Save the date and join us for our annual high-level gathering where policy meets theatre and the performing arts, at the heart Europe's largest theatre festival, the Festival d'Avignon.
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.
The European Theatre Talks will take place on Thursday 9 July 2026 at the Cloître Saint-Louis, Salle de Colloques, from 10:30 to 12:30, and will be followed by an ETC networking lunch reception.
European Theatre Talks 2026
In a world increasingly shaped by fragmentation, theatre remains one of the rare spaces where multiple languages, perspectives and cultures can coexist in dialogue. This edition of the European Theatre Talks brings together artists, curators, festival representatives and policy voices from Korea and Europe to explore how international collaboration can be sustained across linguistic and cultural borders.
Focusing on language diversity, translation and intercultural exchange, the discussion examines how theatre networks and festivals can foster meaningful artistic cooperation between Europe and the World, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region. From multilingual artistic practices to practical questions of mobility, accessibility and international external relations, the session asks how theatre can continue building connections in an increasingly divided world.
Organised in collaboration with the EU-funded cooperation project DoSeL – Drama of Smaller European Languages and in dialogue with the Asia-Pacific Festivals Connection Partner Network- APFC delegates, the programme of this year’s ETC’ European Theatre Talks highlights the importance of multilingualism and international cooperation as central values for the future of performing arts and contributes to current European discussions around the future European Culture Compass.
Moderator: Marina Maleni, Cyprus Theatre Organisation THOC
Programme
10:30–10:40
Welcome and Context Setting
By Cláudia Belchior (ETC President, European Theatre Convention) and Georg Häusler (Director DG EAC, European Commission)
This opening segment introduces the political and artistic context of the discussion, highlighting the importance of multilingualism, international cultural cooperation and artistic exchange between Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. It situates the conversation within broader European priorities around cultural diversity, mobility and international dialogue.
10:40–11:00
Theatre Beyond Borders: Why International Cultural Networks Matter
Moderated Keynote Conversation By Kyu Choi (Artistic Director Seoul Performing Arts Festival, South Korea) and Rok Bozovičar (General Manager of Prešernovo Gledališče Kranj, Slovenia)
This keynote conversation explores how international theatre collaboration can move beyond occasional touring towards long-term artistic exchange and sustainable partnerships. Reflecting on experiences from Korea and Europe, the speakers will discuss how language, mobility and cultural context shape artistic collaboration and how festivals and networks can become spaces for deeper intercultural dialogue.
Discussion points include:
- What can European and Korean theatre scenes learn from each other?
- How does language shape artistic collaboration?
- What challenges arise when presenting work internationally?
- How can festivals become spaces for long-term collaboration instead of one-off encounters?
11:00–11:35
Translation, Language Diversity and Access
Panel Discussion By Rok Bozovičar (General Manager of Prešernovo Gledališče Kranj), Kyu Choi (Artistic director of SPAF), Georg Häusler (Director DG EAC, European Commission), Kyug Sung LEE (Director, Creative VaQi), Kyu Chou Tung-yen (Artist)
This panel focuses on language diversity as both an artistic practice and a cultural right. Expanding the notion of translation beyond surtitles and interpretation, the discussion examines how multilingual artistic processes, accessibility and intercultural communication shape contemporary performing arts collaboration between Europe and Asia-Pacific partners.
Topics include:
- Language diversity as a cultural right;
- English dominance in international arts circuits;
- How artists work across languages;
- Translation in rehearsal and production processes;
- Audience accessibility and surtitling;
- Touring Korean work in Europe and vice versa;
- The role of AI and digital tools in translation;
- How institutions can support linguistic diversity sustainably.
11:35–12:00
APFC Exchange Segment: Building Sustainable Networks between Europe and Asia-Pacific
with Joyce Chiou (Artistic Director, National Theater and Concert Hall), Anna Reece (Artistic Director of Perth Festival), and Heidi Wiley (European Theatre Convention)
This exchange segment brings together delegates from the Asia-Pacific Festivals Connection (APFC) and European cultural networks for a forward-looking conversation on future collaboration models. Through a series of short interventions, participants will reflect on current challenges, successful cooperation experiences and future ambitions for artistic mobility and international partnership-building.
12:00–12:15
Closing Conversation & Audience Q&A: What Future for International Cultural Dialogue?
All speakers return to the stage for a collective discussion with the audience reflecting on the future of multilingual artistic collaboration and international cultural exchange.
