The webinar’s point of departure will be the results of the Theatre and Environmental Protection survey, a piece of research carried out in spring 2020 as part of Theatre Night in the Czech Republic, in which a majority of the respondents stated that they actively try to minimise the environmental impact of their activities, albeit in a somewhat haphazard way. With guests from the Czech Republic and abroad, we will discuss current trends in the fields of dance and theatre, including issues around mobility, production and promotion, as well as sustainability as a theme for artistic creation or communication with the public. From concrete examples of good practice and strategic measures, we will then shift our focus to the organic changes in attitudes that are now shaping points of departure and conditions for the creation and presentation of the performing arts as a result of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Participants:
Michaela Rýgrová / Czech Republic, producer and sustainable theatre expert
Gwendolenn Sharp / France, founder of the nonprofit organisation The Green Room, focusing on environmental strategies in the music industry and cultural sector
Anna Galas-Kosil / Poland, theatrologist, expert on international relationships in the performing arts and curator of the interdisciplinary cultural organisation Biennale Warszawa
Petr Dlouhý / Czech Republic, live art curator, dramaturg and cultural organiser
Moderator:
Martina Pecková Černá / Czech Republic, Department of International Cooperation, ATI
The Show Must Go ON/OFF-Line is the title of a cycle of international on-line discussions with guests from the field of performing arts in the Czech Republic and abroad. Individual episodes are united by the common theme of sustainability and the performing arts, which moderators Martina Pecková Černá, Ondřej Škrabal, Alice Koubová, Katarína Figula, Jiří Šimek and their guests, drawn from the ranks of theatre and dance artists, curators, cultural managers and theorists, will examine from many points of view. Among these are the field’s sensitivity and responsiveness to the state of the environment and discussions around our potential to ensure that the quality of life we enjoy today is preserved for future generations. While it might appear that the critical need for social change discussed in the fields of ecology, economics, politics and culture has been overshadowed in recent months by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the performing arts sector has faced increasing concerns about the sustainability of the field itself, linked to the chaos around different rules for social distancing, the deteriorating economic situation and the unpredictable behaviour of audiences. The rapid adaptation of theatre and dance works for the virtual environment has emerged as a defensive reaction. Does this hybrid existence in real and virtual space amount to a blind alley for a field that is based on contact with the audience, or does it open up new worlds and new possibilities? Will spectators stay at home forever? How are artists, cultural event organisers, public support providers and educational arts institutions responding to this crisis? What helps them to orientate themselves, what do they believe in and where are they headed? How are they communicating? In dialogue with our guests, we will try to map the performing arts’ emerging strategies and first responses to this global paradigm shift.
This online webinar series is organised by ATI's International Cooperation Department as part of its Promotion of Czech Performing Arts Abroad program and in cooperation with the European projects Create to Connect -> Create to Impact and PACE.V4. In its content, the series is linked to the theme of this year’s Theatre Night in the Czech Republic: sustainABILITY. The webinars will be held on the Zoom platform and take place in English only. Spectators will have the opportunity to ask guests questions during the meetings and the recordings will be made available on ATI's YouTube channel.
Webinars will take place on the ZOOM platform; it is not necessary to download the application in advance.
After filling out the registration form, you will receive an email with a link to access the webinar.
If possible, please register 15 minutes before the start of the event to allow time to complete the registration process.
Webinars will take place in English.
Speakers’ profiles:
Michaela Rýgrová works as a producer and advocate for participatory art in public spaces and is a lecturer in the Department of Arts Management at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of the Performing Arts in Prague (DAMU). She is the author of the publication Udržitelné divadlo (Sustainable Theatre) (2014), one of the first works to introduce the ecological and ethical dimensions of theatre-making into the Czech context.
Gwendolenn Sharp is the founder of The Green Room, a non-profit organisation developing strategies for environmental and social change in the music industry. She has worked with cultural institutions, festivals and environmental NGOs in Poland, France, Germany and Tunisia and has diverse experience in concert production, tour management, project design, international cooperation and developing tools and strategies. Since 2016, she co-creates solutions with associated musicians and technicians towards low-carbon touring, carrying out assessments, awareness-raising and operational training regarding sustainable practices for the music sector.
Anna Galas-Kosil is a curator, theatrologist and translator. She has worked with Teatr Polski in Bydgoszcz, R@port Festival in Gdynia and Warszawskie Spotkania Teatralne. From 2015 to 2020, she was President of the international On The Move network, involved in issues of mobility in the cultural sector. Through 2017, she managed the Department of International Cooperation at the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute. From 2018, she curates the programme of the international Biennale Warszawa.
Petr Dlouhý is a curator of life art, a dramaturg and a cultural organiser. He is curator-in-residence for the Cross Attic space for performance art, the interdisciplinary series Y events and the international performance art festival Performance Crossings. He is the initiator of the intercity PRALIN project, which connects the Berlin and Prague scenes. Alongside his curatorial practice, he is a member of the research project RESHAPE. The focus of all his activities is an international approach, finding new frontiers and environments for presenting independent performative art, connecting local and international organisations and artists, and creating a safe space for artistic practices.
Martina Pecková Černá is a theatrologist, translator and cultural manager. Her sphere of interest includes contemporary drama, particularly written in German or Spanish, contemporary Czech performing arts and cultural policies of the Central European region. Since 2010, she has led the Department of International Cooperation at ATI and is also the secretary of the Czech ITI Centre (International Theatre Institute).
