Tunde Adefioye

"City dramaturgy aims to use the city as a conceptual canvas to create discourses with different aspects of Brussels and beyond."

Tunde Adefioye co-founded the youth platform Urban Woorden in Leuven (Belgium). In 2016, he began working as city dramaturg at KVS, Brussels’ Flemish city theatre. Additionally, he has done dramaturgy for plays and projects including Malcolm X and (Not) My Paradise. Since 2017, has been delivering lectures and speeches, including giving guest lectures at colleges and a keynote at the 2018 IETM plenary meeting in Portugal and one at the Wales Arts International’s conference. Published frequently in the major Flemish press.

©Hugo Lefèvre

Raquel André

"Until now, I’ve collected 215 Lovers, 36 Collectors, 18 Artists and more than 400 Spectators. Since 2014 my artist work is about how to collect the “other”, the “other” as the most ephemeral thing there is."

Raquel André started her artistic path as far as she remembers. One day she took a box full of handwritten letters, a correspondence from a family in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, and from then she made her first performance in 2009. Since then she started having an interest in collecting, especially in the idea of how to collect in the performing arts, about which she wrote a master thesis at University Federal of Rio de Janeiro (2016). In 2014 she started the ongoing project Collection of People, a work with 4 Collections: Lovers, Collectors, Artists and Spectators.

©Tiago de Jesus Brás 

Anestis Azas

Anestis Azas lives and works as a theatre director between Athens and Berlin. His work includes classical texts, contemporary playwrights and since 2011 mainly documentary theatre projects, with the participation of actors and non-professional actors on stage, that have been presented in various international festivals (among others Heidelberger Stückemarkt, Berliner Herbstsalon, Theaterspektakel Zürich, Wiesbaden Biennale, Chantiers d'Europe Paris). Since October 2015, together with Prodromos Tsinikoris, he is the artistic director of the Experimental Stage of the National Theatre in Athens.

©Marina Tomara 

Iris Laufenberg

Iris Laufenberg initiated the new branch of Bürgerbühne in Schauspiel Graz following the ETC Our Stage programme. Three participatory theatre productions are staged for the first time during the season 2018/19. Iris Laufenberg is also a member of the ETC Board of Directors. Read more about Iris Laufenberg 

Edit Romankovics

"Theatre and drama are mainly research methods. My main aim is to make the participants get to know themselves more and to make them understand the surrounding world more deeply."

Edit Romankovics works as an freelancer expert with a specialisation in theatre and education. She has been taking part in TIE (theatre in education) performances, community and participatory theatre projects as well in the last 25 years in Hungary. In these projects, she has been been working as an actor, a teacher, a writer or a director. She also gives workshops and courses on this topic. 

Simon Sharkey

"I am a product of participatory art, and an artist who creates through and with it. I advocate for the act of participation in art as a right and life choice. Participatory art is the frontier of art for the 21st century."

Simon Sharkey is one of the original architects of the National Theatre of Scotland. His work as associate director of NTS focussed on engaging communities with professional teams of theatre makers. He has reached all over the world with his pioneering work and is now launching a new organisation to carry this work forward. Under the banner of "The Necessary Space" his "Theatre of Opportunity" and "Theatre Without Walls" practice will continue to grow globally and locally.

©Kevin Murphy 

Miriam Tscholl

"Within the last ten years I experimented with several formats and contents within the field of participatory theatre. On stage I invited men in midlife-crises, punks and banker, refugees, politicians."

Miriam Tscholl works as a director and curator. She has been the director of the Bürgerbühne at the Staatsschauspiel Dresden since 2009 and continues to direct productions at other German city and state theatres as well. She initiated the first Bürgerbühne Festival 2014 as well as formats such as Bürgerdinner and Montagscafé. She regularly contributes articles to theatre journals. Miriam Tscholl is the artistic director and curator of Our Stage – 4th European Bürgerbühne Festival.

©Matthias Horn 

Kristof Blom

Kristof Blom worked until 2001 as a dramaturg for companies such as Toneelhuis Antwerpen, Victoria, Hetpaleis. In 2008 he joined the start of CAMPO, an arts centre in Gent that combines a presentation, research and production platform. In 2011 he became the Artistic Director of CAMPO.

Marie-José Malis

Marie-José Malis has been the Artistic Director of the Centre Dramatique National La Commune in Aubervilliers, France, since 2014. She has staged numerous plays both at this theatre and with her theatre company La Llevantina. She also works with refugees and students from risk environments.