The session explores:
- What should future Asia-Pacific/Europe collaboration look like?
- What structural changes are still needed?
- How can institutions better support multilingual artistic work?
- What role should festivals and networks play politically?
This closing discussion invites participants to reflect on how theatre can continue acting as a space for democratic dialogue, intercultural understanding and cultural diplomacy in an increasingly polarised world.
12:15 -12:25
Looking Ahead: Future Priorities for European and International Cultural Cooperation
By Georg Häusler (Director DG EAC, European Commission)
EU representatives share short forward-looking reflections on future priorities for multilingual artistic collaboration, international mobility and cultural cooperation between Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The segment also invites the theatre sector to contribute to ongoing European discussions on the future European Culture Compass and international cultural relations.
12:25–12:30
Closing Remarks
Final reflections and concluding remarks by EC Representatives, ETC, DoSeL and invited representatives, summarising the main ideas emerging from the discussion and highlighting future perspectives for collaboration between European and Asia-Pacific cultural networks.
Speakers
Georg Häusler
Director for Culture, Creativity and Sport in the European Commission
Georg Häusler is currently the Director for Culture, Creativity and Sport in the European Commission (DG EAC). Prior to that, he was Director in another Commission department for seven years. He joined the Commission in 1999 and has had several senior posts including as Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Dacian Ciolos, from 2009 to 2014. Before he began his Commission career, he was Secretary General of an EU-wide NGO. He studied law (PhD in 1993).
Cláudia Belchior
Executive General Coordinator
Cláudia Belchior was the President of the Executive Board of the D. Maria II National Theatre in Lisbon, Portugal, a position she has held from July 2015 - June 2022. Cláudia has been involved with the performing arts for all of her career, at the foremost cultural institutions in Portugal, having served as Director, Coordinator for the Performing Arts, and Deputy Director for Planning and Budget at the Belém Cultural Centre and as Director of Production at the Gulbenkian Foundation. She is currently the executive general coordinator of Centro Cultural de Belém. She has taught courses in Production Management, Stage Management, and Technical Direction in several institutions.
Kyu Choi
Artistic Director of Seoul Performing Arts Festival
Kyu Choi is a festival director, creative producer, and researcher. He has extensive experience in cross-cultural and interdisciplinary work and is a leading proponent of contemporary arts networks in Asia. Under the themes of ‘diversity and inclusion in art’, ‘innovation and new relationship among art and science & technology from the post-humanism perspectives’, and ‘locality & next mobility/circulation’, Kyu has recently developed several research-led workshops and practices including ‘Connected city’, ‘The Korea DMZ lab’ and ‘Accessibility and creative development for arts and disability’. Kyu has worked as artistic director as well as creative director for the UK/Korea Season Festival 2017-18, the Chuncheon International Mime Festival, and the Ansan Street Arts Festival. He is a founder of AsiaNow productions in 2005 and has worked to develop the Asian Producers’ Platform and APP Camp 2014-2022. Kyu initiated Asia-Pacific Festivals Connection in 2023 for Asian artist’s international mobility.
Rok Bozovičar
General Manager of Prešernovo Gledališče Kranj
Rok Bozovičar graduated from the UL Faculty of Arts in philosophy and comparative literature and continued his doctoral studies at the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade. Since 2012, he has worked as a theatre critic, first for Radio Študent and then as a critic and a journalist for Radio Slovenia, Dnevnik newspaper and Kritika website. He worked as an editor, writer, moderator and dramaturg, he co-edited (with Pia Brezavšček) the performing arts journal Maska and Neodvisni.art website. He was the selector of the 55th Maribor Theatre Festival (2020), the 11th Biennial of Puppetry Artists of Slovenia (2021) and the 53rd Week of Slovenian Drama Festival (2023). As an assistant manager he joined Prešeren Theatre Kranj in 2023, where he began his term as a general manager in 2025.
Kyung-Sung Lee
Director, Creative VaQi
Kyung-Sung Lee is the founder and artistic director of Creative VaQi in 2007. His past works include The History of Gangnam(2011), Before After (2015). The Conversations (2016), and Love Story (2018). Awarded by the East Asia New Conception Theatre Award (2010) and the Doosan Yonkang Artist Award (2014), Young Artist Award by Ministry of Culture (2017), ITI International Theatre Award (2025), his work has been presented at Festival Tokyo, the Black Box Theater Festival in Hong Kong, Theater Formen, Munich Residenz Theater, and the Live Arts Festival in Melbourne. In 2025, he became the first Korean director to be invited as a season program director at the Munich Residenz Theatre, a German national theater, where he created and directed 77 Attempts to Understand the World, receiving significant attention. Currently he is a professor in the Department of Theatre Directing at Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul.
