NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMERS

Check out the programmers accompanying MITbr – Platform Brazil 2020 and which festivals they represent:

Agata Kolacz (Poland) – TR Warszawa

Agata Kołacz is the head of International Projects of TR Warszawa,  recognized contemporary theatre in Poland leaded by Grzegorz Jarzyna, producing works of internationally acclaimed artists as Kornel Mundruczó, René Pollesch, Luk Perceval, Philippe Quesne and the rising talent of Polish performing scene as Anna Karasińska or Magda Szpecht.  She is as well the advisor on International Relations for Malta Festival Poznań, where since 2010 was developing the Industry Guest Department, producing the French open-air performances and the original productions of the Festival like „Slow Man” composed by Nicholas Lens. In Poznań, she was the developing as well No Women No Art Festival and Association promoting female artist in contemporary culture. She was in charge of communication for Old Brewary New Dance Programme and Arts Station Foundation by Grażyna Kulczyk.

About TR Warszawa: In 1998, a year after his critically acclaimed debut with The Tropical Craze, Grzegorz Jarzyna was offered the direction of a small Warsaw stage called Teatr Rozmaitości. Since that time, he has transformed it into TR Warszawa, one of the most important theaters in Poland – and one of the best known Polish theaters around the world.

Among the theater’s latest productions are Grzegorz Jarzyna’s Other People based on the rap-novel of Dorota Masłowska. In its current repertoire there are also productions of young directors such as Fantasia directed by Anna Karasińska, Always Coming Home by Magda Szpecht, as well as productions of acclaimed directors was Michał Borczuch’s My Struggle based on Karl Ove Knausgård’s books or California / Grace Slick written and directed by René Pollesch, or Pieces of a Woman , written by Kata Weber and directed by Kornel Mundruczó.

Alaor Rosa (Brazil) – Hilaridade Fatal – Festival do Bom Humor Brasileiro

Alaôr Rosa is an actor, producer, coordinator and production director for 40 years. He was Production Director at International Festival of Brasília Cinema, All Sounds, Brasília International Theater Show, at CCBB Brasília, Brasília Music Festival, FIFA Confederations Cup, Fifa Fan Fest.and Renato Russo Symphonic. Sinfonic. In 2019, he takes on the Artistic direction of Arteviva Productions. He is currently one of the directors and curator of Hilaridade Fatal – Brazilian Good Humor Festival.

About Hilaridade Fatal: The Hilaridade Fatal Festival produces artistic manifestations with different languages of Brazilian and other humor, in the areas of performing arts (theater, circus, dance) performance and visual arts. This festival consists of three Shows: Riso Aberto – Competitive Show; Gargalhada – National and International Exhibition; Riso é Coisa Séria – Workshops, lectures and debates.

Aldo Grompone (Italy) – Naples Theater Festival

Since 1994 he supports the work of many artist worldwide and collaborate as a consultant on the artistic program of few festivals.
Among many artists, he produced and promote the works of Nekrosius, Vanessa Redgrave, Pippo Delbono, Raffaello Sanzio, Robert Lepage, Jan Fabre, Claudio Tolcachir and specially the work of Emma Dante.
From 1999 he devotes also to the creation of contemporary arts projects, supporting the new young artistic creativity with the presentation of art exhibitions in Rome, Palermo, Mexico City, Remscheid and Aix n Provence.
As a Counselor, he promoted and organize a program called “Italy on Stage” theater in United States and Canada. He was advisor for the program the Cycle of Classical performances at Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza from 2011 to 2015.
He is consultant for the international relations of the regional network Teatro Pubblico Pugliese, and Senior Advisor for the international program of the Naples Festival.

About Naples Theater Festival: The Naples’ festival is one of the most prestigious festival in Italy, and since the opening in 2007 it has presented artists like Bob Wilson, Robert Lepage, Andrej Konchalovsky, Marie Chouinard, Willem Dafoe, Romeo Castellucci, and many others, being also co-producers of Angelica Liddl, Jan Fabre and Dimitris Papaioannou. The festival is also a platform for the Italian local Napolitan and Italian companies, it happens each year during the month of June, presenting a large number of events, with several mediums and languages, as theatre, dance, music, and literature

Alejandra Rojas (Chile) – Identidades Festival

Actress, cultural manager, director of the Cultural Corporation from the Huella Theater, general director of the Identities International Festival of scenic arts in the Atacama desert. She started her career at the Image Theater directed by Gustavo Meza, and did many internships at the Eitalc (Latin and Caribbean International School of Theater). In 2015 she founded Identities an International Festival of Scenic Arts in the Atacama Desert, which is under her direction since five yeas ago making possible international networks.

About Identidades Festival: The Identidades Performing Arts Festival at the Atacama Desert is the meeting of cultures of the world thus seeking integration between the Antofagasta region through an international event. We would like to keep an open window at the Atacama Desert so the world can see the cultural diversity existent in this territory usually just know for being inhospitable and desolated.

Jorge Moreno (Chile) – Identidades Festival

​​He is graduate on Esthetics and History with specialization on Cultural Management and another graduation on Planning and Management from the Catholic University of Chile. He has also a master on Cultural Management on Royal College de Londres. Nowadays, he does his Phd on Latin American Transdisciplinary Studies from the Humanism and Catholic Academic University. He has a vast experience on cultural management and leads development cultural and artistic on private and public spheres, improving life conditions. He was a very important player on planning and implementing quality control in the Cultural Centers of the Country. He has a large experience on public institutions such as the National Commission of Cultural Infrastructure, National Council of Culture and Arts, He worked as direct advisor of import names from the Peruvian Government. He used to teach at many important Universities at Chile and he is director of the National and Intentional Network of Theater Atacama Desert.

Ana Freire (Brasil) – FIT Belo Horizonte

Ana Freire holds a BA in Social Communication – Public Relations. At the moment, she is the Festival Policy Director at the Belo Horizonte Municipal Culture Foundation, International Festival de Teatro Palco e Rua – FIT BH. Specialized in Cultural Management, she worked for 25 years as a cultural producer in important events such as Virada Cultural de BH, cultural producer at important events such as Virada Cultural de BH; Arte Negra Festival – FAN; International Comics Festival – FIQ; International Literary Festival – FLI BH. Anima Mundi Circuito BH; FIT World Meeting of the Performing Arts – ECUM (BH); Circuito de Cultura no Interior; International Festival “I Love Jazz”; FID – International Dance Forum (BH); Ouro Preto International Festival “Tudo é Jazz”; International Week of Digital and Alternative Arts – SIANA Brasil.

About FIT Belo Horizonte: The International Festival of Teatro Palco e Rua of Belo Horizonte includes productions from all continents and programming of groups and artists from 45 different countries. Today, consolidated as the main theater festival in the capital of Minas Gerais and inserted among the biggest events of this nature nationwide, the FIT-BH continues to operate on different pivot of action and combining artistic quality and multiplicity of languages.

Andressa Francelino (Brazil) – FACE: Festival de Artes Cênicas de Bauru

She is an actress, a director, an art-educator and a cultural producer. He is specialized on Theater, Dance and Cultural Production from the University of Sagrado Coração. She is graduated on Scenic Arts from the UEL. Since 2016, she is the general director of one of the biggest festivals in the state of São Paulo, the Scenic Arts Festival from Bauru (FACE). She manages and coordinates the Prototype Space where the Prototype Topic group is. She was the curator, jury and producer of the local festivals, besides she was on the direction of international and annual festivals. Ha has being part of theatre sciences and she was the main actress of “Bicho Transparente” which opens the floor for the debate about violence against women.

​​About the FACE – Arts Scenic Festival of Bauru: ​​It is a festival of national and international scenic performances that aims to achieve artistic transversality and scenic manifestations plurality. The festival improves year by year thanks to different curatorships. Since 2012, FACE is one of most important festivals in the state of São Paulo. FACE 2020 will be the 9th edition, it will happen in September, when 51 actions (theater presentations, work shops, debates, exhibitions and visual media performances) are expected. The supporters of the festival are ProAc Festival, public investment from the Municipal Secretary of Bauru, USP Theater and SESC Bauru. This year, FACE will also present an artistic-documentary installation to celebrate the path and the social engagement from the previous editions of the festival. All the attractions of FACE are free.

Artur Ghukasyan (Armenia) – High Fest International Performing Arts Festival

PhD in Arts Management and Cultural Policy. Graduated from Yerevan Institute of theatre and Cinema. Studied in London City University in 1998, Amsterdam University in 1999, Saltsburg Academy of Arts Management and Media in 2001 (Arts Management and Cultural Policy).

From 2003 President of HIGH FEST International Performing Arts Festival (flagship theatre festival in Yerevan, Armenia) which is announced from 2006 as the main festival in the territory of the former USSR countries (except of Moscow).
2019-2020 HIGH FEST is an EFFE Laureate, amongst the 24 best European festivals by European Festival Association. From 2006 Invited Professor at London Metropolitan University. From 2011 Head of Arts Management and Cultural Policy Department at the Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinema. From 2012 organizing HIGH STREET International Street Theatre Festivals abroad (Perm, worked for Amersfoort, Bremen, Edinburgh and upcoming in Russia 2020 and Kazakhstan in 2021). President of Armenian Actors Union. President of Armenian National Centre of ASSITEJ. Ran numerous of seminars and lectures in arts management and cultural policy in more than 20 countries. Member of IETM, ASSITEJ, IFEA, ITI, ENCATC, ELIA, ITTA.

About High Fest International Performing Arts Festival: “HIGH FEST” International Performing Arts Festival gives great opportunity for Armenian audience to get in touch with the values of world performing arts. The organizers are aimed to bring to Yerevan the best and most innovative companies, presenting the rich palette of worldwide art. At the same time, the Festival promotes Armenian Culture on the international area making it closer to the world of the performing arts.

