STORIES OF STARS AND ACROBATS
Forms of theatre between Turkey and Europe


It addresses the general aim to provide concrete and durable tools answering the need of encounter, mutual knowledge and exchange between Turkish and European countries’ cultural operators, societies and institutions.
The general aim of the project is to foster greater mutual understanding between Europe and Turkey by increasing intercultural dialogue via culture and arts projects.The project will tackle other specific objectives: the innovation of intercultural methodologies in the field of arts; professionalisation of young artists and cultural operators; increasing knowledge and experience of professionals in terms of cultural and artistic issues and competencies; enhancing networking and long-term collaborations of cultural professionals; awareness raising in culture and arts by means of common events, projects and studies.
The project pivots on two main actions: one concerns the realisation of a research on popular and contemporary theatre in Turkey (with final publication and video documentation); the other is related to the implementation of a multicultural International Theatre Summer School in Istanbul, with the participation of Turkish and European artists and cultural operators. The project will conclude with a final international Meeting that will be held in Paris in October 2012.




THE RESEARCH
The research is carried out throughout project implementation. It is conducted by the partner Form360 and the University of Salento.The topic of the research is Turkish popular theatre in relation to Turkish theatrical and cultural contemporary context. The title of the research action is Contemporary theatrical practices: theatre meets territories.The research foresees different phases:
-the research group gets acquainted with Turkish traditional drama and its survival in contemporary Turkish drama; this phase is a desk research which will employ the librarian resources of Fondo D’Amico (University if Salento), a prestigious collection on theatre, including rare publications from all over the world;
-a socio-anthropological field research is carried out in Turkey (that will be video documented), whose aim is exploring theatre as a form of preservation of cross-national cultural identities;
-a book on the research will be published (in English and Turkish), which will form complementary material of both the research and the educational activities that will be realised in the Summer School
-an international seminar will be realised during the Summer School phase according to the acquired knowledge in field and desk research activities.
The materials collected in the research will permit to enrich the artistic activities, being the research an integral part of the whole artistic programme, and will allow to develop a new consciousness and a new approach to “old” problems, related to the interrelation between Turkish theatre syncretic complex tradition and contemporary age theatrical forms .





THE INTERNATIONAL THEATRE SUMMER SCHOOL (23 June-16 July 2012)


The International Theatre Summer School foresees practical and theoretical courses, held by international masters coming from Turkey and European countries. The School sets up a training program for theatre arts through a group of specialists and experts in the field of expressive arts. The Classes are diversified in Mater Class and Open Class.
The Master Class foresees an intensive training programme, with an advanced programme and intensive work schedule.
The participants are Turkish and European artists, youth and cultural operators. Furthermore only the Master Class participants will be involved in the preparation of a final performance that will be presented to the audience during the International Showcase. The International Theatre Summer School sessions are structured as follows:
-Master Class, attended by the twenty/twenty-five selected participants (Turkish and European artists). It foresees full-time practical work with Turkish and European theatre masters and lectures with professors and scholars (time schedule:10 hours a day, but full availability is requested). The Master Class participants will come from Turkey and European countries. Participants will be engaged in a final joint performance presented to the audience, to be played in Istanbul.
-Open Class, attended by a larger group of participants. It foresees practical and theoretical theatre workshops held by Turkish and European masters and addressed to young artists, acting students, youth and cultural operators.
-International Showcase (performances of Turkish and European artists and presentation of final joint performance). In parallel with the Classes a showcase of Turkish and European artists will be held. This activity will foresee a large involvement of the audience. It will provide an opportunity of knowledge and visibility to companies and artists and confrontation between the artists as well as of encounter of the local public. Furthermore at the end of the School, as a final event of the Showcase, the Master Class participants, under the direction of the project artistic director, availing of the collaboration of the other masters, will present to the audience a performance, as a result of the artistic work carried out in the School.
The Programme will be issued soon.
-International Seminar. An international seminar on research topics will be realised during Summer School. The seminar will foresee the participation of eminent Turkish and European university professors and specialists. In the seminar the research outputs on Turkish theatre-conducted by Form360 and University of Salento-will be illustrated. The seminar will gather practitioners from Turkey and Europe.

STORIE DI STELLE E ACROBATI
Forme del teatro tra Turchia ed Europa


Scopo generale del progetto è di fornire strumenti di lavoro concreti che rispondano alla necessità di incontro, riconoscimento e scambio tra Turchia e Paesi della Unione Europea. Strumento principale delle attività è la Cultura considerata come fattore di dialogo, integrazione e di superamento dei conflitti.

Un piccolo cenno al Karagöz può, in questo caso, essere utile. Questa antica forma di teatro d’ombre è considerata originaria sia della tradizione turca che di quella greca. Elemento, questo, interessante, alla luce della questione del conflitto greco-turco a Cipro, in quanto rivelatore di elementi di relazione piuttosto che di frizione.

Il progetto ruoterà su due azioni principali: la prima azione riguarda la realizzazione di una ricerca sul teatro popolare e contemporaneo turco; la seconda azione concerne la costituzione di una International Theatre Summer School, innovativa e multiculturale, capace di fare emergere differenze e punti di contatto tra le diverse culture presenti e di fornire strumenti utili
La Scuola verrà costituita ad Istanbul e il progetto si concluderà a Parigi con un incontro internazionale finale.

La ricerca
La ricerca sarà condotta dal partner Form360, in collaborazione con l’Università del Salento. Tema della ricerca è il teatro popolare in Turchia in relazione al contesto culturale e sociale contemporaneo. Il titolo della ricerca è Pratiche del Teatro Contemporaneo: il teatro incontra i territori. La ricerca si avvarrà di differenti strumenti quali: ricerca bibliografica (Fondo D’amico), video documentazione, ricerca sul campo, interviste ad operatori culturali, elaborazione e raccolta dei diari di lavoro dei partecipanti. Le attività svolte confluiranno nella sessione della scuola e culmineranno nella realizzazione di un libro e di un video-documento sulle attività del progetto.

La International Theatre Summer School (23 Giugno-16 Luglio 2012)

I corsi previsti nella Scuola saranno sia pratici che teorici, tenuti da maestri internazionali sia turchi che europei di comprovata esperienza e affidabilità. Le Classi saranno divise in Master Class (programma intensivo i cui partecipanti, maestri e allievi, parteciperanno alla preparazione finale della performance) e Open Class (i cui partecipanti parteciperanno a dimostrazioni finali interne di lavoro). Sono previsti anche un International Showcase, vetrina di performances internazionali aperte al pubblico, testimonianza della possibilità reale di incontro fra operatori culturali e territorio locale, e un Seminario Internazionale per operatori, studiosi e artisti aperto alle utenze interessate.