European Theatre Convention e.V.

EU Legislative Interests

ETC’s work is based on multiple principles in line with Creative Europe’s and the European Commission’s New European Agenda for Culture's, Gender Equality strategy 2020-2025's and the European Green Deal’s key priorities. In addition, ETC works closely to fufill the demands for the European Theatre sector set out in the Opole Recommendations, the policy document that collected the needs of over 200 theatre professionals, following the second edition of the European Theatre Forum in 2023. Thanks to generous EU and national funding, ETC has deepened its knowledge of the sector between 2017-2024 through programmes like ENGAGE and TRANSFORMATIONS as partner of the newly created European Theatre Initiative of the European Commission; organisers of the first two second editions of the European Theatre Forum, as well as through publications and studies on issues including Sustainability, Digitality and Gender Equality in Theatre. In addition, ETC works with working groups (Drama Committee, Green Theatre Committee) and provides policy recommendations on theatre. ETC's main fields of action for the period 2024-2028 centre around five core programmes: - ETC's Digital Theatre Programme: Experimentation with new technologies in theatre productions and processes, supported by a pioneering partnership with the Academy for Theatre and Digitality in Dortmund/Germany. - ETC's Next Theatre Generation Programme: Offering young artists a bridge between finishing their studies and establishing a career by connecting 3 long-standing ETC activities to accelerate the entry of young talents and theatre professionals into the European Theatre market. - ETC's Diversity in Theatre Programme: Promoting marginalised voices and the stories that make communities richer by expanding the European Theatre canon and offering new opportunities for emerging writers and audiences, including ETC’s award-winning artistic project for young audiences, Young Europe. - ETC's Sustainable Theatre Programme: This aims to drive the ETC Membership towards net zero emissions by 2030 across their productions, buildings and operations, through the large-scale rollout of the ETC Theatre Green Book as a step-by-step guide to climate neutrality, and the accompanying ETC TGB Self-Certification process. - ETC's European Theatre Programme: Ensuring a strong identity – and secured place at the policy table – for European Theatre, with work on the development of a European Theatre Prize and the next edition of the European Theatre Forum

Communication Activities

The ETC is an artistically driven theatre network. We believe that freedom of expression and freedom of the arts are unconditional values and human rights of our democratic societies. Within the ETC and our member theatres, we support artists and creators of all cultures and religions, aiming at nourishing with our work, projects and joint actions a divers Europe of different traditions, opinions and an intercultural dialogue based on humanity. ETC’s has been involved in several projects high-profile projects, supported with funding from the European Union, that relate to the EU policies. These include 'RESISTANCE NOW: FREE CULTURE', a campaign in winter 2024 directed to the President of the European Parliament, urging the European Parliament to intervene and protect Artistic Freedom across the continent. The campaign reached 88 press stories in 25 countries, with a total of 100 million readers, based on the social media reach of the publishing organisations. “TRANSFORMATIONS - Recharging European Theatres and Audiences in a Post-Covid World” was an international 3-year programme (2021-2024) for European theatres. In order to renew, strengthen, diversify and ensure the bright future of theatre’s tradition in Europe, ETC developed a ground-breaking project intended to champion, foster and develop theatre suitable for our fast-changing world and shifting audience needs. The programme curated new forms theatre practices around three key themes of sustainability, diversity and digitality. Moreover, it aimed at empowering Europe’s theatre professionals through professional development programmes and by representing ETC’s member theatres’ needs at an European level. In dialogue with the European Commission, ETC was represented in stakeholder groups such as 'Audience development via digital means' and 'Participatory governance of cultural heritage’ and was a consortium member of the platform ‘Promotion of Multilingualism’, and participated in multiple "Voices of Culture" structured dialogue (Cultural Heritage, Gender Equality in the CCS, Culture & the Sustainable Development Goals). ETC coordinated and organised the first European Theatre Forum in November 2020 in the frame of the German EU Council Presidency, in partnership with 12 other European networks, with the financial support from the European Commission and the German Minister of State for Culture and the Media. It also coordinated the second edition of the European Theatre Forum in 2023. European Theatre: BREAK THE MOULD is the name of ETC’s programme of activities for 2024–28. European Theatre faces a fight for its survival. As resources dwindle and challenges increase, ETC has created the project “European Theatre: BREAK THE MOULD”. It offers a bold and deeply ambitious agenda – building on ETC’s unrivalled knowledge and leading cultural partnerships – to break the pattern of behaviour in European theatres, implementing essential change at speed across diversity, digitality and sustainability. The project ensures the relevance of European Theatre as part of Europe’s rich cultural landscape, building capacities for professionals to face the challenges of today and tomorrow. It consists of five key programmes It aims to: » Increasing International collaboration » Accessing the untapped potential in the network » Providing insights and direction for policy makers » Proposing solutions and contributing to shared goals

Interests Represented

Does not represent commercial interests

Member Of

- associate member of Pearle* - member of Culture Action Europe

Organisation Members

ETC is a membership organisation consisting of full members, associate members and honorary members (nominated natural persons). Full members are producing theatres or producing theatre festivals with a public mission to support creation and access to culture. Associated members are independent theatre structures or cultural organisation and cultural institutions. Founded in 1988 by initially three theatres from Belgium, France and Germany, ETC has steadily grown over the last 30 years and has become the largest network of its kind. It counts today 55 member theatres and 2 honorary members, representing 30 countries in the European Union and beyond. See current members list: https://www.europeantheatre.eu/page/theatres/etc-members