Change-now! Erasmus Project

Project Title

Change-now!

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Social/environmental responsibility of educational institutions; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The goal of the project is to develop a new proposal of theater education and activities based on democratic, common and team principles (sometimes far from the traditional teaching model), responding to dynamic social transformations and changing working conditions in culture, also taking into account transformations that will take place in the theater environment after a pandemic of COVID-19. The assumptions of the project result of the thinking that conviction overlapping now crises of the ecosystem, the economy, the public sphere, social trust and solidarity affecting the entire European community with varying intensity, put specific obligations on culture and its leaders. Our answer cannot only consist of minimizing losses, but should be a constructive vision of building a new, open and democratic community and regenerating the public sphere. The partners of the project are: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique. We will also cooperate with The Institute of Performative Arts in Maastricht, Studio Theatre, Powszechny Theatre, Nowy Theatre, Komuna Warszawa. Implemented in cooperation with European universities and theaters the project takes into account the most important areas that need to be changed and it’s based on the synergy effect: exchange of good practices and mutual learning of all partners, each of which brings different elements of innovation, already developed and tested successfully at home universities and in institutions cooperating with them. We would like to develop a new education proposal in four basic dimensions: 1) a new theater production model and institutional transformation, 2) development of constructive feedback methodology supporting artistic self-development, 3) prevention of discrimination and strengthening of diversity, 4) prevention of harassment and abuse of power against students and work on changing awareness and social practices in this area. Project participants are both students and lecturers of the schools participating in the project, as well as outsiders: highly qualified theater practitioners, people open to social and cultural changes, aware scientific creators with integrated humanities tools and key competences that can allow developing of new models of communication and cooperation, shaping a new language for describing reality and rebuilding the logic of culture, verifying the primacy of productivity, competition and individuality for the purpose of valuing cooperation, solidarity, and striving to empower all entities involved in its creation and reception. Those goals will be achieved through a series of integrated actions, serving both the entire theater community and all participants of culture. The final project results will be:
1. Setting up an international recruitment and selecting 16 participants of the masterclass course heads up by experts from AT and partners.
2. Realization, production, exploitation and documentation of 4 performances staged by selected participants of the masterclass in Warsaw theaters.
3. Realization, production, exploitation and documentation of small theatrical forms created by other participants, which will inculde the context of cultural ecology and possible to production in Europe struggling with the pandemic and its consequences.
4. Organizing 4 open conferences combined with practical workshops for people participating in the project.
5. Development of a new, democratic and team theater education proposal based on constructive feedback and equality measures, taking into account social and economic changes after / during the pandemic of COVID-19.
6. Proposing new principles for cultural workers at European level, constituting a constructive vision of building a new, open and democratic community and regenerating the public sphere.
7. Introduction (and refinement of existing) regular training in the new assessment method for lecturers in at least 4 European schools
8. Introduction (and refinement of existing) regular training for students in the field of anti-discrimination, student rights, the possibility of obtaining assistance in problematic situations in at least 4 European schools
9. Preparation, production and publication of two project books in English (online access) summarizing the entire project (including workshops and research part) also taking into part a set of proposed guidelines related to the procedure for implementing the new methodology for working with students.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 212182 Eur

Project Coordinator

AKADEMIA TEATRALNA IM. ALEKSANDRA ZELWEROWICZA W WARSZAWIE & Country: PL

Project Partners

• JUSTUS-LIEBIG-UNIVERSITAET GIESSEN
• ROYAL CONSERVATOIRE OF SCOTLAND
• Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique
• STICHTING AMSTERDAMSE HOGESCHOOL VOOR DE KUNSTEN