Conference Programme

15:00 -17:00

Welcome Desk
Foyer Sala 2

17:00 - 18:30

Opening Reception
Conference attendees will gather for a welcome drink and opening speeches.
With:
- Ada Hausvater, Head of National Theatre Timisoara 
- Serge Rangoni, Artistic Director & General Manager, Théâtre de Liège / ETC Director
- Heidi Wiley, ETC Executive Director
Sala 2

18:00 - 18:30

Buddy Meeting
For new members and designated ‘Buddies’ only
What’s a 'Buddy'?
Sala Lectura 2

19:00 - 23:00

Performance 'EXODUS' by Oskaras Koršunovas
Main Hall
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10:00 - 10:15

Welcome
Sala 2

10:15 - 11:00

Keynote: Fake News and the Role of Theatre
With: Colette Braeckman

Timisoara was at the centre of the Romanian revolution in December 1989 – and the rush by news media to discover and publish sensational information led to the widespread publication of false information about a so-called “mass graves affair”.

Journalist Colette Braeckman travelled to Timisoara on 23 December 1989 and published a few weeks later an article titled ‘Je n’ai rien vu à Timisoara’ (I Have Seen Nothing in Timisoara) in the Belgium newspaper Le Soir.

Based on her experience and years of journalistic work, Colette Braeckman will discuss the “mass graves affair” and the ensuing media disinformation as a vital warning about rushing to the truth – and, in contrast, the benefits of slow and critical reflection that theatre can offer audiences.

This keynote will thus connect to the themes of disinformation and theatre as an open, democratic space, discussed during the European Theatre Forum 2023, an event organised by the European Commission last spring.
Sala 2

11:00 - 11:30

Coffee Break
Sala 2

11:30 - 13:00

Panorama of International Artistic Collaboration at ETC
Moderation: Heidi Wiley, ETC Executive Director
This particular session will put ETC Members in the spotlight, giving them the opportunity to share the learnings from different formats of International Artistic Collaboration they’ve participated in at ETC over the past two years, including two seasons of ETC Development Grants, the award-winning Young Europe IV project and the large-scale EU cooperation project ACuTe.
At a time when concept-touring became a new buzz word in our sector around the world, we realised that ETC has always searched for forms of collaboration that go beyond co-producing and touring. How to collaborate when working in different theatre systems and scales, driven by the desire to bridge between these different actors and organisations in Europe?
Let’s shine the light on those collaboration models that each have their own format, created out of the aesthetic and artistic question(s) at the starting point of each interaction, and that can serve as inspiration to new joint work, crossing borders and crossing languages.

With:
- ETC Development Grant: Innovative Ways of Inclusive Talent Development with Nina von Tongeren (De Toneelmakerij)
- ETC Development Grant: Kick-Off Fast Forward Festival Forum with Charlotte Orti (Staatsschauspiel Dresden), Isabel Andreen (Théâtre National de Bretagne), Yannis Moschos (National Theatre of Greece)
- ETC Development Grant: The Best European Show with Marko Bratuš (Slovenian National Theatre Nova Gorica)
- ETC Development Grant: Drama of Smaller European Languages with Jure Novak (Preseren Theatre Kranj), Raquel Castells (Teatro Arriaga), Miriam Kičinova (Slovak National Drama Theatre)
- Young Europe IV with Paulien Geerlings (De Toneelmakerij), Marina Maleni (Cyprus Theatre Organisation, Mona vom Dahl (Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe)
- ACuTe with Carla Meller (Theatre Dortmund / Academy for Theatre & Digitality), George Costea (Teatrul Național Marin Sorescu Craiova)
Sala 2

13:00 - 14:15

Networking Lunch
Restaurant, Hotel Timisoara

14:15 - 14:45

Speed Meetings
Five-minute, quick-fire meetings between conference participants that involve a bit of moving chairs. Organised by the ETC team.
Conference Room, Hotel Timisoara

