FESTIVALS IN DIALOGUE (PART TWO): SHAPING SOCIETIES THROUGH ART SHARING

Our global economic climate, particularly post-COVID, comes with unprecedented risk factors in the Performing Arts Industry, which sees increased costs, changes in funding, and negative commercial trends. Panelists will discuss ways to involve all aspects of a community when creating a festival and the urgent need for ambitious entrepreneurial art leaders to spot these market gaps and create sustainable festival producing models. These include increasing awareness, appreciation, and participation in common practices, grassroot collaboration, promoting diversity of aesthetics, fair accessibility, implementation of the Green New Theatre concept, and global citizenship.

Panelists:

 · Bartosz Szydłowski, CEO of the Divine Comedy International Theatre Festival, Poland.

· Divya Bhatia, Artistic Director of the Jodhpur RIFF, India.

· Giacomo Pedini, Artistic Director of Mittelfest, Italy.

· Karen Brooks Hopkins, Board of Directors at the Onassis Foundation, USA.

Moderated by Cosmin Chivu, Chair of The Actors Studio Drama School MFA Program, USA, and Oana Marin, Coordinator of the Sibiu Performing Arts Market, Romania.