Over the past years the Festival has significantly expanded and has drawn international attention. As a result of international recognition Armenia joined several international theatre arts networks namely ASSITEJ (International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People), IETM (international network for contemporary performing arts), IFEA (International Festival and Events Association).

Barbara Engelhardt (France) – Maillon Théâtre en Strasbourg

Barbara Engelhardt is the artistic director of the Maillon, Theatre of Strasbourg – European stage since 2017. Barbara Engelhardt is the artistic director of the Maillon, Theatre of Strasbourg – European stage. 2005 – 2015 she curated the co-founded festival PREMIERES in Strasbourg and Karlsruhe, a festival dedicated to young and emerging European directors, as well as the international LE STANDARD IDEAL festival at the MC93 Bobigny near Paris (2005 – 2012). In 2010 she launched FAST FORWARD, the European festival for young directors, which she curated initially in Braunschweig, then in Dresden until 2017. Previously, she was the editor in charge at THEATER DER ZEIT – magazine for politics and theater in Berlin, theater critic and author. For several years she has worked closely with director David Marton as a dramaturge in theatre and opera.

About Maillon Théâtre en Strasbourg: The Maillon is a multidisciplinary and international hosting theatre focusing on contemporary and hybrid forms at the crossroad of theatre, contemporary dance, circus and music, as well as visual arts and site specific performances. Furthermore, it features its artistic identity also by co-productions, artistic residencies and a large program of mediation and audience development (cultural and artistic actions). The geopolitical and transcultural situation of the city of Strasbourg and the greater region have an important impact on the global concept of its activities, particularly in regard to the French-German-Swiss sector. In November 2019, the Maillon has opened its new theatre with two black box venues (700 and 250 seats) built by the city of Strasbourg. The Maillon’s communication has become a kind of trademark in French theater landscape and has particularly contributed to its reputation.

Benoît Bradel (France) – Festival Passages

Benoît Bradel is a french artist, a theatre director and director artistic of Zabraka for which he develops hybrid theatrical performances mixing various materials and texts  by Gertrude Stein, Lewis Carroll or John Cage. He also collaborates with contemporary authors such as Anne-James Chaton, Yves Pagès, Sonia Chiambretto and Claudine Galea and musicians such as Seb Martel and Thomas Fernier.  He gives an important space to music and cinema and works towards theatre plays aimed at all generations. The last production La 7e vie de Patti Smith is on tour in France since april 2017 and soon worldwide.

About Festival Passages:  The International Festival of Arts, PASSAGES moved to Metz in the northeast of France in May 2011.  A second period begins, after its creation in Nancy in 1996 by Charles Tordjman and the National Dramatic Center of Nancy to discover theater from the East. Hundreds of artists from all over the world present creations and share their culture and art. There is especially the desire to discover unpublished theatrical adventures in France and to welcome artists politically and artistically engaged.  PASSAGES quickly takes the form of an expected rendez-vous. The 3000 first spectators became 15,000 after ten years, reaching 30,000 in the last edition in May 2019. Benoît Bradel is preparing the next édition for May 21 with a transversal and transcontinental project where Brazil will take a central place.

Brendan Healey (Canada) – Canadian Stage

Originally from Montréal, Brendan Healy began his career as an actor before moving to directing. Brendan attended the National Theatre School’s Directing Program and trained extensively with one of the pioneers of the American avant-garde Anne Bogart and the SITI Company before relocating to Toronto. Since then, Brendan has established himself as a central figure in the city’s theatre scene. His work has been presented across the country and his productions have garnered multiple awards. Between 2009-2015, Brendan was the Artistic Director of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, the world’s longest-running theatre devoted to LGBTQ2S artists and one of Canada’s most significant generators of experimental performance and theatre. Brendan completed a Masters in International Arts Management and also worked as the Artistic Director for Performing Arts for the City of Brampton, one of Canada’s most diverse and fastest-growing cities.

About Canadian Stage: Brendan Healy is the Artistic Director of Canadian Stage, one of the country’s leading not-for-profit contemporary performing arts organizations. The company produces, presents, commissions, and collaborates with multiple partners on cross-disciplinary work with a focus on performance styles that integrate theatre, dance, film, visual arts and more. It presents its season on three stages: the 850-seat Bluma Appel Theatre; the 280-seat Marilyn and Charles Baillie Theatre, and; the 150-seat Berkeley Upstairs Theatre.

Carla Estefan (Brazil) – Metropolitana Gestão Cultural

Has been a cultural manager realizing directing the production and diffusion of dozens of shows, associated with important groups and artists in the Brazilian theater scene, involving projects recognized by the most relevant awards and critics in the country. In 2014, he deepened studies on Latin American culture and expanded her work to Ibero-American productions, artistic residencies and their international diffusion.Since then, it collaborates with emerging initiatives for the circulation of Iberian performing arts: it was associated with the Brasil Cena Aberta – SP meeting, an initiative by Sesc SP and Performas for the internationalization of Brazilian performing arts; the Santiago OFF International Festival – Chile, where she coordinated the Ibero-American Programming Meeting for the internationalization of Chilean theater; and in 2018 it was associated with MITsp, for the implementation of the MITbr – Brazilian Platform , the first international showcase of Brazilian performing arts. She devised and coordinated the Iberian Connections workshop held at the 42nd FITEI (PT) and the Latin Connections workshop at the 18th Festival de La Habana (CU), initiatives that bring together Iberian artists and foster international circulation.

Carmen Romero (Chile) – Santiago à Mil

 

 

Cecília Kuska (Belgium) – Proximamente

Cecilia was born and raised in Buenos Aires (1986). As a cultural manager, is naturally interested in global matters, intercultural exchange and art in all of its manifestations. She works both as a producer and presenter, running from visual arts to performing arts. She is the current Cultural Programming Director of the Buenos Aires Province, Argentinean Coordinator of the Latin American Showcase PROXIMAMENTE (set to take place at KVS – Brussels City Theater), and Producer and International Manager of Fernando Rubio Projects.

About Proximamente: Generates a new cooperative exhibition model in Europe that allows Latin American artists (emerging or middle-aged mainly) to establish links with the European industry in a close and horizontal manner, and to increase the international circulation of Latin artists, through co-production agreements with potential partners that are, until now, unknown.

Celso Curi (Brazil) – RESIDE/FIT Pernambuco

Since 1968 works in the cultural área. He is producer, adviser, journalist and cultural administrator. Executive Director of OFF Cultural Productions.  Creator and Editor – OFF Guia de Teatro – magazine for theatre and dance. Beside  Artistic Director of the Oficina Cultural Oswald de Andrade – Secretaria da Cultura do Estado de São Paulo (2013 – 2015). He was Curator of the Theatre Festival of Curitiba, Cena Brasil Internacional Theatre Festival RJ/SP, FIT – Theatre Internacional Festival of São José do Rio Preto/SP and Cambio/Reside/FIT PE Internacional Festival of Theatre of Pernambuco. Festival de Dramaturgia of Buenos Aires – Adviser in Brazil of since 2014 President La RED – Network of Cultural Promoters from Latin America and Caribbean.  Programming Consultant PAMS – Performing Arts Market in Seoul / Korea. Member of the Jury of 8º Festiwal Boska Komedia – Krakow / Poland.

About RESIDE/FIT Pernambuco: A festival that focuses on the diffusion, formation, and reflection of the theatrical scene through artistic presentations, residences, workshops and meetings to share experiences and knowledge, discuss ideas and creative processes, as well as to strengthen ties of coexistence and stimulate the breakdown of eventual territorial and linguistic barriers.The program emphasizes the diversity of contemporary dramatic expressions and creates a dialogue between the Theater and the City, in the search for a greater rapprochement with the public. It happens in the city of Recife / PE. Its 2nd edition will be from 05 to 22 September 2019.

Cesar Augusto (Brazil) – TEMPO_FESTIVAL

Cesar Augusto is part of the direction of the TEMPO_FESTIVAL, International Festival of Scenic Arts of Rio de Janeiro since it’s first edition, ten years ago. He is member of the Actors Company, renamed and prestigious group of Brazilian theater since 30 years ago. He was the artistic director of the squat CÂMBIO in the Gláucio Gill Theater and in the Café Pequeno Theater, spaces related with the municipally and the State of Rio de Janeiro, respectively. He was the curator of scenic arts in Galpão Gamboa multidisciplinary space in the porter zone of the city. He was nominated for many awards and in 2017 he won the Theater Producer Association of Rio (APTR) award for the multiplicity of his cultural actions.

About TEMPO_FESTIVAL: Created in 2009, TEMPO_FESTIVAL is the International Festival of Performing Arts in Rio de Janeiro. With each edition, curators and directors Bia Junqueira, Cesar Augusto and Márcia Dias offer to the public the possibility of immersion in the universe of the arts, with the intention of establishing a space for the dissemination of knowledge and trends in the performing arts. The festival offers an extremely diverse, high-quality artistic program. The idea is to invest in the innovation of the local and global scene, through a dialogue between artistic manifestations, with emphasis on theater, performance and dance. Invest in “creation time” – processes, residences, co-productions and training activities – and monitor artistic development in all its stages: from thinking to realization.

