OPEN CALL – Theatre in Palm 2024 Residencies

We will be hosting a series of residencies for emerging theatre artists throughout 2024.

Each of the 12 partner countries will host five emerging artists for two weeks in their local venues.

The residencies offer the artists a chance for professional development and building their professional networks in Europe. The main purpose of the residencies is to foster collaboration, spark inspiration and create shared insights and experiences while building meaningful and life-changing connections.

To keep it real, each residency will work on a co-production that can manifest itself in many ways. It can be an artwork, play, script, happening, recorded performance, making of video, text, drawings etc. The only requirement is that it has to be shareable online.

The residencies will take place in 12 different countries during different times in 2024. You can apply to any of the Open Calls listed below. Each residency has chosen a theme it will be working with.

Dancers holding umbrellas and circling them on a stage, motion blur, pinkish background

Theme of the residency

Residency theme will be one of these, or a combination of these:

  • Social impact
  • General equality
  • Environmental sustainability

Expenses

Travel, accommodation and some form of compensation for the work will be paid to the selected artists. IMPORTANT! This might vary a bit country by country. The exact sums might vary by country depending on travel, accommodation, living and other costs in different countries. You can find the sums for each residency in the listing of local open calls. If you have questions related to the compensation, please contact the local contact points mentioned in the listing below.

TIP! if you are selected to participate to a residency abroad, you can also try to apply for a mobility grant from Culture Moves Europe programme for additional support for travel costs.

You can apply for the residency if you are: 

  • an emerging artist in the field of performing arts, for example arts student or a recent graduate. 
  • newcomer in the field of professional theatre. 
  • interested in gaining new professional competencies and making new openings in the field of performing arts. 
  • willing to collaborate/cooperate outside of your own profession. 
  • interested in international career opportunities and networks. 
  • resident in an EU country and over 18 years old. 

Professions

Professionally you can be from any field of theatre/performing arts, click the arrow for examples:
  • Actor
  • Choreographer
  • Circus artist
  • Community artist
  • Composer
  • Costume designer
  • Dancer
  • Director
  • Drama instructor
  • Dramaturg
  • Lighting designer
  • Musician
  • Performance artist
  • Performing arts pedagogue
  • Producer
  • Puppet theatre artist
  • Scriptwriter
  • Set designer
  • Sound designer
  • Student
Blue colored spotlights in the theatre roof, smoky background

Why to participate?

  • Get inspired by other emerging artists in the field of theatre art and performance art.
  • Connect through theatre.
  • Learn about new cultures and ways of working.
  • Share knowledge.

How to apply

  • Each Theatre in Palm country selects 5 artists through an Open Call.
  • You can apply to any Theatre in Palm country’s residency.  
  • Application period varies by country and is specified in the listing below (more countries will be added).
  • Fill in the application form carefully and submit it by the given deadline (different to each country). 
  • The application must be accompanied by a CV and a motivation letter in which you explain why you would like to participate in the residency. 
  • Application criteria:
    • you are an emerging artist
    • you demonstrate motivation and commitment to collaborate during the residency with your application
    • you are a resident in an EU country
    • you are over 18 years old

Find local Open Calls listed below

(more locations will be added as dates are confirmed
Netherlands (Amsterdam): 4 – 18 May 2024

Over the course of two weeks, five resident artists have the opportunity to participate in the ExploreZ Festival 2024, centered around the theme of “Change.” The festival is filled with theater, music, dance, workshops, and artist talks. Throughout the event, creators will explore the ongoing social, cultural, ecological, and technological shifts that impact our society, communities, and individual lives, and how we navigate through them.

Participants will engage in a curated program consisting of performances, lectures, and masterclasses. Additionally, they will develop their own work, which will be presented as a work in progress during one of the festival dates.

Previous participants of Theater in Palm’s program are strongly encouraged to apply. We welcome applications from both national and international artists.

Contact: communicatie[at]zidtheater.nl


Romania (Magura Racatau): 19 – 31 May 2024

Bulgaria (Blagoevgrad): 21 – 29 June 2024

Last day to apply: TBC
Decision date: TBC
Travel date: TBC
Support sum per artist: TBC
Working language: TBC
Theme: TBC
Contact: TBC


Sweden (Stockholm): 12 – 23 August 2024
Finland (Turku): 26 August – 7 September 2024

Last day to apply: 24 May
Decision date: beginning of June
Travel date: 25 August
Support sum per artist: 1500 € per artist including all accommodation, perdiem, travel, insurance and fees
Working language: English
Theme: Social Impact and Environmental Sustainability
Contact: tip[at]turkuamk.fi


Greece (Thessaloniki): 9 – 23 September 2024

Last day to apply: 10 June
Decision date: end of June
Travel date: 8 September
Support sum per artist: 600 € + travel and accommodation
Working language: Greek and English
Theme:

Embark on a unique journey with “Ripples of Change,” a two-week theatrical artist residency in Thessaloniki, Greece. Set against the backdrop of this historic port city, the residency invites artists to explore the fluidity and impact of water, both literally and metaphorically, within the context of ecofeminism. This program seeks five versatile artists who are ready to embrace dual or interchangeable roles, creating a dynamic and collaborative environment.

