The European Theatre Forum 2023 set the stage for a new roadmap for making Europe’s theatre sector more sustainable, equitable and better equipped to face current and future challenges.
Background
ETF 2023 (10 - 13 May) gathered 200 European theatre experts in person at ETC Member Theatre JK Opole Theatre in Poland who formulated recommendations around three main goals:
- Address the geopolitical and climate-related crises and their implications for the sector
- Address sustainable, digital and social challenges and practices in the sector
- Develop and adopt a comparable sustainability assessment tool for the whole sector to measure and reduce its carbon footprint
The European Theatre Forum 2023 follows on from the first Forum, organised in 2020, and the resulting policy document, the Dresden Declaration.
Opole Recommendations
The Opole Recommendations are a high-level policy document created as a result of the European Theatre Forum 2023.
The Recommendations collect the voice of the wide European theatre sector. They set out theatres' needs, concerns and priorities in a roadmap — outlining changes European institutions should make next year, by 2025, and by 2027.
These ideas were expressed by the more than 200 attendees at the ETF, hosted at JK Opole Theatre/Poland from 11-13 May 2023. The six appointed 'rapporteurs' summarised the key points during ETF's final session, 'Rapporteurs' statements Backstage Talks'.
Read the Opole Recommendations
European Theatre Talks at Festival d'Avignon
The European Theatre Talks are a new series at the Festival d’Avignon, anchoring the much-needed dialogue between artists, the public and European policymakers at one of the world’s most important theatre festivals.
Organised by the European Theatre Convention, this year’s talks explored the next steps for The Opole Recommendations, the high-level policy document created by the theatre and performing arts sector as a result of the European Theatre Forum 2023.
The speakers delved into a new certification tool to ‘green’ European Theatre; the opportunities and challenges presented by a digital theatre platform; and how to promote the next generation of European theatre makers and artists.
The conversation included input from additional European artists and will be led by Maria Delgado, theatre academic and moderator of the ETF 2023.
With:
- Gabrielle Bernoville, European Commission
- Paddy Dillon, Theatre Green Book
- Jonathan Thonon, Théâtre de Liège / PROSPERO
- Tom Leick-Burns, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg / Future Laboratory
- Heidi Wiley, Europea n Theatre Convention (ETC)
- Serge Rangoni, Théâtre de Liège / ETC
- Blanca Li, Teatros del Canal
- Caroline Guiela Nguyen, TNS Théâtre National de Strasbourg