Kyu Chou Tung-yen
Artist
Joyce Chiou
Artistic Director, National Theater and Concert Hall
Joyce Chiou is the General and Artistic Director of the National Theater and Concert Hall (Taipei), having previously led the National Taichung Theater (NTT) from 2018 to 2026. A visionary arts executive, she also served as Executive Director of the Taiwan Philharmonic (NSO) for 12 years and Chairperson of the Federation of Asian Cultural Promotion (2023–2025).
Throughout her illustrious career, Chiou has revolutionized theater management and audience engagement in Taiwan. At the NTT, she successfully established its identity as “a Theater for Arts and Life,” pioneering immersive artistic experiences and sustainable community connections.
Backed by advanced music and drama training from the University of Illinois and Northern Illinois University, Chiou is also an accomplished playwright and author. Her creative portfolio includes acclaimed librettos such as the operas Heart Sutra and The Black Bearded Bible Man, alongside multiple published books on Western musical theater.
Anna Reece
Artistic Director of Perth Festival
Anna Reece is Artistic Director of Perth Festival, Australia’s longest-running cultural festival and one of the leading international arts festivals in the Asia-Pacific region. A curator, creative producer and cultural leader with more than 20 years’ experience, her career has been defined by major arts festivals across Australia and the creation of ambitious cultural experiences that connect artists, audiences and place.
Anna has held leadership roles across the Australian festival sector, delivering large-scale cultural events, international collaborations, commissions and artist development initiatives. Her work spans contemporary performance, music, visual arts and major public realm projects.
As the first Western Australian Artistic Director in Perth Festival’s history, Anna has shaped a festival defined by bold artistic ambition, a strong sense of place and deep engagement with the stories, landscapes and communities of Western Australia and the Indian Ocean region. Her curatorial approach brings together leading local and international artists to create transformative experiences that foster dialogue, curiosity and understanding across cultures.
Heidi Wiley
Executive Director, European Theatre Convention
Heidi Wiley has been Executive Director of the European Theatre Convention (ETC) since 2009. Under her leadership, ETC has become an established European cultural network with an international programme of artistic collaboration, professional development and advocacy for Europe’s public theatres, spanning over 30 countries. She led ETC to become a strategic partner of the European Commission and the recipient of several prestigious prizes, including the 2022 Art Explora – Académie des Beaux-Arts European Award for innovation in access to culture; and European prizes for outstanding achievement in the fields of audience development and cultural heritage. Heidi is a sought after moderator and speaker at European events and conferences. In 2022, Speaker at the 8th Culture & RTBF Meeting; 2021, Consultant for European cultural policy agencies KEA (Brussels) and PPMI (Vilnius); 2020, Co-initiator of the 1st European Theatre Forum of the European Commission and the German EU Council Presidency; 2019, Author for the European Expert Network on Culture and Audiovisual (EENCA). Heidi started her career as international producer and touring manager for artists Victoria Chaplin and the Tiger Lillies, touring around Europe and Asia at major festivals and theatre venues. A studied cultural manager with degrees from La Sorbonne and Leuphana University, she lived and worked over the last 25 years in the UK, US, France and Germany.
Marina Maleni
Theatre Development Officer at Cyprus Theatre Organisation (THOC), ETC Board Member
Marina has a B.A. and B.F.A degrees in Theatre Studies, Acting and Sociology (Hons), University of Texas at Austin, MA Communication and Journalism, Open University Cyprus. She has worked extensively as an actress, TV and radio talk show host with CYBC and THOC. Working since 2001 as Theatre Development Officer for THOC, PQ National Curator since 2007, Golden Triga for Cyprus in 2023. She coordinated several successful European funded culture program collaborations for Cyprus, and was the State Television Culture programme host for for six years. Maleni is a member of: Committee for Theatre in Schools (THOC - Ministry of Education and Culture), honorary member of the Board of CYCSTAT and of Assitej Cyprus, the advisory body of the Cyprus Youth Board, Board of the Cyprus Theatre Museum, of the Advisory Board of World Stage Design 2025 and of the Board of Directors of the European Theatre Convention.