14:45 - 15:00

Return to the Theatre

15:00 - 16:00

Presentation Sustainability Tools: Peer-to-Peer Learning on the STAGES Doughnut Workshop and the ETC Theatre Green Book
The session aims to present and promote the two complimentary sustainability tools to be explored and tested by ETC Member Theatres, calling theatre to action and thus following ETC’s Sustainable Action Code in a targeted way:
- The 'STAGES Doughnut Workshop': A Holistic Sustainability Tool for Theatres Worldwide
- The ‘ETC Theatre Green Book’: A benchmarking, labelling and certification system as a European standard

With:
- Emmanuelle Lejeune, Théâtre de Liège
- Raquel Castells, Teatro Arriaga
- Joachim Klement, Staatsschauspiel Dresden
Sala 2

16:00 - 16:30

Coffee Break
Foyer Sala 2

16:30 - 17:45

Table Talks: Peer-to-Peer Learning: Sharing Knowledge within the ETC Network

For the first time at an ETC International Theatre Conference, participants will be invited to take part in peer-to-peer learning sessions. Here, you’ll be able to discuss issues that you face in your everyday working life – ranging from audience engagement to catering or multilingualism – with theatre peers from across Europe. The session will take place in breakout tables focused on specific topics and the conversation will be led by ETC Members.

With:
- Paulien Geerlings & Nina von Tongeren: Kill the Classics
- Serge Rangoni: Managing the Switch to LEDs
- Raquel Castells & Cláudia Belchior: Sustainability Tools: the ETC Theatre Green Book
- Ricardo Simões: Engaging Audiences Through Artistic Participation Practices
Sala 2

19:00 - 20:00

Performance 'CITY VOICES - CENTRAL PARK' by Pál Frenak
Sala 2
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10:00 - 11:00

TRANSFORMATIONS Milestone Meeting
An in-depth look at the next six months of activity at ETC and the presentation of the "ETC 2030" Strategic Vision.
With:
- Matina Magkou
- Heidi Wiley
- Hélène Gauthier
- Teresa Pfaud
- Christy Romer
Main Hall

11:00 - 11:30

Coffee Break

11:30 - 13:00

General Assembly
The bi-annual General Assembly makes decisions for the ETC network. Elections to the ETC Board of Directors will take place during this GA.
For ETC Members only
With:
- Heidi Wiley
- Serge Rangoni
- Cláudia Belchior
Main Hall

13:00 - 14:30

Networking Lunch
Restaurant, Hotel Timisoara

14:30 - 15:00

Project Pitching
ETC Member Theatres present concrete project ideas, look for partners and call for artistic collaborations.
Main Hall

15:00 - 15:15

Coffee Break

15:15 - 16:45

ETC 2030: Working Groups
ETC Members will be asked to contribute with their ideas and suggestions to the development of future ETC projects and activities.

- Our Stories of Change: evaluation of ETC activities in the frame of the TRANSFORMATIONS project

- Working groups on:
* Our Stories of Change
* Theatre and Sustainability
* European Theatre School Project
* Theatre & Digitality (Presentation Academy for Theatre & Digitality)
* Theatre and Diversity: Young Europe V and VI
* Theatre and Health & Well-being
Main Hall

16:45 - 17:00

Conference Closing
Main Hall

19:00 - 21:00

Performance 'THE STORY OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO ONE EVENING GATHERED AROUND A TABLE' by Radu Iacoban
Main Hall
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21:00

Joint Dinner at Restaurant Lloyd
At the participants' own costs

Exhibition Visit
Brâncuși: Romanian Sources and Universal Perspectives

Hosted at the Timișoara National Museum of Art between September 30, 2023, and January 28, 2024, the exhibition “Brâncuși: Romanian sources and universal perspectives” brings to the public’s attention an emblematic personality, an indisputable landmark of modern sculpture, as well as a universal symbol. It is Romania’s most extensive Brâncuși exhibition in the last 50 years.
Curated by Doina Lemny, the exhibition in Timișoara offers visitors various stages of Brâncuși’s artistic journey. In dialogue with the 22 sculptures on display, there is also a unique selection of photographs alongside fragments filmed by Brâncuși himself. In total, over 100 works by Constantin Brâncuși will be admired, backed by a comprehensive Catalog edited by the curator. The exhibition enjoys exceptional loans from the Centre Pompidou, the Tate, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Art Museum of Romania, the Craiova Art Museum, and 3 private collections.

Timișoara National Museum of Art
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