The Guest House: Artistic Freedom on the Line - Theatre in Politically Charged Contexts

About the event

The House of Guests, a platform for contemporary international topics, will be dedicated to in-depth discussion of how the currently governing politics shapes artistic creativity – from censorship, self-censorship, and employment pressures to funding limitations and interference with artistic programmes. With guests from the region, we will be comparing experiences from Serbia (no:Bitef), Slovakia and Hungary, and open a broader contemplation about the freedom of artistic expression in Europe as embodied by the Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) I Free Republic of Vienna. Drawing on concrete examples and the artists’ experience in this region, we will consider how to preserve artistic integrity and resilience amid cultural and political challenges.

What, then, creates space for politically engaged, thematically relevant and independent creativity, what is, in essence, a dialogue between artists, audience and the general public, and what are the frames of the communal production field in which the art not only presents itself but actively co-creates the public sphere?

In collaboration with Oder Cultural Institute Ljubljana, the Slovenian Centre of the International Theatre Institute (SC ITI) and Prešeren Theatre Kranj

Partners: ACAR ITI (Action Committee for Artists Rights ITI Worldwide), Hungarian Centre ITI, Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) I Free Republic of Vienna

Moderator: Tatjana Ažman, dramaturg, president of the SC ITI and the ACAR ITI coordinator

The event will be held in English.

Photo gallery