Renaissance
European Theatre Convention
A video project
22 Theatres. 18 European Countries. 250 Artists.
Renaissance is a major international project by the European Theatre Convention, the largest network of publicly-funded theatres in Europe. The project sees 22 theatres from 18 European countries each write and produce a five-minute short film that responds to the dramatic prompt of "Renaissance". The Renaissance was an explosion of creativity after the "dark and diseased" Middle Ages – a complex and uneven celebration of beauty, wisdom, science and architecture. It was a time of dramatic
changes, of upheavals, of brutal ruptures with societal patterns. It was also a time that led to a shift in European thought and introduced a new Zeitgeist.
Here, in this project, "Renaissance" also stands for the rebirth of theatre(s) in the virtual space after a year of living with the pandemic. The leading European theatres involved – among them, the Slovene National Theatre Nova Gorica, JK Opole Theatre and the National Theatre in Belgrade – have tested and unveiled new texts and formats, creating work for the digital stage, and developing digital dramaturgies. They have drawn on philosophy, fantasy and new writing techniques to reflect on
the realities of pandemic living and the potential for the "rebirth" of theatre.
Audiences can see a desperate plea for theatre from a court jester in a gas mask; a fantastical adventure through the beautiful stone streets of Malta; a split-screen Shakespeare production; a high-speed sketch based on comments by Instagram users; and a performance featuring Baldrik, the dog. The Renaissance project is a precursor to the Week of New European Drama, a week-long programme of artistic activities from 7–13 June 2021 organised by the European Theatre Convention.
The complete list of participating theatres in the Renaissance project, from countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Sweden, Ukraine and Slovakia, can be found on the European Theatre Convention website: https://www.europeantheatre.eu/page/activities/renaissance.
