“Always avoid beautiful lies”
— Jerzy Grotowski, Polish Theatre Director, 1933 – 1999
In 2023, the challenges that European theatre faces are clear. Funding cuts, lost audiences, limits on artistic expression. A post-pandemic society struggling with a cost-of-living crisis and impending climate breakdown.
The ‘beautiful lies’ are gone, and what’s left is a desire to share what is working around Europe — to continue making progress, together.
From 11-13 May 2023, theatre professionals from across the continent are invited to gather with high-level policy makers in Opole, Poland, for the 2 nd European Theatre Forum, ‘SHARE’.
Organised by the European Commission, in partnership with the European Theatre Convention (ETC), and hosted by JK Opole Theatre, the programme of conferences and
events about the future of theatre takes place in the city where Grotowski developed his iconic training methods at the Theatre of the 13 Rows in the early 1960s. European Theatre is invited to draw energy from similarly driven experiments on topics of vital importance
today, such as:
-
Reducing the carbon impact of theatre,
-
Making a strong political case for support,
-
Using digital forms to enhance the reach and accessibility of theatre.
The Forum has an ideal host in JK Opole Theatre, which has built a reputation for representing the world in all its complexity and encouraging audiences to react critically. It has demonstrated steadfast support for the people and culture of Ukraine, with whom Poland shares a border, and the rich diversity of the local communities in Poland. The theatre is also a natural bridge between the West and East-European traditions of theatre making. Forum attendees are invited to SHARE these perspectives through the programme of evening performances, drawn from JK Opole Theatre’s diverse and ambitious programme “A theatre of many voices, different views”.
Opole has shown the world that ideas forged in a small room can shape the cultural debate. Now is a moment to SHARE a vision of the future; to take inspiration from Grotowski, who believed in sacrificing for art “not to teach others, but to learn with them”.
The European Theatre Forum will take place at the JK Opole Theatre. Organised by the European Commission in partnership with the European Theatre Convention (ETC).
