“What do you (want to) leave behind?”: A cross-cultural theatre residency in Reggio Emilia

Five young artists from Greece, Belarus, Lithuania, Sweden, and Italy. A two-week-long workshop that culminated in a theatre performance. A shared mission—to foster cross-cultural dialogue and creativity while exploring highly topical contemporary issues like climate change, social justice, and artificial intelligence.

It was this and much more—the artistic residency, hosted in Reggio Emilia from November 4th to 16th, 2024, as part of the Theatre in Palm (TIP) project.

Taking place at Officine Creative Reggiane, a former industrial space turned into an innovative cultural hub, the residency encouraged collaboration, personal storytelling, and creative experimentation. Over two weeks, the artists, selected from over 200 candidates, shared personal stories, objects, photographs, and creative aspirations. The final product of this residency was a theatre performance blending visual art, storytelling, and live action. Presented to the public as a fictional conference, the piece centered around a thought-provoking question: “What do you (want to) leave behind?”