Bia Junqueira (Brazil) – TEMPO FESTIVAL

Is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, art director, consultant and artistic director. She lived 11 years in France, where she worked with big names on the European scene and at the Paris Opera. Since her return she continues to work in performing arts, the audiovisual sector, and exhibitions. She has been received nominations and awards, and represented Brazil in the Prague Quadrennial. In 2016, she received a prize for all of her works. She lectured at the École Supérieure du Spectacle, coordinated and taught courses at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation and Funarte, and currently teaches at the International Film Academy (AIC). She participated as mediator of the World Cultural Forum 2004, and of national and international symposiums and forums around curatorship, diffusion, and spaces of creation. Since 2013 she has acted as a judge for the Shell Theater Awards. She is a curator at RIOFESTIV.AL and creator, director-general and curator of riocenacontemporanea and TEMPO_FESTIVAL.

Márcia Dias (Brazil) – TEMPO FESTIVAL

Márcia Dias is a reference in the ​​cultural production in Brazil. She received several awards for best production (APCA, APTR, Mambembe, Molière, Sharp and Shell). Director of Buenos Dias Projects and Cultural Production. She is specialist in Cultural Incentive Laws and cultural management. Creator, directorl and curator of Rio Cena Contemporânea and TEMPO_FESTIVAL. She participated in the curatorial commission of the FRINJE – Festival of Performing Arts in Madrid, in 2016. She created the WebCultural System, focused on the management of encouraged projects.

Christophe Slagmuylder (Austria) – Wiener Festwochen

CHRISTOPHE SLAGMUYLDER is graduated in Art History (contemporary art) at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). He started his career as a teacher of visual theory at La Cambre, the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels (ENSAV) in Brussels. Since 1994, while keeping teaching positions, he has been involved in the performing arts, working for Brussels based artists and art houses, first in the production, then in the programming. In 2002, he joined the programming team of the Kunstenfestivaldesarts.

From 2007 to 2018 Slagmuylder has been General and Artistic Director of the Kunstenfestivaldesarts, one of the most groundbreaking festivals in Europe, dedicated to the multidisciplinary and international contemporary arts. Under his direction, the festival was leader of NXTSTP, a European programme intended to increase international co-productions. Besides this position, Slagmuylder regularly takes part in several working groups, committees, seminars and jury’s. He’s been awarded with the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic. In October 2018, he received the prestigious Prix de la Critique together with Kunstenfestivaldesarts’ former artistic director Frie Leysen. Christophe Slagmuylder was interim Artistic Director of the Wiener Festwochen 2019 and designated Artistic Director of the Wiener Festwochen 2020-2024.

About Wiener Festwochen: The Wiener Festwochen are combining theatre, performance, dance, music, fine arts, installation, discourse, participation, workshops, and new art forms that cannot yet be categorised. It is a space for multidisciplinary creation that is visionary while being aware of the history, that is international while anchored in the city, that opens fruitful dialogues between well established artists and emerging figures–and between the audiences.

The Festival commissions, initiates and accompanies artistic visions that are engaged with this time, in this world. Visions and works capable of taking people out of their comfort zones, which summons the imagination, explores unfamiliar terrain, sometimes at the risk of losing certainties. Visions and works that favour diversity and nuance, openness and curiosity for what appears to be foreign and unknown.

Cynthia Margareth  (Brasil) – Aflorar Cultura

Cynthia Margareth é fundadora da AFLORAR CULTURA, atriz, gestora cultural, curadora do FEVERESTIVAL (Festival Internacional de Teatro de Campinas) e colaboradora do FIMC (Festival Internacional de Máscaras do Cariri). Há 10 anos oferece capacitação em produção cultural e durante 14 anos foi coordenadora de produção do LUME Teatro, na UNICAMP. Coordenou, também, grandes projetos como o espetáculo multimídia “Perch”, com grupos do Brasil, Escócia e Austrália.

Sobre o Aflorar Cultura: Com o olhar voltado para a produção, eixo criativo, ações colaborativas e em redes, o instituto promove ações de fomento ao mercado cultural. Seja através de ações formativas como palestras, cursos, residências em produção e assessoria para grupos artísticos, ou na gestão de projetos e promoção de encontros entre espaços, obras e artistas. O intuito é retratar a diversidade do Brasil, aflorando os elos existentes entre as diversas regiões do país. Em um tempo que tem se mostrado tão cinzento, buscamos estratégias para colorir um pouco o mundo e criar sustentabilidade, tanto para nossas ações, como para os que estão a nossa volta.

Dagmara Gumkovska (Poland) – Teatr Slaski

Programmer, promoter, impresario, arts and cultural events manager and fundraiser, experienced and involved over time in PR and marketing activities and in numerous educational projects. For many years (till March 2017) The TEATROMANIA International Festival Artistic Director and the Chief Specialist in Cultural Projects Organisation at The Bytom Centre of Culture (Bytomskie Centrum Kultury). Author and coordinator of the HartOFFanie Teatrem (Strengthening by Theatre) project – series of presentations of performances by independent theatre companies organised in the years 2003-2016. Author and curator of the Art/Knowing/Action project implemented under the programme supported by the EEA Grants in the years 2014-2016. Coordinator of Polish Dance Network in the pilotage season 2017/2018.

Since June 2017 Manager for International Cooperation & Impresario at Teatr Śląski (Silesia Theatre) in Katowice. Programme curator of Open the Door International Festival organised by the Silesia Theatre (the first edition of the Festival was organised in September 2018).

Member of the artistic board of KONTRAPUNKT Theatre Festival in Szczecin / Poland (since autumn 2017).

About Teatr Slaski: Silesia Theatre (Teatr Śląski) in Katowice is the largest drama stage in Upper Silesia. It has four stages of various capacities and programme formula. There are works of Polish and world classic and modern drama, devised works, guest performances (from Poland and abroad ) of various styles and genres, performances for young people and children, concerts, interdisciplinary events presented. Different artistic forms and musical presentations help broaden the artistic offer. In recent years theatre has been expanding its international activities, developing its international programme, aiming to make new contact, it is open to international collaborations and projects. In the year 2018 the company started a new project: Open the Door International Festival. It is open to various forms of theatre, showing its diversity – modern, experimental and traditional styles and various genres. It is planned as an inclusive event, including works of disable artists, and artists from disadvantaged social groups. The festival ia an annual project (first edition: 21-30 September 2018, last year: 20-29th of September).

Dane de Jade (Brazil) – FIMC: Festival de Máscaras de Cariri

Graduated on Literature from the University of Ceará, master thesis on Linguistic and Phd on Experimental Phonetics from the University Paris VII, Sorbonne-Jussieu. From 1989 until 2001, he used to teach at Federal University of Ceará and he was teacher and cultural producer at Aliança Francesa Ceará. He is also an actor and a dancer, he worked with many important names such as Graziela Figueroa, Ademar Dornelles (Ensaio Teatro e Dança), Ary Pararaios, Hugo Rodas, Maura Baiochi. He was the founder and director of Ceará International Biennial of Dance. Nowadays, he is the president and director of the Industry of Dane ltda. Member and founder of the Brazilian  Circuit of International festivals of Dance in Brazil with Nayse Lopes,  Adriana Banana and Arnaldo Siqueira.

About FIMC:

David Linhares (Brazil) – Bienal Internacional de Dança do Ceará

About Bienal Int. de Dança do Ceará: In 1997 the Ceará International Dance Biennial had it’s first edition. After two decades, it is a fact that this event was a big step on the history of the dance in Ceará, which is today one of the most important dance and performing art festivals in Latin America. This year, Ceará International Dance Biennial goes to it’s 12th edition, celebrating 22 years.

 

William Pereira Monte (Brazil) – Bienal Internacional de Dança do Ceará

Willian Pereira Monte is 29 years old. He is an actor, he is graduated on Dance and Sociology. He performs in the city of Fortaleza, he participates at the Experimental Center of Movements (CEM) since 2006 until 2013 and at No barraco da Constância tem!. Since 2014, where he has being developing important works such as Piragem etnográfica do complexo (2013), Rara (2017) e Coververxion (2018). He participates since 2015 of the direction of the Association Prodança composed by dancers, dance teachers and choreographers, which he is the actual president. In 2017 the created the Beginners Course of Contemporary Dance CIDC, where he is the pedagogic coordinator. When he was a curator, he worked at Porto Dragão HUB to the event Pequenos Trabalhos Não São Trabalhos Pequenos  he also participates at the curatorship of the International Biennial of Ceará.

David Cabecinha (Portugal) – Alkantara Festival

David Cabecinha (b. 1987) is the co-artistic director of Alkantara, a performing arts organisation and festival based in Lisbon, Portugal. He is a graduate of the Lisbon Film and Theatre School, where he studied acting. He has worked regularly in the performing arts field since 2008, with Portuguese theatre companies Mala Voadora and Teatro da Garagem, and artists such as João dos Santos Martins and Rita Natálio. He has also worked regularly in film with the director Jorge Jácome, as co-script writer, actor, producer and director’s assistant. In 2016, he directed the Lisbon festival Temps d’Images. He joined the Alkantara Festival team in 2018, as programming assistant.

About Alkantara Festival: For more than 25 years, Alkantara has promoted and developed projects in the performing arts, in Lisbon and abroad, that look beyond political, artistic and disciplinary borders. In Alkantara Festival an international programme of theatre, dance, performance and other events are presented, instigating conversations about contemporary artistic practices in relation to the issues of today. Like its predecessor Danças na Cidade (1993-2004), the festival coproduces and presents Portuguese artists of different generations and is an important meeting place for arts professionals. The next Alkantara Festival will take place in 2020. In Espaço Alkantara, throughout the year, Alkanrara promotes a residency programme, workshops, and other public events. Since July 2018, Alkantara’s artistic directors are Carla Nobre Sousa and David Cabecinha.

Dries Douibi (Belgium) – Kunstenfestivaldesarts

Dries Doubi (1990, Sint-Niklaas) has Belgian-Algerian nationality and lives and works in Brussels. He studied visual arts at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) in Ghent and followed the preparatory program for Master in Philosophy at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Since 2017 he has been the performing arts programmer at the Beursschouwburg (Brussels), where he conceptualizes and organizes focused programs and mini-festivals (The Future is Feminist, Mind The Gap, Poetic Practices). Since 2012 he has been co-programmer and curator of the Bâtard Festival, supporting young European creators in their artistic development. In recent years he was involved in numerous artistic projects and productions, both as a curator (Lesfest, INFINI 1-15) and as a dramaturge (In Many Hands – Kate McIntosh, Mikado Remix – Louis Vanhaverbeke, Cuckoo – Jaha Koo).

About Kunstenfestivaldesarts: The Kunstenfestivaldesarts is an international arts festival dedicated to contemporary creations: theatre, dance, performance, film, and visual arts. It takes place in May of every year and lasts for three weeks, with presentations in some 20 theaters and arts centres, as well as in public spaces throughout Brussels. The Kunstenfestivaldesarts comprises a selection of artistic works created by Belgian and international artists: remarkable new projects that translate the artists’ personal visions of the world, communicating them to audiences prepared to challenge and broaden their perspectives. The Kunstenfestivaldesarts is a cosmopolitan city festival. Part of a complex network of communities, it serves to increase the porosity of territorial, linguistic, and cultural divides. The city is an environment par excellence in which to experience such a multifarious event. The Kunstenfestivaldesarts happens in Brussels, the only city in Belgium inhabited by the country’s two largest language communities. Several Flemish and French-speaking institutions are involved in the project. Fundamentally conceived as a bilingual undertaking, the festival contributes to encouraging dialogue. The Kunstenfestivaldesarts also runs a series of encounters and workshops alongside its program that are aimed at putting this artistic project at the heart of the city, inspiring the people who live there.

Emmanuelle Stevan (Switzerland) – Théâtre Saint Gervais

Artistic advisor, expert in cultural production, communication specialist

About Théâtre Saint Gervais: The theater is a nine-storey building in the heart of the city where Swiss and international talents blend. A place dedicated to research, rehearsals, installations, performances, film and visual arts. Consolidated artists or in formation compose the programming of more than thirty shows, creations and tours. The artistic identity of the place is open to the different forms of contemporary theatre, always risking and innovating.

Fanny Bertin (France) – Maison des Arts de Créteil

My professional project is nourished by my career of nearly twenty-five years within the Maison des Arts de Créteil (MAC), Scène Nationale, a pole of artistic and cultural influence in the regional, national and international landscape. From the young hostess in my university years to the presenter in charge of the young audience season for 10 years, it is on the strength of this path of work, emancipation and convictions that I approach my current responsibilities in the construction of the general artistic program.
My ambition is to build alongside José Montalvo a committed and responsible artistic project, for the benefit of each and everyone. In view of the contemporary challenges of recognition and construction of an updated individual identity, of an imaginary world, of a community, it is urgent to work towards a wider cultural secularism, respectful of the diversity of cultural expressions. This secularism is based on the recognition and strengthening of cultural rights and participation in the cultural life of each individual.

About Maison des Arts de Créteil: The Maison des Arts de Créteil is geographically located 8 km from the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral and administratively in le Grand Paris.

José Montalvo, director since September 2016 of the Maison des Arts, Scène Nationale de Créteil, pursues a demanding and open multidisciplinary production and distribution policy. He is also infusing new life into the place, permanently inscribing the work of creation and research. In addition to the artists associated for three seasons such as the choreographer Kaori Ito, the Maison des Arts accompanies French and foreign artists in development both in their artistic work and in their administrative structuring. Each season, 45 shows are presented, including 8 to 12 co-productions and productions, for a total of 160 performances that bring together 90,000 spectators, including nearly 32,000 are under the age of 18.

Felipe de Assis (Brazil) – FIAC Bahia

Felipe de Assis is a stage artist, producer, researcher and curator. As curator he participated in the selection committee of the Itaú Cultural’ Rumos Program (2017/2018), Oi Futuro Notice (2017/2018), MITbr, curatorship related to the São Paulo International Theater Festival – MITsp (2018/2019), and MEXE Encontro Internacional de Arte e Comunidade 2019, Portugal, among other Brazilian festivals. He holds a Master degree in performing arts from the Federal University of Bahia – UFBA Theater School. He is co-creator of the Bahia International Performing Arts Festival – FIAC Bahia, in which he still works as general coordinator and curator since 2008.

About FIAC: FIAC seeks to create context for works and environments in which the public and artists share their multiple translations horizontally. The event is a laboratory of innovation and experimentation in the field of the arts. Its singularity is expressed by its connection with artistic practices and actions of cultural mediation. On to its 13th edition in 2020, it has consolidated itself as one of the most important festivals of the Brazilian genre, having already presented in Salvador more than 200 shows, international, national and local alike, across artistic genres of theater, dance, performance and urban intervention. All in all, it promoted the presentation of works from more than 18 countries with different socio-cultural contexts, some with a production in performing arts that rarely circulates in Brazil, such as Iran, Serbia, Congo and South Africa. In addition to the show, FIAC Bahia has also developed training activities such as workshops, debates, critical actions, cultural mediations and publications, as well as an International Seminar on Curation and Mediation in Performing Arts, in its last five editions.

Fernando Zugno (Brazil) – Porto Alegre em Cena

Actor, cultural producer and theater director. He is general director and curator of the International Festival of Performing Arts, Porto Alegra em Cena. He developed several projects and events in the city of Porto Alegre and the metropolitan region and collaborates with Brazilian performing arts institutions and festivals.

About Porto Alegre em Cena: One of the major international festivals in Brazil that placed the city of Porto Alegre in the circulation map of the leading artists and performing arts companies in Brazil and the world. With a program of approximately 40 shows and several training activities. the festival has been moving the city continuously for 27 years, always in September.

 

Franco Boni (Canada) – PuSh Festival

Franco Boni is the newly appointed Artistic and Executive Director of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival in Vancouver. Prior to this, he served as Artistic Director of The Theatre Centre in Toronto for sixteen years. Franco has also served as Festival Director of the Rhubarb Festival at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and Artistic Producer of the SummerWorks Theatre Festival. He is a recognized cultural innovator, facilitator and community builder. Recent directing credits include Prophecy Fog by Jani Lauzon and Sea Sick by Alanna Mitchell, which has toured extensively and will have a run at the National Theatre in London in April 2020. He was awarded the Rita Davies Cultural Leadership Award, for outstanding leadership in the development of arts and culture in the City of Toronto, and in 2013 he received the George Luscombe Award for Mentorship.

About PuSh Festival: The PuSh International Performing Arts Festival is one of Vancouver’s signature events. Produced over three weeks each January, the Festival showcases acclaimed international, Canadian and local artists and mixes them together with an alchemy that inspires audiences, rejuvenates artists, stimulates the industry and forges productive relationships around the globe. More than just shows, the Festival is a broker of international partnerships, a meeting place for creative minds, a showcase of Canada’s best and an incubator of brilliant new work.

Frédéric Maurin (France) – L’Hectare

After 20 years working as a comedian, Frédéric Maurin became the director of L’Hectare in 2004. He chairs the French Public Stages Union, and also Latitude Marionnette, a network aiming to increase the visibility of the Puppet Arts in France. As the artistic director of L’Echalier– Artistic workshop, he is also specialized in cultural development of rural areas.

About L’Hectare: Since 2002, L’Hectare, a subsidized theatre for the puppet arts, is an association in support of creation and distribution within the performing arts. About thirty theatre, music, dance, puppetry and circus shows are programmed every year as part of the cultural season, offering, by their diversity, a vast panorama of the current trends in artistic creation.

L’Hectare is committed to develop partnerships with many cultural operators located in the local and regional area, and to implement actions to promote amateur performances and access to culture.

L’Hectare has just received, in 2020, the qualification of National Center for the Puppet Arts by the French Ministry of Culture.

Geoliane Arab (France) – ONDA: Office National de Diffusion Artistique

Born and raised in Lebanon, Geoliane was selected by Sciences Po Paris for WOMED 2015 (Women of the Mediterranean: Future generation of leaders). She studied law alongside theatre and performing arts at the Lebanese University and was trained in contemporary dance. Between 2006 and 2012, she worked as a performer, choreographer, exterior eye and assistant director with Lebanese and international artists. While gradually shifting to cultural management and international development, she collaborated with several international organisations on mapping the cultural scene in the Arab region and identifying valuable actors and projects. She has been jury member, moderator and speaker at different international forums. She co-directed Spring Festival 2016 (LB) and organised the IETM Satellite meeting in Beirut on freedom of expression among others. Geoliane was International Cooperation manager at Moussem (BE), strategy and development manager at Beirut & Beyond International Music Festival (LB) until 2017, and managing director at Hammana Artist House (LB) until 2018. She has regularly curated and produced professional programs of international platforms (Us, the moon & the Neighbours Festival 2015 (LB), Exodos Festival 2017 (SI), Shubbak Festival 2017 (UK)). Geoliane is currently International Advisor at ONDA (Office National de Diffusion Artistique), in Paris, and is a member of the board of directors of IETM (International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts), in Brussels.

About ONDA: Funded by the French Ministry of Culture, Onda promotes the dissemination of performing arts works that are consistent with a process of contemporary artistic creation concerned with the renewal of forms.

Its scope of intervention covers all disciplines, whether stemming from theatre, dance, music, circus, puppetry or public space, whether these works are created in France or abroad, and whether they are aimed at adults or childhood and youth.

In order to carry out its missions, Onda fosters a wide network in France, Europe and abroad, organises meetings on artistic exchanges or specific issues, guides artistic teams in identifying opportunities, advises venue programmers on their artistic choices, financially supports the dissemination within France of performing arts works and conducts surveys and observations on issues related to artistic creation (production and dissemination).

