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The Festival Academy (initiative of the European Festivals Association – EFA), calls for application for the 16th edition of the Atelier for Young Festival Managers, to take place from 13-19 November 2019 in the Eurometropolis region (Belgium/ France), organised in partnership with NEXT Festival.
At the heart of the Atelier: the sharing of experience and enabling a global conversation
The Atelier offers the opportunity to up to 35 festival managers from all over the word to spend 7 days together with a diverse group of emerging and experienced festival leaders, cultural activists and artists in the Eurometropolis region of Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai and Valenciennes (BE/FR) – during the international NEXT Festival – to have a global conversation about today’s challenges and the role festivals, the arts and culture can play in these.
The Atelier is about: gaining new perspectives, exploring the essence of the why and how of (your) festivals in a global context, share and exchange experiences and reflect on the topics that concern you. Mentors and guest speakers share their rich experience and answer participants’ questions along the way, passing on knowledge to the next generation of festival makers.
During the Atelier participants have the chance to attend performances at NEXT Festival, meet artists and their entourage and discover the behind the scenes of this cross-border festival.
Watch the after movie of the Atelier Johannesburg and read some alumni’s testimonies to find out what the Atelier is all about!
Passionate festival makers from across the globe are invited to apply here by 31/01/2019
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The programme focuses on topics and issues raised by the participants which are further developed during the Atelier: panel discussions guided by experienced festival leaders from across the globe, small working groups, thematic lunches, cross-discipline round tables and plenary sessions. There is plenty of time and space for more informal one-to-one talks during meals and cultural visits as the sharing of experiences and networking on an equal footing are key to the Atelier.
Topics to be explored can be amongst others: the artistic aspects of festival management, including artistic vision, political and social responsibility in relation to the cultural and artistic significance of a festival in its community or region, as well as internationalisation, inclusiveness, renewal and sustainability. Instruments such as communication, production or financing can be touched upon (as far as they are relevant for the implementation of the artistic programme) and themes such as festivals as agents of change, audience development, global exchange and (fairer) international collaboration will feed the conversations.
The interconnection between cities & regions (Flanders, Wallonia, French Region Hauts-de-France) within NEXT Festival will be a great asset for the participants and presenters to engage in a discussion about different topics related to context and the relationship between festivals, local communities, cities and countries.
Mentors and guest speakers at the Atelier are renowned festival directors, cultural activists and artists. During their participation they not only act as lecturers, but also as true mentors as they engage in one-on-one discussions with the participants. They are present for multiple days and some 4 mentors will be for the whole period of the programme. They all allow participants an honest and open insight into their careers, including both success stories and failures.
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Participants are early career artistic directors, programmers and curators working for art organisations or festivals, as well as those working in a programme related department in a festival. Participants leave the Atelier with extended programming skills, a broad new personal and professional network, and inspiration for new (collaboration) projects.
Participants will have the chance to compare their artistic views with colleagues from various cultural and professional contexts and backgrounds encouraging a global discussion about the artistic, social and political responsibility of festivals and festivals makers, as well as analyzing these views within the local context of the Atelier and their own festivals.
Take the opportunity to join a unique global network of young festival makers that counts today 585 alumni from 80 countries to date, after 14 Ateliers for Young Festival Managers since 2006 in Görlitz, Varna, Singapore, Izmir, Ljubljana, Edinburgh, Poznan, Beirut, Gwangju, Budapest, Chiang Mai, Merano, Johannesburg and Gothenburg and 3 editions of the Festival Production Management Training (2016, 2017 & 2018).
NEXT Festival, launched in 2008, is a yearly, international performing arts festival in the cross-border Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai & Valenciennes, organized by 6 French and Belgian co-organising artistic houses and 10 to 15 associated partners. The artistic programme focuses on referential work and new tendencies in contemporary theatre and dance in and outside Europe. NEXT invites every year about 30 international artists to create and present in the cross-border region. They tour the Eurometropolis and the French Région Hauts-de-France to present in more than 20 venues and interact with the public during multiple forms of workshops and meetings. NEXT has become a landmark event for cultural and artistic professionals from all over Europe. During multiple moments and formats for professionals, NEXT encourages and facilitates intercultural dialogue amongst programmers, artists, festival organisers, cross-border politicians, students, the broad public…
NEXT wants to be “cross-border” in the broadest possible way: literally as an international arts festival, in its programming (multidisciplinary forms of expression, mixtures, languages), in the field of production of international work and in the way it deals with the audience. It brings together disciplines, communities and cultures and encourages exchange of cultural diversity. Emerged from this cross-border context, it developed a firm European orientation and identity. It is a pilot project, bringing the European idea to day-to-day practice and giving it the large visibility through the festival itself.
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The Eurometropolis Lille – Kortrijk – Tournai brings together French and Belgian governments, working together to erase the “border effect” and make day-to-day life easier for its 2.1 million inhabitants. EUROMETROPOLIS is a hub for all cross-border information, activities and services, supporting their exploitation and development and sometimes even adapting them. Institutions, companies, artists, associations and clubs, various organisations, etc. are all invited to coordinate and pool their projects, allowing them to speak with one voice. EUROMETROPOLIS develops concrete ways helping people to better study, work, travel, indulge in cultural activities, visit each other, have fun, participate in society, etc. Located between France and Belgium, between town and country, the Eurometropolis Lille – Kortrijk – Tournai has a wealth of opportunities to offer, in a bilingual (French and Dutch) and multicultural region full of different landscapes.
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