hope you enjoyed the first part of this two-part entry. I’ll dive straight back into my thoughts and will hopefully keep it shorter than the previous one - says she optimistically!

I realise I haven’t really said much about why this forum took place in the first place. This was the first in-person meeting of the industry after the COVID pandemic and one could definitely feel the buzz, the dynamism, the excitement in the air. Not wanting to quote ‘Grease’ the musical, but it was truly electrifying! And I was very pleased to see that everyone had such a good time, a focussed time, and feeling their contributions are valuable. The numerous key-notes on the tree topics briefly mentioned in the first part of these entries, the conversations and discussions on and about those, as well as the ‘off-the-record’ discussions during coffee breaks and lunches, all lead to and will inform

@ Beatrice Benedek the creation of the ‘Opole Recommendations’,

an official document which builds on the already established 2020 Dresden Declaration and sets out a new, innovative and effective roadmap to make the European theatre industry more sustainable and better equipped for the challenges it currently faces, as well as the ones it has to prepare for! In a nutshell, the Dresden Declaration recognises and proposes to urgently tackle the industry’s challenges on a pan-European level, looking at promoting the sector’s values and possible joint policies as a way forward to make the European theatre industry more inclusive, resilient, diverse and fair. This paired with the latest resolutions from the European Theatre Forum 2023 will continue to enable, enhance and further develop the absolutely necessary actions to strengthen the “unified European vision for the sector’s recovery and sustainable future” (2020, Dresden Declaration)

At this point I would also like to give a big shout out to Serge Rangoni, Artistic Director and General Manager Théâtre de Liège and ETC President, who somewhat brought us all back to reality when he pointed out a very important aspect of this event: the lack of young and emerging artists being present at this forum. And that’s when I sort of actually noticed, that apart from my fellow ETC-artists-in-residence colleagues and a few more representing small independent creative and performing companies, the majority of the attendees were (are) established creative and artistic directors, CEOs and chief executives of charities and NGOs. This of course begs the question: will the results of this forum truly impact the individual, young, freelance emerging artists or will it only benefit well established creative institutions? Will it trickle through to those who are actively shaping the future of this industry as we speak or will it stay at an institutional level only?

With this in mind I am actually very grateful and happy that on behalf of the ETC, Manon, Mira and myself have been asked to raise our concerns during the forum’s closing panel on what we as creatives in this industry face on a daily basis, the challenges and issues we experience, and our take on the three major topics discussed. As it’s already been quite the read, I will summarise our thoughts in bullet points and ask you, dear reader, to get in touch with us personally should you wish to discuss our thoughts and opinions more in depth - I for one am very open to such conversations.

@ Philipp Glanzner | ETC

Mira pointed out the following issues:

• Artistic education, mobility, mental health and social inclusion: these topics are especially important to me. The attention should not only fall on building a network of communication and exchange of experiences, but ALSO on the need to build safe and slow-moving creative spaces in our countries. Before we really go on realising our international artistic endeavours, we first need to be able to create, gain experience and build our own artistic language in our home countries. So please create those platforms, where you actively listen to us, young emerging artists, first, and then in return consult your action ideas with us. This is where and how the first collaboration exercises should be established.

• Our schools and institutions need to be more inclusive! It's a difficult task, but I dream of a world where able-bodied people and people with disabilities study acting, directing and other arts TOGETHER and on an EQUAL BASIS, and then create together, understanding and respecting the difference between us without the prospect of giving up our place or "giving voice". It’s already happening beautifully within the Polish theatre scene, but now it is time for the next major step: implementing real equal opportunities for education and creation across the European theatre sector.

Manon’s arguments concerned the following:

• Trust! The industry should trust us, the younger generation, more, as we’re the ones who will ultimately shape the future of the sector. And we’re fully aware and conscious of the challenges that await us.

• More opportunities and initiatives to support young, emerging artists on an European-wide level. Create possibilities for us to keep on developing and strengthening our craft from the onset, as well as supporting us on different levels on our professional journeys. We’d love to see one or more European festivals exclusively showcasing work from young, emerging directors, a European mentoring programme set up with the sole purpose to support us as we find our feet within the industry, as well as more calls for artistic residencies on a transnational and international level. And whilst we’re at the subject of more opportunities in general, why not even create an exchange programme, inspired by and based on an already successful model of the Erasmus exchange programme, where theatres could send artists abroad to other theatres to stage their own productions, and/or have theatres who actively accommodate and enable such exchanges and allow new directors to safely and supportively stage productions for their venues.

• On the topic of sustainability within the theatre industry and practice, there should be a more ecological approach to creating, prioritising time and space for artists to create in a quality-driven manner vs. the fast-paced turn around of productions we are experiencing in the industry. Sustainability is therefore not only a question of how we make the buildings and the productions greener, but how we provide for our young artist generation in the form of improved and decent social and work conditions.

My contribution addressed the following:

• Sustainability in the theatre industry shouldn’t only address the eco practices institutions are and will need to undertake to make theatre greener, but should also focus on creating long-term practices to make the industry future-proof by actively investing in and retaining young talent, as well as using this platform as an ally and contributor towards improving and championing mental health and well-being within the industry and in our communities

• Considering that our industry brings millions to the household budget and provides thousands of jobs, why are artists still working pro bono? Accepting unpaid work? And most of the time having to undertake unrelated jobs just to make ends meet? In the light of these questions, would the notion of universal income for artists be that absurd?

• Georg Häusler, Director for Culture, Creativity and Sport in the European Commission, prompted us artists to not be that ‘nice’, kind and shy, but speak with confidence and state clearly what we need from them (politicians). In a world where for decades artists have been ‘conditioned’ to feel ‘apologetic’ for their chosen professional path, we would love to know how to address you and the big stakeholders in the ‘correct’ and ‘right’ manner, with the necessary vocabulary - lingo if you must - and approach you yourself show in your profession. So please give us the tools and provide us the right platform to learn how to be more like you so that we can effectively communicate with you about our needs.

And there you have it, the thoughts and reflections of three European artists sharing their personal experiences in this profession. I am very proud and honoured to have shared the stage with these lovely ladies and expressed our recommendations in such a coherent, clear and concise way. And I appreciated the fact that we have somehow, quite coincidentally I must add, addressed similar issues but addressing them from different perspectives, which also picked up on quite a few major subject matters discussed during the forum. Seeing that the issues are so very similar, despite us coming from different cultures, with completely different sets of artistic and creative expectations, proves even more how necessary it is for the European theatre sector to develop and implement strong, clear and supportive policies for the industry on a pan-European level. And I hope our voice will strengthen this cause and the establishment of these policies.

On that note I should maybe have another look at what I’ve written 10 years ago in my BA thesis, as that’s been probably the most significant research I conducted on the subject of theatre and politics. The European Theatre Forum 2023 I regard now as my @ Beatrice Benedek

incredibly fitting case study for the thesis I wrote, as what went on during those three days was the best example of how the three pillars of politics (polity, policy and politics) can seamlessly and adequately translate and materialise into our theatre vocabulary, BUT also become the solid foundation of political theatre in its purest and universal form.

Last but not least, I would like to show (write!) some gratitude and appreciation, and a massive thank you to the extraordinary team behind the European Theatre Convention, to the Creative Europe team, and JK Theatre Opole for hosting this fantastic event and being so incredibly welcoming and accommodating! To Ian and Natasha for having been such excellent masters of ceremony. To all the speakers involved in the key notes and presentations, and to the moderators Kasia Lech and Maria Delgado.

I am very much looking forward to reflecting and reporting some more events like this! Until then, peace out everyone!

@ Beatrice Benedek