Gerardo Salinas (Belgium) – Théâtre KVS

Gerardo Salinas is a Belgian artist and curator from Latin-American ancestry. He is a fundamentalist of the product art of the new urban contexts which main characteristics are ethnical diversity, cultural hybridism, new narratives and forms. In his work he investigates artistic possibilities for the cities through distinguished creations, networks and projects. He idealized the concept of urban dramaturgy that he develops since Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg (KVS) Bruxelas.
In 2019 he launched alongside with Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay the platform PROXIMAMENTE, focused on showcasing international performing arts under a Latin-American perspective.

About KVS: KVS is Brussels’ Flemish city theatre. Our unique position in the capital of Flanders, Belgium and Europe is the alpha and omega of our operations. KVS aims to reinterpret the repertoire in relation to the city that is more than ever the whole world. KVS embraces the city and its plurality and intends to amplify its artistic voice in the arts field. KVS thus sees interculturality on and around the stage not as an assignment or a challenge, but as a logical principle. As is a strong presence in Flanders and internationally.

Guillaume Lauruol (France) – Pensamento Tropical

Guillaume Lauruol has been working as a dancer and coreografer during 15 years. As the artistic director of Dezeo Ito Cie, he created choreographic works in between dance, video installation, and sound creation. He is co-founder of Pensamento Tropical, an artist residency in tropical rain forest in  Bahia Brazil and a production office too. He is currently the booking manager of Cie Philippe Saire and independent curator mainly in the cultural exchange Europe / Brazil.

About Pensamento Tropical: Pensamento Tropical is a production office founded by Cathy pollini e Guillaume Lauruol in 2009. Based in Itacaré Bahia, a remote place located in the heart of the atlantic rainforest, artiscic residencies are promoted with the focus on collaborative process connected with sustainability, in difference artistics languages: dance, theater, visuals arts, experimental cinema… Many projects where realized in this context, touching 40 artists from Brazil and abroad, with the support of Funarte and others international cultural institutions.

The production office work also as a facilitator in between the brazilian and the european scene in performing arts, developping international cooperation projects, curatorials works for festival and venues, and organizing international tours for brazilian and european artists.

Hanna Parry (Finland) – Baltic Circle Festival

Hanna Parry works as Artistic Director for Baltic Circle International Theatre Festival since 2019. She has worked in multi-disciplinary arts festivals and organisations in Finland, Great Britain and USA. Hanna worked as the senior producer of Baltic Circle Festival between 2014–2018 and as curator and producer at Cirko – Center for New Circus between 2016–2019. She was responsible for Cirko’s seasonal programme and Cirko Festival, the largest contemporary circus festival in the Nordic countries. Between 2012–2016 she worked as a producer at Helsinki Festival focusing on big scale performances and public space events. Other organizations she has worked for include for example LIFT (London), American Realness (New York), DocPoint Documentary Film Festival and Tero Saarinen Company. She has a master’s degree in theatre studies from the University of Helsinki.

About Baltic Circle Festival: Baltic Circle is an international festival for contemporary theatre organised annually in November in Helsinki. The next edition takes place 20 – 28 November 2020. The festival brings intensities into the city, takes stands on current questions, and ignites dialogue. It is a platform for new phenomena and an active forum for discussion.

Baltic Circle believes in the aesthetic and affective powers of the arts, and in the potential of social and political agency of performance. The works seen at the festival grasp the phenomena and crucial questions of our times, and search for new forms of performing arts and revised modes of production. In addition to festival production, Baltic Circle participates actively in both Finnish and international networks, takes part in development and education initiatives, makes publications, organises residencies and artistic exchanges, helps build up and shape the independent performing arts scene, and influences local cultural policy.

About Bayimba International Festival of the Arts: This is Uganda’s oldest Festival of the Arts which has been running for 12 years. The past 10 years, the festival was in the city center at the Uganda National Cultural Centre and having had a great run and built an audience that was coming to 20,000 people, we decided that we had to move on to a new chapter which is why we secured a private island ‘Lunkulu’ an hour away from the city’s noise and pollution towards the Eastern part of Uganda. This is now home to Bayimba Foundation and its activities.

Two years now running the festival on the island, the concept has positively changed to a 24/4 none stop festival where we programme the various areas of the island with Music stages, Theatre stages, Fashion Runways, Healing Hubs, Film Shrines, Photography exhibitions, Installations, Poetry spaces, camping areas, beach games, Bonfire, island walks and other activities. We would love to welcome you this amazing experience. I am currently scouting for Artists to programme for our 13th Edition. These could be live Acts, Electronic Artists with DJs inclusive, Visual Artists and the likes. We are also interested in a huge number of female Artists.

Looking forward to catching up with you hopefully before the festival ends.

Hugues Serge Limbvani (Congo) – Maloba: Festival International de Théâtre-Danse-Cirque du Congo

Born in Congo, he is director of Maloba, international festival of theater, dance and circus of Congo. He is actor, musician, singe, dancer and choreographer. His professional career on theater started when he was fourteen years old. He is graduated on Economics, with specialization on Economy of Culture in France. His artistic experience started at Ngunga Theater Company em Brazzaville, where he won a lot of awards. He has a master on theater studies by Paris 3 University. He is a founder of Bosangani Company. He conceives, adapts and directs many classics, such as Shakespeare, modern artists, such as Ousmane Sembene Sylvain Bemba and contemporaneous such as Emmanuel Boundzéki Dongala Loutar d’Tati. Besides, he has his own compositions. He collaborated whit International France Radio with Global Texts and Dramaturges in 1994 he was the nº 1on Africa Radio in 1993. He directs international workshops  and teach at prestigious universities in Europe, Africa and America.

About Maloba: Festival International de Théâtre-Danse-Cirque du Congo: Maloba, the International Festival of Theatre, Dance and Circus of Congo is an event organize each year.It aims to provide an opportunity for the theater professionals and theater audience in Congo and Africa to have a better understanding of the new theatre theories and productions home and abroad,strengthening understanding and cooperation between theatre people in Congo and other countries.We want to try to revive the young Congolese artists and create a cultural center of excellence in Brazzaville which will express the best theater trends, dance and circus in the world. The goal is to establish cultural and artistic links between the artistic traditions of Congolese and foreign artists in the dynamic exchange of structures where the creativity of each will grow in contact with each other.The next edition will take place from april to 14-20 april 2020 in Brazzaville,republic of Congo, with the theme «Dialogue and cultural diversity”

Ingrid de Ketelaere (Belgium) – BOZAR: Centre des Beaux Arts

After studying history of arts, she started working in 1974 in Brussels at the Center for Fine Arts, one of the leading federal cultural institutions in Belgium.  In 1984 the Goethe Institüt Brussels appointed her to be one of the curators of the Festival Berlin/Brüssel. From 1985 till 2001 she introduced contemporary dance companies from all over the world in Belgium.  Since 2001 she is part of the artistic team around Paul Dujardin, CEO and artistic director of BOZAR, where she is head of the performing arts department (theater, dance and the cross-over events). She took part in different core groups : program developer at ECHO ‘European Concert Hall Organizations (2002-2003), member of the dance commission of the Flemish Ministry of Culture (1999-2003), member of the jury in 2009 for the cultural awards of the Flemish Ministry. Member of the board in Ghent of the Arca theatre (1980-2000) and since 2001 of the municipal theatre NTGent. Nowadays she is  appointed by the Flemish Minister of Culture as member of the dance commission (2015>2020) and of the theatre commission (2015>2020).

About BOZAR: The Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR) stands out as a unique centre in Europe. Located in a 1920 Art deco building, this multidisciplinary arts centre hosts exhibitions, music concerts, performing arts, literature and debates. Centre For Fine Arts organises more than 12 cultural events per day and attracts 1 million visitors each year. With almost 400 employees & 200 (inter) national, the Centre For Fine Arts is a driving force behind international artistic initiatives designed to strenghten ties between Europe and other continents. It has almost 4000 m² of exhibition space; a 2100 seat concert hall, a 480 seat theatre, 2 smaller theatres and other spaces. Creativity, quality, and artistic diversity have been at the heart of the Centre’s mission since its foundation. But for art not to be something abstract and distant, for it to be truly part of the “culture” of a society – and particularly in a city as variegated and international as Brussels – the public must be able to experience it in a way that is both natural and lively. Art and people must find and recognise each other, must interact with and enrich each other. At BOZAR, creation and presentation go hand in hand and the artists are the driving force behind this. As scenographers, (co-)curators, theatre makers, filmmakers, performers or authors, they co-create place-specific pieces or bring Victor Horta’s iconic building in line with the times. BOZAR enables partnerships between artists from Brussels, Belgium, Europe and the rest of the world, as it does between artists and scientists, entrepreneurs, politicians and so on.

Jacques Peigné (France) – Comédie de Caen

About Comédie de Caen:

Since its creation, La Comédie de Caen-Centre Dramatique National de Normandie has been one of the flagship projects of the decentralization of France. From the opening of the first Maison de la Culture in Caen in the late 50’s to the opening of the Hérouville Theater in the late 80’s, this project kept on developing and hosting a major part of the contemporary theater of the past decades where authors and creators would take risks. The Comédie de Caen integrates this important network of Dramatic National Centesr for more than 50 years, there are 38 dramatic centers in France.

John McGrath (UK) – MIF: Manchester International Festival

John E. McGrath is Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Manchester International Festival.

His first Festival in 2017 featured world premieres from leading international artists; a new digital direction for MIF; a series of participatory commissions in public spaces, and My Festival a year-round programme forging closer connections with Manchester communities.  In 2019 artists including Yoko Ono, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, Idris Elba and Tania Bruguera made new work for the largest ever edition of MIF.

John was previously Artistic Director of National Theatre Wales, where he achieved a reputation for large-scale site-specific work, digital innovation and extraordinary community involvement. As Chief Executive of MIF John will also be responsible for The Factory, a flagship cultural space for the creation of ambitious new work, opening in 2021.

About MIF: Manchester International Festival (MIF) was founded as the world’s first festival of original, new work and special events and is an artist-led festival reflecting the spectrum of performing arts, visual arts and popular culture.

Staged every two years in Manchester, MIF has commissioned, produced and presented world premieres by artists including Marina Abramović, Damon Albarn, Laurie Anderson, Björk, Boris Charmatz, Jeremy Deller, Idris Elba and Kwame Kwei-Armah, Elbow, Philip Glass and Phelim McDermott, David Lynch, Wayne McGregor, Steve McQueen, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Yoko Ono, Thomas Ostermeier, Maxine Peake, Punchdrunk, Skepta, The xx, Robert Wilson and Zaha Hadid Architects.

MIF will also run The Factory, the new world-class cultural space currently being built in the heart of Manchester.The Factory will commission, present and produce a year-round programme, featuring new work from the world’s greatest artists and offering a space to make, explore and experiment.

Jorge Vermelho (Brazil) – FIT Rio Preto

About FIT Rio Preto: In 2019, the FIT Rio Preto – International Festival of Theater of São José do Rio Preto celebrated its 50 year anniversary. Created in 1969 by the Municipal Government of São José do Rio Preto as National Amador Theater Festival, in 2001 it expanded its borders and assumed an international dimension, based on a partnership with Sesc São Paulo. FIT Rio Preto is characterized by a program of great artistic value, aesthetic, and critical reflection. In addition, the programming of shows and training activities are aimed at democratizing production, access, and the enjoyment of cultural goods and services. The longevity of the São José do Rio Preto Festival, coupled with resistance to adversity and lack of investments in the cultural area, is due to the organizational rigor and constant dynamics required to meet the ever more pressing need to cultivate and expand a more critical public.

Judith Martin (France) – Ligne Directe

After studying Literature and Theatre in Paris, Judith Martin is assistant of Michelle Kokosowski and Georges Banu, directors of the Académie expérimentale des théâtres, an original international organization producing master classes and transmission laboratories directed by major contemporary theatre artists such as Tadeusz Kantor, Bob Wilson, Judith Malina, Jan Fabre, Romeo Castelluci, Anatoli Vassiliev…

Later she is project manager at Institut français in charge of developing cooperation projects in South America and leads a prospective study for ONDA – Office National de Diffusion Artistique about «The responsibility of the producer towards the circulation of productions : how to more effectively accompany the artists».

Since 2007, Judith Martin is head manager of Ligne Directe an international production and distribution theatre agency playing a key role in the North/South dynamics working with Argentinian, Italian, Brazilian, Greek, French, Chilean, and Indian directors and playwrights. Judith Martin also founded ESCALES, an international exchange platform to train artists and producers from all around the world throught.

About Ligne Directe: Ligne Directe is an international production & distribution theatre agency founded in 2007 and based in Paris. Dedicated to increase mobility and visibility of the diversity of the world stage, Ligne Directe prospects theatre talents all over the world, leads strategic international development, builds productions and tours in a broadening worldwide network and trains young producers. Ligne Directe works with independent theatre artists from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, England, France, Greece, India, Italy, Switzerland.

Judy Harquail (Canada) – Ontario Presents

Judy Harquail has over 35 years of experience working in the performing arts.  Over this time, Judy has gained a deep and extensive knowledge of the presenting and touring field as well as a substantive knowledge of marketing, audience development and community engagement.  Her previous accomplishments include directing and executing touring activity for some of Canada’s most highly respected dance and opera companies, developing and executing strategic marketing campaigns and working in collaboration with an extensive range of arts organizations and arts professionals across Canada, the United States, and throughout the world. Judy is currently the International Market Development Consultant and Strategist for CAPACOA, the national  body that serves the the performing arts and arts touring/presenting community as well as the the Director of Programs for Ontario Presents. She is also a sought-after market development consultant. In 2007, Judy received the National Arts Centre award for distinguished contribution to touring in Canada and in 2011, the Sandra Tulloch Award for Innovation in Arts and Culture in Ontario.  Judy currently sits on the Board of Directors of ISPA (The International Society for the Performing Arts).

About Ontario Presents: The Canadian Arts Presenting Association/l’Association canadienne des organismes artistiques (CAPACOA) serves the performing arts touring and presenting community through its commitment to integrate the performing arts into the lives of all Canadians. CAPACOA takes initiative in providing leadership, knowledge, communications, skills development and advocacy on behalf of its members and within the arts presenting community. A CAPACOA (Associação Canadense de Artes) tem o compromisso de integrar as artes cênicas na vida de todos os canadenses. A CAPACOA tem como iniciativa fornecer liderança, conhecimento, comunicação, desenvolvimento de habilidades e advocacia em nome de seus membros e da comunidade de artistas.

Julia Gomes (Brazil) – Cena Cult Produções

Júlia Gomes is director of Cena CultProductions, collaborator on programmation of Brazilian Festivals Nucleus, SESC-SP, French Consulate in São Paulo and another projects such as the show “Printemps des Comédiens”, “ImPulsTanz” and “Arsenale della Danza”.

 

Julie Kretzschmar (France) – Les Bancs Publics

Julie Kretzschmar is a director and dramaturge who works from Marseilles (France). She has recently staged the novel “Tram 83”, from Fiston Mwanza Mujila, (creation in « Francophonie de Limoges, in 2017) and also committed herself in workshops with refugees (Naples, Italy, 2019) or young artists (Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the  Congo, 2019).  – She’s also the founder and artistic director of the festival “Les Rencontres à l’échelle”. This event takes place in Marseilles (France) and is mainly dedicated to promote performing arts and emerging artists from the MENA area and Africa.   – As producer, Julie Kretzschmar (with her structure Les Bancs Publics) develops and supports the projects of international artists (Gurshad Shaheman, Omar Abusaada, Wael Ali, etc… ).  – She is also active as curator. In December 2020, she will be involved in the artistic programme for the closing celebrations of the cultural season “Africa 2020” organised by the French Institute.

About Les Bancs Publics: Les Bancs Publics is an artistic production structure based in Marseilles.  Among its work in production and support to theatre and dance artists, the association organizes an annual, international and multidisciplinary festival, ‘Les Rencontres à l’échelle’.
The organization’s key activities within the framework of the festival, the production of artists and the associate theatre company are:
• to support artistic exchanges and develop intercultural projects involving different disciplines, cultures and languages
• to get involved as co-producers with creators committed in initiatives connected to migratory questions, to the South/North relation
• the access of artistic works  to a wider audience
• mobility for artists and their work in the Mediterranean region and raise other voices, to participate in a better knowledge of our neighbouring societies.

Konstantinos Tzathas (Greece) – Onassis Stegi

Konstantinos Tzathas nasceu em Atenas em 1991. É formado em Ciências Políticas e possui MBA em Marketing Cultural. Atualmente é coordenador de programação no Centro Cultural Onassis de Atenas. Seus trabalhos anteriores incluem assistência de direção no Festival de Atenas e Epidaurus além de ter sido coordenador de produção de diversos trabalhos de artes cênicas em Atenas colaborando com grupos locais e internacionais.
About Onassis Stegi:  Onassis Stegi is the Cultural Centre that the renowned Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (since 1975) established in Athens almost 10 years ago in order to promote contemporary culture, to support artists and their works, to enable cultural networking among Greek creators and the abroad.

Laure-Marie Rollin (France) – ONDA: Office National de Diffusion Artistique

Laure-Marie Rollin has been working professionally for 20 years in the performing arts, collaborating with various French cultural venues such as the TJP National Theatre in Strasbourg (an iconic puppetry presenter);  the Ballet de Lorraine  National Center for Choreography in Nancy; the Maillon European Stage in Strasbourg; and the Zef-Merlan National Theatre in an underserved district of Marseille.

Particularly interested in emerging dramaturgies and multidisciplinary forms, she is currently the Advisor for Dance and Theatre at Onda, the French office for contemporary performing arts circulation.

About ONDA: Funded by the French Ministry of Culture, Onda promotes the dissemination of performing arts works that are consistent with a process of contemporary artistic creation concerned with the renewal of forms.

Its scope of intervention covers all disciplines, whether stemming from theatre, dance, music, circus, puppetry or public space, whether these works are created in France or abroad, and whether they are aimed at adults or childhood and youth.

In order to carry out its missions, Onda fosters a wide network in France, Europe and abroad, organises meetings on artistic exchanges or specific issues, guides artistic teams in identifying opportunities, advises venue programmers on their artistic choices, financially supports the dissemination within France of performing arts works and conducts surveys and observations on issues related to artistic creation (production and dissemination).

Lena Kollender (Germany ) – International Summer Festival Kampnagel

Lena Kollender is a dramaturge, programmer and curator for theater, dance, performance and theory. She studied Comparative Literature, Theater and Dramaturgy in Berlin, Paris and Hamburg and worked for German state theaters like Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus or Schauspielhaus Hamburg, as well as in freelance theatre productions. Since 2013 she works for the International Summer Festival Kampnagel, first as dramaturge/programer and since 2016 as the Co-Curator of the festival.

