Sign up now for Fresh Start! 9th Edition - Creative Residencies

We are looking for enthusiastic young graduates who are eager and excited to experiment, research, collaborate, and discover the wonderful world of show production in an independent theatre setting!

Fresh Start. 9th Edition aims to welcome 9 fresh graduates of acting, directing, playwriting, scenography, choreography, music, theatre studies, and cultural management into the creative process. Together, you will craft a brand-new show using specific devised theatre techniques, while also learning the fabulous basics of team management and producing a show in the independent scene.

The 9 selected residents will enjoy the guidance of experienced artists skilled in various creative methods. The first part of the residency will be led by:

• Petro Ionescu – director and playwright, member of the Reactor team, with a wonderful background in devised theatre and theatrical research methods

• Sinkó Ferenc – actor, lecturer at the Faculty of Theatre and Television in Cluj-Napoca, with a passion for choreography and performance

• Oana Mardare and Doru Taloș – actors and co-managers of the Reactor space, producers, and founding members of the Reactor Association for Creation and Experiment

Residents will enjoy a friendly team-building laboratory to explore devised theatre working methods led by Petro Ionescu, followed by an engaging workshop with Sinkó Ferenc using performative theatre and dance techniques. Throughout the residency, the 9 participants will have constant mentoring sessions with Petro Ionescu to help develop their show concept and dramatic structure. In parallel, the team will enjoy lively discussions and work sessions with Oana Mardare and Doru Taloș on producing independent shows and managing an artistic collective.

Thanks to our wonderful partnership with the Danis Foundation, this year's selected cultural management resident will also benefit from an exciting internship in a cultural space abroad, through the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program funded by the European Commission.

The residency program will take place during the sunny months of July and August.

The residencies are open to passionate young graduates (unemployed in the field, up to 3 years post-graduation) from theatre faculties across the country. The "Fresh Start" project warmly welcomes collective applications in various combinations (e.g., director-playwright or director-choreographer) if you have a shared concept—just make sure to mention it in the registration form!

The residencies are paid, and accommodation for participants from outside Cluj-Napoca will be happily provided by the organizers.

To join the adventure, simply fill out the application form which you can download right here: FRESH START 9 Application – Creative Residencies

Please send your applications to freshstart.rezidente@gmail.com by April 25th, at 11:59 PM.

Following registrations, our mentors and project coordinators will select a directing project. Based on this, a vibrant mixed team will be formed—including a director, a playwright, a scenographer, a choreographer, a cultural manager, actors and/or dancers, and musicians. Interviews (in person or online, as appropriate) may be held between April 25th and May 3rd.

Calendar:

April 25th — Application Deadline

April 26th – May 3rd — Selection of Participants

May 4th — Announcement of the Selected Team

July 1st – July 15th — First Stage of the Residency (with mentors): practical workshops with Petro Ionescu and Sinkó Ferenc

July 16th – August 31st — Sessions led by Oana Mardare and Doru Taloș, rehearsals, working meetings with Petro Ionescu, and show viewings

September-October — Public presentation of the exciting new show in Cluj and Bucharest

Partners: Replika Educational Theatre Center in Bucharest, Danis Foundation, Faculty of Theatre and Film Cluj-Napoca, National University of Theatre and Film Bucharest, George Enescu National University of Arts in Iași, and University of Arts Târgu Mureș.

Media partners: TVR Cluj, Radio Cluj, Liternet. 

Poster: Mihai Păcurar

A cultural project co-funded by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund.

The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the results of the project may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding.