KRAKÓW: IETM, Theatrical Reminiscences, Unsound

The programme in Kraków is organised around the meeting of the international organisation of performing art managers International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts (IETM), which has its 30th anniversary in 2011. The meeting will be an occasion to present local and national Polish art scene in an international context, and to establish cooperation between Polish and European artists.

 

IETM Meeting – PARTY • 6th – 9th October

IETM meeting in Kraków is its first in Poland, and will be held at the 30th anniversary of the network. The title of the conference is “PARTY –we are celebrating the 30th anniversary”.

The International Network For Contemporary Performing Arts gathers various organisations from around the world active in the area of performing arts. According to IETM’s three-year action plan, the network intends to focus on creating a library of good practices, as well as analysing and processing them. Particular attention is to be paid to mapping the present areas of artistic quest and forms of presentation, as well as to the increased mobility of authors, and the role of producers in the creative process. Moreover, IETM wishes to deconstruct the “conference” formula of the meetings, aiming at the formula that would actively engage the largest possible number of participants (the Internet).

The key word of the discussion will be “party” in its various meanings. A part of the debate will explore the “political” meaning of the word, focusing on methods to place culture in proper relationship to other areas of political and economic life.

Party” also means “participation”. The aim of the debate will be to work out a joint position and real power to effect changes in the global legislation, not only for the artistic environment (social security, the right to laboratory work), but also for the sake of more effective application of art in social dialogue.

 

Krakow Theatrical Reminiscences • 6th – 12th October

The 36th edition of the Krakow Theatrical Reminiscences festival will be held simultaneously with the plenary meeting of the IETM network; for that occasion, a special festival programme was developed: presentation of theatres from Poland and artists from countries of the Eastern Partnership and from Russia.

The theme of the festival is: networking, international and intercultural cooperation. The programme will include performances, presentations of projects, as well as meetings with artists, discussions and exhibitions.

Twenty young art curators and theatre producers from Europe will participate in Festival Lab workshops, organised within the framework of an informal network of European theatre festivals Theatre/Festivals in Transition. Moreover, one of the participants will present a theatre production prepared exclusively for this edition of the festival.

Apart from the IETM meeting, Kraków Theatrical Reminiscences will also include the first meeting of the newly-established Eastern Europe Performing Arts Platform: artists from several countries will meet to prepare joint projects. A meeting of an informal network of European festivals Theatre/Festivals in Transition, of which Theatrical Reminiscences festival is a member, will also be held.

Theatres form Germany will perform at the festival within the framework of North Rhine-Westphalia Season in Poland. The aim of this project is to foster cooperation between Polish and German institutions and artists from North-Rhine Westphalia. Productions from important centres of contemporary German theatre: Schauspielhaus in Bochum and Schauspielhaus in Cologne will be staged.

 

UNSOUND Festival – • 8th – 16th October

This year’s edition of the Unsound Festival is inspired by the futurologist Alvin Toffler’s book “Future Shock”. The main theme of all the events, from concerts and film screenings to installations and discussion, will be the ideas found in Toffler’s bestselling title: the concept of “information overload” and the effect technological development has on society. The festival program will explore visions of the future from the perspective of the past.

The concerts will feature performances by artists in a variety of genres, from classical and post-classical music, to electronic, experimental, and club sounds.

While offering a rich program of cultural events, the Unsound Festival is also an opportunity for members of the music industry from all around the world to meet. Artists, media representatives, curators, and cultural coordinators participate in panels, talks, lectures, and presentations.

The programme has been prepared in cooperation with the Kraków City Hall, Krakow Festivals Office, IETM, Centrum Kultury Rotunda and Tone Foundation for Music and New Art Forms.