About the International Summer Gestival Kampnagel: The International Summer Festival Kampnagel takes place each August for three weeks at Kampnagel – Center for Finer Arts, one of the most outstanding and largest venues for performing arts in Europe. Since its beginning in the mid 80s, the festival has held a position as one of the big European festivals, presenting theatre, dance, visual arts, performance, music and theory. The program focuses on the entanglement of pop culture and avantgarde and the interdisciplinary expansion of genre boundaries. Invited artists stand out due to their interest and engagement in the present and radical aesthetic approaches. An essential feature of the International Summer Festival is the high proportion of world premieres and co-productions, as well as European and German premieres, which are realized within a worldwide network of partners. Each year the festival invites or (co-)produces about 50 different works that attract over 30.000 visitors from Hamburg and abroad.

Lise Lendais (Austria) – Le Studio

Lise Lendais is born in 1983 in France. She studied set and costume design. She developped her work in Belgium with the Needcompany. Since 2010 she leaves and work in Austria, in Vienna. She collaborates in costume and set design with many different artists from the free scene. She also directs her own projects
Since June 2018, she directs together with Pierre-Emmanuel finzi, LE STUDIO Film und Bühne, a new theater and cinema in Vienna.

About Le Studio: LE STUDIO Film und Bühne is a theater and cinema on one stage. with the “The flesh of words, the taste of images” as motto for the season 2019–2020, LE STUDIO stresses the experience of art as an experience of voluptuosity and windows on the worlds. The hinge of the screen and the stage on a single place aims, also through cultural mediacy, to open a space of critical dialog between the arts and disciplines – with an emphasis on original version and sub/over-titles and an heart dedicated to the independant cinema and theater scenes.

Marcelo Castillo (Argentina) – GIRART

Since 1986 Castillo Works as cultural manager in both public and private initiatives, currently he works as international advisor in cultural and political management as well as creative economy. He is also the director of the Performing Arts and Music Market in Argentina (2010/2018).He is executive director, producer and actor at Teatro La Cochera since 1984. As an actor, he has created more than 15 shows presented in Argentina and abroad.

About GIRART: GIRART Market of Performing Arts and Music of Argentina is the first Argentinian cultural market, happening every two years in the city of Cordoba. It is produced by GIRART Puerta Mundo and the Teatro La Cochera association. It invites cultural producers from several countries to entertain Argentinian music and performing arts proposals with the intent of selling them to their festivals, theaters and cultural spaces. Each edition, the guests have access to business meetings, showcases, and international exchanges and collaborations targeting national and international curators and artistic directors.

Maria Tendlau (Brasil) – TUSP – Teatro da Universidade de São Paulo

Doutoranda e mestre em Teatro e Educação, pela ECA – USP. Maria é atriz e co-fundadora da Companhia do Latão e do Coletivo Bruto. Coordenou o Projeto Teatro Vocacional de 2001 a 2004, na Secretaria Municipal de Cultura de São Paulo. Foi curadora de Teatro do Centro Cultural São Paulo, Próximo Ato-Encontro Internacional de Teatro, organizado pelo Instituto Itaú Cultural. Atualmente é orientadora, programadora e gestora cultural de Arte Dramática do TUSP (Teatro da USP).

Sobre o TUSP – Teatro da Universidade de São Paulo: O objetivo é difundir as artes cênicas em suas mais diversas manifestações e formas de expressão; estimular o desenvolvimento de grupos teatrais estudantis; e propiciar, através do teatro, a integração entre a comunidade interna e externa da Universidade, em projetos próprios e em parceria com outras unidades.

Mariana Soares (Brazil) – Cena Contemporânea

Specialist in Management, Communication and International Cultural Cooperation, she is currently director of the SOMA Institute – Creative Citizenship, consultant for the Ibermuseums Program, collaborator of Cena Contemporânea – Brasília International Theater Festival – and independent consultant and curator. She was undersecretary for Development and Cultural Promotion Policies of the Government of the Federal District (2015-2018), general coordinator of promotion and dissemination of the Creative Economy Secretariat of the Ministry of Culture (2013-2014), coordinator of international projects and curator of Cena Contemporânea – Brasília International Festival (2011-2013) and responsible for the international area of ​​A Portada Comunicação e Cultura in Barcelona (2007-2011).

About Cena Contemporânea: Over the past 25 years, Cena Contemporânea – Brasília International Theater Festival has become something much bigger than a simple theater festival. Extrapolating the limits of the exhibition of spectacles, it became a multicultural celebration in line with the concerns of the brazilian public. In 2020, the festival will happen from September 8 to 20, with local, national and international artistic projects that dialogue with Brasília and that will also be presented in other cities in the Federal District. The SOMA Cidadania Criativa Institute collaborates with Cena Contemporânea – Brasília International Theater Festival to develop programming and activities in 2020.

Marie Didier (France) – La Rose des Vents

Graduated from a French business school, Marie Didier started her career in audit then marketing before developing a partnership with director François Cervantès to grow his theatre company’s projects, notably at international.

Then, she joined the National Scenes network (Dieppe Scène Nationale, then Théâtre de Saint Quentin en Yvelines), where she successively held the positions of Administrator, artistic Advisor and finally deputy General Manager.

In October 2018, she was appointed by the French Culture Minister as General Manager of “La rose des vents” (the “wind rose”), the Lille Metropole National Scene.

Since her nomination, she has been committing in an ambitious project oriented towards contemporary theatrical performance, also cinema and creative writing.

For purpose, she relies on regional and international artistic teams, emergent as well as confirmed.

About La Rose des Vents: La rose des vents is one of the 71st National Performing Arts Centres (Scènes nationales) Its assignments are to support artistic creation, to deliver a challenging programme of multidisciplinary-arts events year round ( performing arts, cinema, littérature ) and two festivals ( Next international Festival, DIRE Festival ) and to develop a cultural offering for all local audiences. Artistic projects and artists are supported, assisted in their research, creation and production phases.

La Rose des Vents é um dos 71 Centros Nacionais de Artes Cêncas da França. Seus objetivos são apoiar a criação artística e proporcionar ao público um programa multidisciplinar de artes e eventos ao longo de todo o ano (artes cênicas, cinema, literatura) e dois festivais (Next International Festival e DIRE Festival), assim como desenvolver projetos que atendam ao público local.

Michael Rubenfeld (Canada) – Self Conscious Productions

Michael Rubebfneld is the Executive Artistic Producer of Selfconscious Productions. He was the Artistic Producer of the SummerWorks Festival in Toronto, Canada for eight years, where he also helped inaugurate the Progress Festival. In 2017 he inaugurated CanadaHub at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where he is currently the Artistic Producer. He is also the festival Co-Director of FestivALT, a critically focussed Jewish Arts Festival in Krakow, Poland. He has toured produced and toured several works internationally including Counting Sheep, Mouthpiece, Cock, Cock.. Who’s There? and We Keep Coming Back.

About Self Conscious Productions: Self Conscious Productions é uma produtora internacional do Canadá que desenvolve e produz livros, e gerencia turnês nacionais e internacionais. Somos produtores do CanadaHub no Fringe de Edimburgo.

Natalie Lue (Canada) – Vancouver Civic Theatres

Natalie Lue is the Director of the Vancouver Civic Theatres in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  Until June 2019, she was the CEO of the Living Arts Centre. Prior to the LAC, Natalie was the Vice President, Production and Visitor Experience for the Toronto International Film Festival.  Prior to joining TIFF in 2005, Natalie held several senior positions at Harbourfront Centre, a ten acre performing arts complex in Toronto on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Natalie Lue is an inaugural Fellow of the Toronto Arts Council and The Banff Centre Cultural Leaders Lab programme. She is currently a member of CAPACOA’s International Market Development Committee and has participated on Canadian Performing Arts Presenter delegations to: Melbourne, Australia; Edinburgh, Scotland; Santiago, Chile; and Guanajuato, Mexico.

About Vancouver Civic Theatres:

Nathalie Huerta (France) – Théâtre Jean Vilar

Graduated of the Institute of European Studies at Paris 8 University, Nathalie Huerta began her career as an artistic advisor and production director at the French Institute of Latin America in Mexico City and then for several international and international companies and local authorities. In 2002 she joined the Jean Vilar Theater of Vitry-sur-Seine as public relations manager, then became the general secretary in 2018. In 2014, she became director by proposing a new artistic project for the Jean-Vilar Theater, having as main axes: international cooperation, writings for youth and relationship between art and society. Nathalie Huerta also co-chairs the “Groupe des 20 Théâtres” network in the Ile-de-France region. She is a founding member of the French-Belgian “le Réel Enjeu”, a network dedicated to the writings of the real world. The Jean-Vilar Theater, is a multidisciplinary place of the city of Vitry-sur-Seine, counting about fifty shows per season of which about twenty in creation, with a modular room of 550 places. This place hosts several artists in residencies. It also organizes an international festival dedicated to the arts of the Souths “Les Transversales”.

About Théâtre Jean Vilar:

Paula de Renor (Brazil) – RESIDE/FIT Pernambuco

Paula de Renor – has been an actress, producer and director of Remo Produções Artísticas since 1983. She has produced several theater shows, including two international co-productions. He also works in the production of television programs and social projects related to theater. She was the founder and manager of the Teatro Armazém for 11 years. She was the curator and producer of the January of Great Spectacles – International Festival of Performing Arts in Pernambuco for 17 years. She is a representative of theater and opera at the State Council of Cultural Policy of Pernambuco. She is the creator and director of RESIDE.FIT/PE- International Festival of Theater of Pernambuco.

About RESIDE/FIT Pernambuco: A festival that focuses on the diffusion, formation, and reflection of the theatrical scene through artistic presentations, residences, workshops and meetings to share experiences and knowledge, discuss ideas and creative processes, as well as to strengthen ties of coexistence and stimulate the breakdown of eventual territorial and linguistic barriers.The program emphasizes the diversity of contemporary dramatic expressions and creates a dialogue between the Theater and the City, in the search for a greater rapprochement with the public. It happens in the city of Recife / PE. Its 2nd edition will be from 05 to 22 September 2019.

Paulo Feitosa (Brazil) – Quitanda das Artes

Empreendedor Social, Produtor e Gestor Cultural. Bacharel em comunicação social – Publicidade e propaganda, especialista em gestão cultural, mestrando em ciências da cultura e comunicação pela universidade Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro – Portugal. Fundador e diretor da empresa Quitanda soluções criativas, empresa dedicada á inovação social que tem como princípios o fortalecimento da educação, produção e gestão cultural, através do desenvolvimento de programas e projetos socioculturais, inovação e sustentabilidade. A instituição se baseia na compreensão de que refletir sobre cultura e educação é pensar valores e novos códigos sociais. Dirige projetos culturais e educacionais em diversos segmentos, com destaque para a direção e curadoria de diversos festivais de artes cênicas e música em âmbito nacional e internacional. Direção do projeto Escolas Criativas e do programa de formação Laboratórios culturais. Dedicou-se à gestão de políticas públicas para a cultura, como Secretário Adjunto da Secretaria da Cultura do Estado do Ceará.

Platão Capurro Filho (Brazil) – FESTA: Festival Santista de Teatro

Theater director and producer. He is co-founder of Widia Theater and Cultural Widia. Co-organizer and curator of Festa (Santista Theater Festival), Articulator of MTBS (Baixada Santista Theater Movement) and member of RBTR (Brazilian Street Theater Network).

About FESTA: Festival Santista de Teatro: Created by Patrícia Galvão, Pagú, FESTA is the oldest active theater festival in the country. Organized by articulators of the Baixada Santista Theater Movement it is a festival for theatrical groups and has the Parallel Exhibition of Integrated Arts with exhibitions of visual arts, cinema, dance, music and theme parties in public space.

Rainer Hofmann (Netherlands) – SPRING Utrecht

Rainer Hofmann is since January 2013 artistic director of SPRING Performing Arts Festival in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Before he has been artistic director of Huis en Festival a/d Werf Utrecht, which merged with Springdance Festival into SPRING.

Rainer Hofmann has international experience as artistic director, programmer, producer and dramaturg. His professional career lead him to Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Austria and the UK. He has been dramaturg for Theaterhaus Gessnerallee Zürich, Theater Neumarkt Zürich, Schauspiel Köln and Stadttheater Bern. In 2008 he was artistic director of the 7.

Festival Politik im Freien Theater („Politics in Off Theatre“) in Cologne, a festival organised by the government organisation „Federal Agency for Civic Education“. In 2010 he was head of production at Theater der Welt Festival in Essen and Mülheim/Ruhr. Furthermore he has been working for media like Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Theater der Zeit or Kölner Stadtrevue and held positions in several committees, boards and juries.

About SPRING Utrecht: SPRING is about the world. SPRING means thinking about the world with artistic means. SPRING means looking at the world through the performing arts. SPRING means looking at the world through the eyes of artists. SPRING means looking at the world through the eyes of the artists from different countries, with different cultural backgrounds, with different life experiences, with different artistic, political and social references. SPRING is about the world. SPRING is about the world of today.

SPRING presents new developments within the performing arts internationally today with a focus on crossovers between dance, theatre and performance and on art in public space. SPRING does this by organizing two festivals for open and interested audiences each year; the ten-day SPRING Performing Arts Festival in May and the three-day SPRING in Autumn in the fall.

Roni Isola (Argentina) – FIBA: Festival Internacional de Buenos Aires

Roni Isola is a theater and festival producer. Among his works, there are productions at the International Festival of Buenos Aires (FIBA), Emerging City, inauguration of the Ministry of Human Development and Habitat and of the Ministry of Education, BAFICI Marathon, Abasto Marathon and Festival Buenos Aires of Contemporary Dance.

About FIBA: The Buenos Aires International Festival (FIBA) is a biennial event organized by the Ministry of Culture of the city of Buenos Aires. Created in 1997, throughout its twelve editions it has become one of the biggest performing arts events in Argentina.

Sandrina Martins (France) – Le Carreau du Temple

Sandrina Martins is a graduate from Paris Dauphine and the European Studies Institute. She started her career as a senior advisor for the Centre Chorégraphique National de Grenoble, directed by choreographer Jean-Claude Gallotta, and then project manager for the city of Paris office of circus and street arts. By 2005, she moved to Marseille as the adminsitrator for Montevideo arts and performance center and secretary general of the renowned Actoral international festival until 2009. She then joined the team of the Marseille Provence 2013 European Capital of Culture event for wich she ran the Ateliers de l’EuroMéditerranée a program of artists residencies in the corporate world. She was appointed as executive director in 2015 of le Carreau du Temple, public venue for culture and sports of the city of Paris.

About Le Carreau du Temple: The Carreau du Temple is an Arts, Sports and Cultural establishment of the City of Paris located in the « haut Marais », which great metallic structure built in the late 19th century was entirely renovated and opened to the public in 2014.  It positions itself as a dynamic centre for creation and diffusion in the heart of the Paris cultural and events ecosystem.

It is a venue dedicated the arts, education and apprenticeship, which offers many opportunities for innovation, social initiatives, as well as multi-disciplinary events intended for all publics thanks to a diverse cultural, artistic, sports and lifestyle program, of 230 events per year. The Carreau also has a selection of contemporary dance shows all throughout the cultural season and is currently working on a new festival for the year 2021 entitled Everybody, which ambition is to celebrate and question the role of the body in our modern world, in what it has to tell us, form a social, artistic and political standpoint.

Sonia Sobral (Brasil) – CCSP: Centro Cultural São Paulo

É gestora cultural e curadora nas áreas de dança e teatro.  Atualmente é curadora de dança do Centro Cultural São Paulo. Gerenciou o Núcleo de Artes Cênicas do Itaú Cultural durante 17 anos, criou a performance Involuntários da Pátria (texto de Eduardo Viveiros de Castro) e participa do grupo de pesquisa e criação de Margens – sobre rios, crocodilos e vaga-lumes, projeto teatral a partir do testemunho do rio Xingu de Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha.

Sobre o CCSP: Inaugurado em 1982, é um dos primeiros centros culturais multidisciplinares do país. Lugar público por excelência, combina a oferta de programação e de serviços culturais – gratuitos ou a preços acessíveis – com a disponibilização de seus espaços e instalações para um uso plural, livre e propositivo de seus frequentadores, provocando uma reflexão quanto ao papel dos espaços e serviços públicos na promoção da arte, da cultura, da criatividade, da cidadania e da autonomia em uma cidade com as dimensões de São Paulo.

Sophie Descamps (France) – Théâtre Le Passage

After studying communication, I started working in a venue in the North of France (the town of Arras) as deputy director. I then worked for the La Licorne company, which offers very visual shows with masks and objects. I then worked for three years for a city near Lille, for the event “Lille, European Capital of Culture”. I had to set up a project for a new cultural place with an exhibition hall, a performance hall, a place for artists’ residences, a café, etc.After a stint with a Baroque Orchestra for the implementation of cultural activities in the Rhône-Alpes Region, I arrived in Fécamp, in Normandy for the Le Passage Theater. I’ve been the director since 2011.

About Théâtre Le Passage: The venue is located in a town of 19,000 inhabitants by the sea in Normandy. We have two priority programming axes : theater and puppetry arts shows. We regularly welcome companies who come to work on their next creation, which we co-produce. We set up many cultural actions around the shows that we offer, aimed at different audiences (young people, people with disabilities, people with economic difficulties… etc).

Thomas Jolly (France) – Centre Dramatique National De Pays de la Loire

Thomas Jolly, in less than ten years has passed from the status of “young prodigious” of the french theater to an important and popular director. His approach is based on playing with classic texts and imaginary figures. For him theater is a citizen art, which is the only way to question the basis of human beings. In 2010 Jolly develops the set up of Shakespeare’s Henry IV with 18 hours of performance. The presentation happened for the first time at Avignon Festival and it made him the biggest star of the 68th edition. In 2018, invited by Olivier Py, he made the premier of the Avignon Festival with Thyeste, a roman tragedy of Sêneca. At the 20th September 2019 he did the premier Macbeth Pascal Dusapin’s Underworld, in Ópera Royal of Bruxelles. At the same day, he was nomad by the Culture Minister Franck Riester, director of the National Drama Center Le Quai in Angers, Pays de la Loire. He assumed his functions since the beginning of this year.

About Centre Dramatique National de Pays de la Loire:

 

Willie White (Ireland) – DTF: Dublin Theatre Festival

Willie White holds Masters degrees in Irish Theatre and English Literature. He previously worked at RTÉ, the Irish public service broadcaster, chiefly on television arts programmes, and was Artistic Director of Project Arts Centre, a multidisciplinary arts centre in Dublin,  from 2002 to 2011.

Since 2011, he has been Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Dublin Theatre Festival, a key event in the city’s cultural calendar, presenting a programme of Irish and international productions over 18 days, running in 2020 from 24 September to 11 October.

Willie was President of IETM, the international performing arts network based in Brussels, with over 500 members in Europe and beyond, from 2013-2017 and a board member for three years before that .

About DTF: Dublin Theatre Festival was established in 1957. The annual festival brings together artists, theatre-makers and audiences from across Ireland and around the world. Throughout its 18-day duration, performances take place in venues and locations across the city. The programme incorporates theatre, music, dance and family events as well as artist talks, public discussions and artist development initiatives. We present classic drama by celebrated artists alongside work by exciting, emerging theatre-makers from home and abroad. The next edition of Dublin Theatre Festival will take place from 24.09.20-11.10.20.