Arden 2
U.S. Artists Initiative
The World as a Place of Truth International Theatre Festival
Arden 2’s U.S. Artists Initiative is bringing a select group of U.S. theatre artists, including both seasoned professionals and emerging artists, to Poland to be special guests of the The World as a Place of Truth international theatre festival in Wroclaw from June 14-30, 2009.
Participants will be given complimentary tickets to performances; meet with master theatre directors from around the world as well as artists from the most innovative companies and ensembles in Poland; attend exclusive festival gatherings; tour the Grotowski Institute and theatre spaces in Wroclaw; have the option of visiting theatres in other Polish cities; and enjoy many other opportunities for build relationships with important figures in the international theatre community.
The festival’s performances will serve as a springboard for collective dialogue about hopes and possibilities for the future of American theatre. Participants will meet regularly throughout the festival to discuss the productions they are seeing, share with each other about their own work, and explore subsequent thoughts, ideas, hopes, dreams, and questions for each other and for the field. Prominent leaders from the American theatre community will facilitate these conversations, serve as keynote speakers, and participate in panel discussions.
Because the group will be comprised of artists from multiple generations and different parts of the U.S., our hope is not only to inspire and invigorate participants individually through immersion in the international theatre community, but to bridge our own national theatre community through shared experience and conversation. Ideally, this project will plant seeds for future local, national, and international collaboration.
To document their experiences and share them with the field, participants will be asked to keep a journal during their stay in Poland. These writings and sketches will be included with excerpts of conversations and lectures from the group meetings in a compilation to be published post-festival by Arden 2. A short documentary film also will be created and made available in the months following the festival.
Festival tickets, translation services, and some additional resources will be provided for all participants. Assistance with travel and discounted accommodations and meals may also be available. Secured project partners include the Grotowski Institute, Trust for Mutual Understanding, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Exchange International Program, and the U.S. Embassy in Poland.
Click to link to the most updated US Artist Initiative Schedule and to our Blog
Sponsors:
Instytut Grotowskiego
Rok Grotowskiego
Instytut Adama Mickiewicza
US Embassy/Poland
Trust for Mutual Understanding
City of Los Angeles
Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Exchange International Program
For more information about the U.S. Artists Initiative, please contact:
Rachel Jendrzejewski, Assistant Coordinator