Calling all artists! The stage is waiting for you!

We are thrilled to share that the European project Stronger Peripheries: A Southern Coalition is creating a wonderful space for dialogue, connection, and growth for 14 fantastic partner organizations! Through a series of delightful international residencies and co-productions called Tandem, this initiative is set to bring people together. Designed to tackle key themes for the southern European cultural scene, these Tandems are innovative creative engines that will spark audience engagement and bring 12 exciting new artistic projects to life!

In a joyful effort to strengthen Europe's southern periphery—especially through vibrant cultural practices and policies—Stronger Peripheries: A Southern Coalition invites us to explore six wonderful themes: “Work and Happiness”, “Connecting Dots”, “Daily Bread”, “Having a Voice”, “Bridging the gap”, and “Right to the Future”. Each theme dives into socio-political topics with a warm, constructive approach, offering creative ideas that foster closeness, mutual support, and a beautiful sense of inclusion for countries seeking equal opportunities across Europe.

The Right to the Future (Right to the Future) is the inspiring theme of the Tandem coordinated by the Cluj Cultural Centre in close collaboration with the lively Reactor of Creation and Experiment, alongside wonderful project partners POGON – Zagreb Center for Independent Culture and Youth, L’arboreto, and Dimora Theatre. This call warmly invites theatre makers living and working in Romania to discover its many beautiful dimensions through direct, heart-to-heart interactions with host community members in Cluj-Napoca, Zagreb, and Mondaino.

This wonderful collaboration offers artists a fantastic opportunity to work in a bubbling, dynamic artistic environment, happily expanding their cultural networks and connecting with fresh spaces, communities, and enthusiastic audiences as they bring their projects to life. Best of all, the final production will be shared with audiences in Romania and abroad, and will join the exciting repertoire of the independent Reactor theatre!

Key Dates

If you are an artist excited by this wonderful opportunity, you can easily apply for the Tandem 6 | Right to the Future residencies until May 18, 2022, at 5:00 PM. To make things even more exciting, five selected semifinalists will be invited to a vibrant international workshop in Cluj-Napoca from October 4 to 7, 2022. It’s a wonderful chance to connect with project partners, showcase your portfolio to an international audience, and spark connections for future collaborations!

The lucky finalist artist will embark on a wonderful journey featuring two research residencies in October-November 2022 in Cluj-Napoca and Zagreb, followed by two inspiring creative residencies in February-March 2023, hosted by the lovely L’arboreto (Mondaino, Italy) and Reactor (Cluj-Napoca, Romania). These opportunities are designed to beautifully connect the artist with local communities and offer great resources to support the creative flow. To top it all off, the finished piece will make its exciting grand debut on the Reactor stage in April 2023!

You can find all the exciting details and guidelines on the project website at www.strongerperipheries.eu.

Have a few questions? We would love to chat! You are warmly invited to join a friendly webinar hosted online by the Cluj Cultural Centre and Reactor on May 9th at 6:00 PM (details coming very soon!).

Meet the Co-producers 

The Cluj Cultural Centre is a passionate non-governmental organization dedicated to culture and sustainable development. Initially sparked to champion the city's bid for European Capital of Culture 2021, the Centre proudly drives major, inspiring programs that address key social challenges through art.

Reactor of Creation and Experiment is a vibrant independent theatre founded in 2014, lovingly focusing on contemporary dramaturgy, artistic experiment, and social themes. They create wonderful shows starting from original ideas closely tied to today's social landscape, brought to life through a variety of playful and creative processes. They also love supporting artistic growth by organizing workshops for theatre professionals and the general public, and offering welcoming residencies for emerging artists.

POGON – Zagreb Center for Independent Culture and Youth was happily founded in 2008 and is co-managed by the Alliance Operation City and the City of Zagreb. Its wonderful mission is to support local independent organizations and artists with dedicated programs, champion their interests locally and across Europe, and enthusiastically involve them in exciting international cultural projects.

Established in 1998, L’arboreto is a wonderful cultural organization celebrated both locally and internationally for its high-quality initiatives. L’arboreto’s beautiful goal is to nurture theatre and performing arts culture through two main pillars: training and creative residencies. With the charming Dimora Theatre, founded in 2004, and its two lovely guesthouses in Mondaino, L’arboreto stands out as a unique and welcoming haven in Italy for researching and producing fresh contemporary art.

Stronger Peripheries: A Southern Coalition is a wonderful, collaborative international adventure bringing together 14 partners from 10 European countries, co-funded with joy by the European Union through the Creative Europe program.