Residency Theme:
Participants will delve into the multifaceted theme of water, examining its significance in environmental and feminist narratives. The residency encourages a creative exploration of water as a vital resource, a symbol of life, and a metaphor for change, all within the framework of current events at the time of the residency , weaved with the timeless tradition of ancient Greek theatre.

Participant Profiles:
The residency seeks artists with a combination of the following skills, open to taking on dual or interchangeable roles within the team which should have at least 2 actors/ performers:

Writing & Directing: Individuals with a talent for narrative development and stage direction, capable of weaving together themes of water and ecofeminism. A background in playwriting or dramaturgy, coupled with experience or interest in directing, is ideal.

Performance & Movement: Versatile performers skilled in both acting and movement or choreography. These artists should be adept at interpreting and conveying complex themes through physical expression and interaction with audiences.

Visual & Auditory Design: Creative minds with a flair for set, costume, and sound design using reclaimed material and urban soundscapes. Participants should be passionate about creating visual and auditory elements that embody the essence of water and ecofeminism, drawing inspiration from the natural and urban landscapes of Thessaloniki.

Contact: info[at]cube.org.gr


Portugal (Lisbon): 21 October – 1 November 2024

Last day to apply: 5 August
Decision date: 9 August
Travel date: October
Support sum per artist: 1750 € including all
Working language: English
Theme: Ethics, Robotics and New Forms of Storytelling- From Bradbury to Stanislaw Lem
Contact: nampuri[at]gmail.com


Cyprus (Nicosia): 7 – 20 October 2024

Last day to apply: 30 April
Decision date: by 1 June
Travel date: 6-7 October
Support sum per artist: 1500 €, including accommodation, perdiem, travel, insurance and fees
Working language: English and Greek
Theme: Social Impact
Contact: mmaleni[at]thoc.org.cy


Ireland (Dublin): 7 – 20 October 2024

Last day to apply: 5 August
Decision date: 31 August
Travel date: October
Support sum per artist: TBC
Working language: English
Theme: General equality and environmental sustainability
Contact: info[at]smashingtimes.ie


Spain (Barcelona): 7 – 18 October 2024

Last day to apply: 31 May 2024
Decision date: by end of June
Travel date: October
Support sum per artist: 600 € (including perdiem, travel, insurance and fees). Artists outside Barcelona will be provided with accommodation.
Working language: Spanish and English
Theme: Non-human rights / Natural Contract / Collective intelligence / Resilience / Future Imaginaries

Artistic practices operate on both a symbolic and real level because they can directly or
indirectly influence the emotional state of the perceiver involved in the artistic experience.
This synergy that is established between the symbolic and the real could lead us to reflect on
the fact that these practices can therefore have a relevant influence in this ecosocial context.
Thus, they could contribute to fostering other imaginaries capable of educating less
competitive, more egalitarian, and cooperative values.

In order to implement measures to safeguard and conserve the ecosystem, it is helpful to
understand the relationships between the different parts which constitute the whole. Every
being is profoundly bound to its environment, and its evolution is directly linked to its
adaptability. This situation arises in most cases through the capacity of cooperation between
organisms of the same or a distinct species, as Lynn Margulis mentions when introducing her
symbiotic evolution theory.

Thus, we can understand how each subject is linked to its environment, hence the survival of
life on a cognitive, social, and environmental level (quoting Guattari) will depend on the quality
of the relationships established between the different dimensions of reality and between
subjects and their environment.

The ecological crisis and the current eco-social transition we are facing lead us to the need to
outline new imaginaries capable of including the rights of all living and non-living organisms in
decision-making processes.

In the context of this new residency, we would like to propose these insights for the
development of possible project content and at the same time leave the following questions
open.
– How to open a space of active and sensitive listening both in the forms of thought and in those
of inhabiting the territory with other beings?
– What ecosystemic, multi-species, and collaborative imaginaries can we delineate that favor
heterogeneity and multiplicity rather than homogeneity and uniformity?
– What possible post-capitalist futures or utopian imaginaries can we imagine to decolonize our
idea of nature and inhospitable future?

Contact: alessia[at]espronceda.net


Italy (Reggio Emilia): 4 – 16 November 2024

Last day to apply: 31 August 2024
Decision date: 15 September 2024
Travel date: 3 November 2024
Support sum per artist: 1300 €, including accommodation, perdiem, travel, insurance and fees
Working language: English
Theme: General equality and environmental sustainability
Contact: info[at]e-35.it


Belgium (Brussels): 11 – 25 November 2024

Last day to apply: 26 June
Decision date: by 30 July
Travel date: 10 November
Support sum per artist: 1000 € + travel and accommodation
Theme: Multidisciplinary
Working language: English
Contact: admin[at]etfi.be


TBC = to be confirmed

Make a brave move and apply!

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