Don’t just look, Be SpectACTive!
The first pan-European project on active spectatorship is up and running: it started in April with the artistic residencies of Michal Záhora, dancer and choreographer from Czech Republic, in Sibiu (Romania) and Sansepolcro (Italy). Now we are rapidly heading toward new artistic residencies, our first international conference and debuts: in 2015 Be SpectACTive! will produce six theatre performances. Our promise: we will keep the spectators ACTive during the next four years!Be SpectACTive! is a European project based on audience development, which encourages intercultural dialogue through practices exchange amongst professionals, artists and audiences all across Europe. Its members are: Municipality of Sansepolcro and CapoTrave/Kilowatt (Italy), Bakelit Multi Arts Center (Hungary), B51 Cultural Society (Slovenia), Domino (Croatia), LIFT (UK), Radu Stanca National Theatre (Romania), Tanec Praha (Czech Republic), York Theatre Royal (UK). Research aspects are followed by: Fitzcarraldo Foundation (Italy), University of Barcelona (Spain), University of Montpellier (France).
Be SpectACTive! aims to build an international, production-oriented and sustainable network involving the most innovative European organisations working on active spectatorship. "We will produce 21 shows in four years - says Giuliana Ciancio, Be SpectACTive! co-creator and project manager - with a mutual interaction between the performers and local communities: the artists will open the doors of their creative process to the public". Be SpectaACTive! also has a strong research-focused perspective: "The project is innovative - explains Luca Ricci, Be SpectACTive! co-creator and project manager, Kilowatt festival artistic director - it aims to verify whether the spectators increase their sense of affection and participation when involved in the making of the show”
The residencies and debuts
Bruno Isakovic is a Croatian choreographer: he will spend three artistic residencies at Bakelit Theatre in Budapest, Domino Organisation in Zagabria and Kilowatt festival to work on “Denuded”, a project focused on the interaction between the naked performers and the public. His work will debut at Kilowatt festival, one of the major international performing arts festival in Italy, on 19th July. On the same date and place the project “Letters” from Michal Záhora will debut too. The work of Dan Canham focuses instead on capturing conversations and interviews to build performance material, in the documentary dance-theatre style that Dan has become renowned for. He is spending two artistic residencies at LIFT, London, in May and in July and one at Tanec Praha (Czech Republic) in July.
First international conference
Be SpectACTive! first international conference will be held on 21st and 22nd July in Sansepolcro, in the context of Kilowatt festival. It will be a stimulating event where artists, curators, media and the public will discuss about the idea of active spectatorship. What does it imply to be an aktive spectator? Does active spectatorship reflect the idea of the democratic process and what are their interactions? Does it have a relevance to develop a European identity? The conference will be introduced by Silvia Costa, President of the Culture and Education Commission at the European Parliament. The second day of the event will be opened with a lecture from Jean Luis Fabiani, Professor of sociology at the University of Budapest, who will offer us his reflections on the interaction between audience and artistic creation. More: www.bespectactive.eu
Josef Bartos
Thank you for your thoughts. One got stuck in my mind – that passion makes us different from AI. Just yesterday I read…I am a dance critic. I am a member of an endangered species