ENVISIONING THE FUTURE: EUROPEAN THEATRES AS PUBLIC SPACE FOR AN OPEN SOCIETY

• Tamás Szűcs, Director for Culture, Creativity and Sport at the European Commission’s Directorate General on Education, Youth, Sport and Culture
• Maria Delgado, Professor and Director of Research at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London/UK
• Bashar Murkus, Artistic Director of the Khashabi Theatre, an Independent Palestinian theatre in Haifa
• Gianina Carbinariu, General Director Teatrul Tineretului/Romania
• Serge Rangoni, Artistic Director & General Manager of Théâtre de Liège/Belgium and ETC President
• Heidi Wiley, Executive Director of ETC

The conference is one of the first opportunities since the pandemic began for European theatres to meet in person and discuss what the past two years have really meant for their activity. Beyond the closed stages, the postponed performances, and the logistical challenges – what is the emotional and artistic legacy of the pandemic, and what do theatres need to be able to thrive again? What role does in-person theatre have in a society so used to online cultural experiences? How can we continue to build theatre as a public space that is sustainable, inclusive, and nurturing of artistic freedom and expression?

The European Theatre Convention’s second annual conference will be taking place in Malta for the very first time. Hosted by Teatru Malta in collaboration with Teatru Manoel and Spazju Kreattiv, the conference will tackle the Future of Europe and its citizens, as well as encourage debate on Europe’s challenges and priorities. No matter where you are from or what you do, this is the place to think about what future you want for the European Union.

As part of the International Theatre Conference in Malta, the ETC will be inviting participants to debate and suggest the changes they want to see in the future of Europe. What can theatre(s) do for Europe; what can Europe do for theatre(s)?