About us

“They that do not travel will not learn the value of people.” (a Mauritanian proverb)
Especially for young people in a united European continent, mobility and TRAVELING has become life determining. In comparison, TRAVELING has been used as a term which has evoked different associations in the various European regions in the past: expulsion into exile, deportation and migration of refugees during and following World War II, the decades of longing to travel from the former communist Europe to the “golden west”, and the freedom to move frequently around Western Europe, which was taken for granted.
As Albert Camus puts it, “travelling leads us back to ourselves”, wherefore TRAVEL provides the thematic approach to make a selection of classic texts, in its philosophical as well as geographic connotation.
Place and timeframe of the activities
The project makes use of the already high-tested structure and logistics of a European theatre network, connecting its partners in a multifaceted way. The planned activities extend over a period of three years.

To begin with, there is an encounter of several days with artists from all the participating theatres (1st Annual Meeting). Work-in-progress is presented (short scenes adapted from classic subject matter), which display an image of the diversity and the abundance of European myths, legends, sagas and classic drama works.

In the first year, meetings which consist of artists from 3-4 partner countries (intermingling the old and new EU countries) are planned for all the partners. The artists take along texts of the respective national classic literature, which adopts the theme TRAVEL. Imaginable is e.g. Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”, Ibsen’s “Peer Gynt”, Chekhov’s “Three Sisters”, or national epics such as Homer’s “The Odyssey” and Virgil’s “Aeneis”.
Simultaneously, workshops for young people (who preferably do not pursue A-levels) also take place, in which foreign artists acquaint the youth with the diversity of Europe’s cultural heritage.
Following the experience of this first encounter, the decision concerning the concept and the casting of the artistic team is made for the production.
In the succeeding months organizes and rehearses the work and eventually showcases its initial performance.
It is of particular concern that the material adapted does not view the ap-plication of various languages as an inconvenient necessity to promote in-ternationality, but rather that the different languages are taken advantage of on a basis of equality and carry major importance.
After a series of performances at the place where the co-production opened, a tour to the cities of the other co-producers is planed and, if possible, further performances are promoted to other Magic-Net partners and European festivals.

During the second half of the project all partners will develop a concept for one European co-production shared by all the partners. Inspired by the ex-periences of the prior co-productions the partners will now enter a process of discussion to decide the European cast and detailed realization of the all-European production. This production will be premiered at a representative European venue and contain a site-specific element.
Following a number of performances the production will be toured to all participating cities.

During this entire period, individual artists as well as theatre educators and teachers are given the opportunity to work as trainees at the theatres over a longer period of time, receiving some insight into the working areas that are relevant to them in order to expand their skills.

Annual Meetings are scheduled to foster a wider range of exchanges for the artists and are structured following the motto of the project – TRAVELING on the waters of Europe (not only by chance the Annual Meetings are scheduled at the Sea (Tallinn), a lake (Schwerin) and a river (Bratislava).
Just as history and the present, right down to our recent times, are continually changing its current and courses, the flow of the waters does not only bring the partners together, but also people and places that we pass along our way.
The Annual Meetings are the main event of a lively network to bring artists directly into an exchange of visions, ideas and practical agreements.

The project intends to give European theatre artists the possibility to expand their knowledge and ability of working together. In doing so through workshops and meetings, it places major importance on transboundary methods and per-formance styles. On the one hand, it is the beginning for European co-productions, and on the other, the participants develop the artistic know-how to work in a foreign European country. The experiences gained through the participation at workshops and smaller co-productions are incorporated in the concept of a major European production, in which all of the partners are involved according to their means. At the end of the project, this production opens at a representative place (open-air) and is also presented, if possible, at other performance venues (festivals).
With the help of the performing arts, especially for young people, an access to the classic themes of the European culture is made possible by adopting a more modern, emotional style, because through sensory awareness for many of us this is a most direct way to theatre experience.
Through its work, the project intends to make a contribution to the emotional memory in Europe. Generally speaking and in particular, it aims to promote European classics in schools (as part of the curricula) and to open a transnational dialogue on the subject by engaging the performing arts

The project’s detailed concept developed though the close collaboration of the partner theatres. Decisions concerning the project are made by the Management Committee, which is composed of one representative per theatre. All par-ticipating organizers have equal rights when it comes to the planning and implementation of the project.
The partners decide for themselves, exchange ideas about the content of the workshops. They determine on their own which partner they choose for a co-production, which subject matter they stage. The project management acts merely concerning the content as an intermediary, it is responsible for the budget controlling, all relevant costs (such as ticketing) are carried out by the applicant.
The theatres are obliged to search for other artistic co-partners within their country and region, who become involved in the direct work on site. The co-partners try to establish contacts to national art networks.
Moreover, they are responsible for the integration of at least one school into the project.
Furthermore, the partners propose the stay of artists-in-residence at their theatres (according to the specification of the theatres). The workshops and meetings take place in many locations for which the organizers of the specific partner theatres are jointly responsible.

The choice of the project partners indicates a great diversity concerning theatrical forms of expressions (opera, dance, mask and street theatre, drama and puppetry). The experiences won in the numerous encounters, workshops and co-productions are of a sustainable impact for all participants.
Combining professional work with the personal, working and living together eliminates or at least eases deeply rooted clichés and prejudices towards other nations and prepares the grounds to find a true interest in each other and a creative way to deal with one another.
The partners also gain valuable insights in reference to the diverse operating principles of their European colleagues, and expand their knowledge and artistic qualities in addition to understanding the cultural abundance of the united Europe. Contacts and working relationships continue to live on in new projects beyond the timeframe of this project.
Through careful decision-making it was agreed to search in order to promote a “European understanding” in more remote regions, in particular for partners outside the cultural centres, aside from the European mainstream event-culture. Due to the integration of additional co-partners new independent projects develop on the scene.
The project can achieve a large popularity due to its focus on theatres that search for an ever-increasing publicity, and due to the teachers who act as multipliers. The evaluation of the project, the experiences and results are documented and are made available to other theatre networks.
According to experience, the meetings with artists and young people from different cultures have a big effect: ingrained prejudices are eradicated due to the experience; the interest for ones individual cultural roots, for ones specific national identity develops through participating in an exchange with others from far away places. Not only have the defined frontiers of countries fallen in Europe but also the confinements of ones thought - this is how the citizens of the European Community grow up today.