The 12th edition of our European Theatre Academy takes place from 06-10 July 2026 at the Festival d'Avignon. Designed for ambitious theatre-makers working internationally, the programme features masterclasses, mentoring sessions, and valuable networking opportunities.

Are you a forward-thinking theatre professional ready to take your work to the next level? Do you want to expand your international network, sharpen your curatorial skills, and collaborate with like-minded individuals from across Europe? 

The Academy is an opportunity to dive deep into the complexities of curating and managing international theatre collaborations. This is your chance to work on your own project with expert mentors and join a vibrant community of creative, driven individuals who are pushing boundaries in the theatre world.

Applications for this edition are now closed.

What's in it for you?

• Masterclasses & Expert Sessions: You’ll gain access to practical insights on funding, production, sustainability, touring, and much more, all geared towards navigating the international theatre landscape. 
• Tailored Mentorship: You’ll receive direct support from three incredible mentors who will help you develop your project idea, address your challenges, and find solutions to the key questions you face as a theatre professional. 
• Project Development: This Academy isn’t just about learning – it’s about doing. Through group work and coaching, you’ll have the space to focus on the practical realities of your own project and its international potential. 
• Networking Opportunities: Connect with young theatre professionals from across Europe, share experiences, and build meaningful, lasting connections in the industry. 
  Festival D’Avignon: Immerse yourself in the energy of the Festival d’Avignon. Attend performances, engage in discussions, and bring new perspectives back to your own work. 
• Creative & Practical Support: We will help you navigate both the artistic and administrative challenges of your project. Together, we’ll find ways to help you bring your vision to life in an international context. 

Programme

Monday 06 July 2026

19:00-22:00 Welcome Dinner at Restaurant Numéro 75

Tuesday 07 July 2026

09:45-10:00 Registration
10:00-10:15 Welcome: Introduction European Theatre Convention & European Theatre Academy

• Claudia Belchior, Laura Gardes and Žad Novak, European Theatre Convention (DE)

10:15-11:15 Presentations by European Theatre Academy Participants
11:15-11:30 Coffee Break                    
11:30-12:30 Master Class (1): European Collaborations

• Laura Gardes, European Theatre Convention (DE)

12:30-14:30 Individual Lunch & Individual Project working time          
14:30-17:30 Mentoring (1): Peer-to-Peer Work in three small groups

• Facilitated by Mentors Rui Catarino (D. Maria II National Theatre), Paulien Geerlings (De Toneelmakerij), and Dubravka Vrgoč (Croatian National Theatre Ivan Zajc in Rijeka)

17:30-21:30 Individual Dinners
22:00-00:30 Performance : Uma Luz Cordial| Carolina Bianchi

Carolina Bianchi continues her TRILOGIA CADELA FORÇA, which she began in 2023. After presenting the consequences of rape under sedatives (Chapter I) and the inherent violence of the artistic context (Chapter II), the final chapter, UMA LUZ CORDIAL, moves beyond creation’s brutality. It delves into the writing process itself, navigating the blurred lines between theater and literature, where writing and sexuality intertwine on fiction’s foundation. This disproportionate collage of drafts, notebooks, borrowed words–from Hilda Hilst or Emily Dickinson. Bianchi exposes writing as a violent act and confront it with the enigma of her own sexuality. The author and director appears on stage as a dissolving subject, embodying writerly alter egos to explore her fantasies, especially the fantasy of writing itself. 

Wednesday 08 July 2026

10:00-11:30 Master Class (2): Challenges and opportunities of international collaboration and project development

• Tom Leick-Burns, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg  (LU)

11:30-11:45 Coffee Break
11:45-13:30 Mentoring (2): Peer-to-Peer Work in three small groups

• Facilitated by Mentors Rui Catarino (D. Maria II National Theatre), Paulien Geerlings (De Toneelmakerij), and Dubravka Vrgoč (Croatian National Theatre Ivan Zajc in Rijeka)

13:30-14:30 Individual Lunch & Individual Project working time
14:30-16:30 Master Class (3): Legal Aspects of International Theatre Collaborations

• Herman Croux, Lawyer

16:30 -16:45 Coffee Break
16:45-17:30 Mentoring (3): Peer-to-Peer Work in three small groups

• Facilitated by Mentors Rui Catarino (D. Maria II National Theatre), Paulien Geerlings (De Toneelmakerij), and Dubravka Vrgoč (Croatian National Theatre Ivan Zajc in Rijeka)

17:30-19:45 Free Time & Individual Dinner
19:45 Bus Transfer to the venue 
22:00-23:20 Performance : Silence |  Lucie Antunes and Mathilde Monnier

Choreographer Mathilde Monnier has partnered with composer, musician, and percussionist Lucie Antunes for a creation revolving around altered states of consciousness and the notion of silence in our contemporary lives. Intensification of sensations, reduction of peripheral awareness, temporal distortion, modification of our perception of time… This choreographed concert on a vinyl floor opens a space for connection between the stage and the audience to collectively find balance with the sound of the world and explore trance. Energised by 7 dancers and 4 musicians present on stage, Silence is a continuation of rhythm and pulses, a vital thrust.

Thursday 09 July 2026

10:30-12:30 European Theatre Talks

Conceived as a space to bring the sector together and strengthen its collective voice, the event will foster dialogue and exchange between theatre professionals, EU institutions, and policymakers.

13:00-14:00 ETC Networking Lunch Reception

International networking with theatre professionals, representatives of ETC Member theatres, international partners and Academy participants.

14:30-15:30 Mentoring (4): Peer-to-Peer Work in three small groups

• Facilitated by Mentors Rui Catarino (D. Maria II National Theatre), Paulien Geerlings (De Toneelmakerij), and Dubravka Vrgoč (Croatian National Theatre Ivan Zajc in Rijeka)

15:30-16:00 Individual work on presentations
16:00-17:30 Closing: Final Presentations & Reflections
17:30-21:30 Free Time & Individual Dinner
22:00-03:00 Performance: Maldoror | Julien Gosselin

Ten years after his adaptation of 2666 at the Festival d’Avignon, Julien Gosselin returns to Roberto Bolaño and stages a dialogue between the Chilean writer and a great 19th-century poet: Lautréamont. Both ceaselessly explored human violence, its origins, and its hidden corners.

In a show that stands at the crossroads between theatre, cinema, and performance, the director continues his work on literature. Rooted in Latin America in the 1970s, Maldoror explores the works of writers and artists who were able to approach absolute evil as close as possible. 

Friday 10 July 2026

until 11:30 Check-Out and Individual Departures