International Symposium

The community works! Contemporary approaches in theatre

4.-6. June 2020, Ljubljana

Call for contributions

In June 2020, the Slovenian Theater Institute, the Glej Theatre, the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television of the University of Ljubljana and Amfiteater, a magazine for the theory of the performing arts, will hold a scientific symposium dedicated to contemporary production models and approaches in theatre. The symposium is inspired by the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Glej Theater in Ljubljana.

The Glej Theater is the oldest non-institutional theater in Slovenia (and one of the first theaters of its kind in the former Yugoslavia), which boasts bold performances, (re)thinks interesting production models, non-hierarchical forms of work in the theater and is based on collective and socially engaged work. Based on Gleja's 50 years of practice in the theater, we want to explore the possibilities of contemporary theater in relation to collective theatrical creation, community and the various forms that the concepts of collective and community can encompass.

At a time when the social and political climate in Europe, especially on its periphery, is becoming more and more difficult, and social inequalities are deepening, art has responded not only by exposing the oppression of certain groups in our society, but often also with an engaged attitude to change the situation. What role can contemporary theater play in building theater communities? Is that even his job? How do new political and economic circumstances affect production models in contemporary theatre?

We invite theorists, scientists, playwrights, performers, researchers, philosophers, sociologists and others to participate. Send us your suggestions until December 31, 2019 to an email address slogi@slogi.si.

Positively evaluated and selected contributions will be published in one of the upcoming issues of Amfiteater magazine.

The working language of the symposium will be English, while Slovenian will be provided on an informative level.

The symposium will focus on the following three key themes.

1. Collectives, communities and non-hierarchical models of creation

Within this theme, the symposium will explore the formation and transformation of non-hierarchical theater collectives, or, in the words of one of the founders of Glej Dušan Jovanović, theater tribes. In relation to the changing production conditions and the economic crisis, how are they established and how do they revolutionize theater practices?

We will focus on the following questions:

● How can we think (as a response to the hierarchical structure of repertory theatres, but also otherwise) the formation of various forms of non-hierarchical in the context of performance creation, theater curation and the formation of temporary collectives with an emancipated audience?

● What are the methodologies and concepts of these new approaches in production? What are their challenges and why are they relevant today?

● How have these models of authorial and collective theater changed, developed and deconstructed within the structures of non-governmental organizations and public institutions throughout history?

2. The history and contemporary position of non-institutional theater in relation to institutions

Non-institutional theaters were traditionally (at least in Slovenia, and Glej is one such example) a place for bold experiments, sharp social criticism, a safe place for topics and communities pushed to the margins of society. At a time when institutional theater is increasingly dealing with these topics and using similar aesthetics, we want to open the question, where is the space of non-institutional theater today?

We will focus on the following questions:

● What is the difference between addressing social and political issues in theater and creating new production models that correspond to social criticism?

● Considering the previously described recovery of the independent field, we are interested in what happened to the social and theatrical perception of non-institutional theater?

● How has the position of non-institutional theater changed in the structure of theatrical and social hierarchies over the last five decades?

● Is the role of non-institutional theaters the production of upcoming creators or the search for new models of artistic production? Is that even a question?

● Which production and aesthetic models tested in the field of independent theater made their way to wider audiences and institutions?

3. A decade of revolutions – new theater models, fresh approaches to audience building and the challenges of participatory art

Considering the trend of hyperproduction in the performing arts, we want to evaluate the development of the last ten years in non-institutional theater.

● How does non-institutional theater deal with the concern for underprivileged groups and audience development in this context?

● How do international collaborations affect the ability of non-institutional theaters to make their art have a wider social impact?

● What is the role of new program elements (eg work with underprivileged groups, audience building, etc.) that are not primarily intended for professional theater audiences?

● What are the achievements of participatory audience building and what are its challenges?

● What is the connection between the reduction of funds and participation in European projects? What do these kinds of collaborations bring to non-institutional theaters and the local performance scene?

● What were the key changes in the repertoires in the last decade? What new approaches in contemporary theater have changed the direction and future of its development in the last decade? What and what are the most innovative practices to come?

Participating colleagues will be provided with free food and free entry to the artistic program of the conference. A modest stipend is available for guests from abroad, which is awarded upon request to the organizers and at the discretion of the organizing council.

The symposium will take place on the premises of the Slovenian Theater Institute and the Glej Theater in Ljubljana between June 4 and 6, 2020.

Please send us the abstract and title of your paper (up to 250 words) with a short CV in English no later than December 31, 2019 to the email address slogi@slogi.si. You can also contact this address with any additional questions.

By January 15 at the latest, we will send you all the necessary information regarding the symposium and the special issue of Amfiteater magazine.

Symposium leader: Gašper Troha

Preparatory committee: Amadea Karin Ilic, Primož Jesenko, Andreja Kopač, Jure Novak, Tjaša Pureber, Inga Remeta, Tomaž Toporišič, Gašper Troha, Mojca Jan Zoran

Contact:
Slovenian Theater Institute (SLOGI)
Mestni trg 17, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Email slogi@slogi.si
T +386 1 241 58 00

Slovenian Theater Institute (SLOGI) is a national public institution, founded in 2014 as the legal successor of the Slovenian Theater Museum. The institute's mission is the development of theater culture and the promotion of theater art, which is realized through research, study, interpretation, promotion, preservation, documentation and presentation of Slovenian theater culture, theater heritage and theater art in the Slovenian and international space.

Theater Glej is the oldest independent theater in Slovenia, founded in 1970 with the aim of creating and enabling an artistic space for creations that arise from the needs of our environment, but do not have an adequate structure to perform them professionally. Glej has a rich history of experimental theater practices and has evolved into a contemporary performative theater that experiments with a non-hierarchical form of organizing artistic production.

Academy for Theatre, Radio, Film and Television The University of Ljubljana carries out educational, artistic and research work in the field of theatre, radio, film and television. From its founding in 1945 until 1975, it operated as an independent higher education institution with a rector, after which it became a member of the University of Ljubljana.

Amfiteater is a scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of performing arts in a wide range from dramatic theatre, drama, dance, performance to hybrid arts. Authors can analyze the forms and contents of works of art and artistic phenomena from the field of performing arts, their history, present and future, as well as their relationship to other artistic fields and the wider (social, cultural, political...) context.

The symposium is being prepared in cooperation with UL AGRFT within the framework of the research program Theater and inter-art research (P6-0376), which is co-financed by the Public Research Agency of the Republic of Slovenia from the state budget.