Teatroskop — A Tailor-Made Approach to Regional Partners

In an ambitious stride toward fostering cultural connectivity, the cultural managers of Teatroskop unveil the program’s reimagined vision, emphasizing a bespoke approach to enhance access and collaboration with regional partners. This revamped strategy not only aims for deeper integration but also explores the untapped potential for forming alliances with EU-funded projects.

Teatroskop, initiated in 2011 by the Institut français alongside the French Ministry of Culture and the French Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs, has been pivotal in strengthening the bonds between France and thirteen Southeast European countries through the performing arts. This initiative, coordinated by the Institut français in Serbia with substantial input from other Instituts français in the region, is dedicated to invigorating professional networks, fostering project collaborations, and catalyzing artistic cooperation. As Teatroskop embarks on this new chapter, it continues to champion the vibrant and contemporary expressions of the performing arts, nurturing a rich cultural dialogue across borders. The seminar was showcased in the official program as Seminar: Teatroskop — A Tailor-Made Approach to Regional Partners.

Panelists:

Moderated by Cosmin Chivu, Associate Professor at Sands College of Performing Arts, New York, USA.

Cosmin Chivu: I'd like to introduce Caroline Sotta, who is shaping the cultural landscape in Serbia and is the visionary of Teatroskop. Caroline, I'm going to jump right in and ask you the first question. How does Caroline Sotta, in your reimagined vision, align with leveraging European-funded projects? 

Caroline Sotta: First of all, we're very happy to be among you. So let me also introduce my colleagues, Tanya and Chloe. Tanya is the coordinator of Teatroskop, and Chloe is in charge of communication and administration. (...) Teatroskop is a project run by the Institut Français, but it's a bit different, it belongs to a mandate funded by the budget of the Institut Français, the Ministry of Culture, and the Institut Français in Paris. So for those who don't know what it is, it's basically the cultural agency for the French culture abroad, which is funded by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And it has its headquarters in Paris. But the headquarters are linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Institut Français is really an extension of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. So the Institut Français in Serbia is a new cooperation between France and Serbia for all fields. But Teatroskop operates on a regional level. So it's not only for Serbia. It's for 13 countries of Southeast Europe. 

Teatroskop focuses solely on the performing arts. It's a program dedicated to cooperation between France and the Southeast Europe region in the field of contemporary performing arts. It was created in 2011. Its funding comes directly from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, and the Institut Français. So its budget is taken from the Institut Français and serves their budget. It's completely different. So we can run projects on a different basis. But our budget is annual like every Institut Français. Actually budget-wise, we're not only a donor, even if that's also the most visible part of our actions. We're also a matchmaker and a fundraiser for other projects and an intermediary organization. So what do we mean by this? As you can see, it's a very diverse and heterogeneous area because it includes countries from the European Union, ex-USSR countries, and countries at the border between continents like Turkey. So you can see it's not corresponding to any unified geopolitical reality. It's a big advantage and a richness, but it's also a challenge for us. Because as you can imagine, the realities for performing arts in these countries are very diverse from each other.

So what we focus more on in terms of disciplines are contemporary circus, contemporary dance, young audiences, puppetry in its wide extent, not only puppetry for young audiences, but also puppetry for adult audiences, and arts in public spaces. It's funny that the program is called Teatroskop, but actually, we don't deal much with theater. It's mostly because the region is very diverse in terms of language as well, and theater productions sometimes don't need our support because they're touring big institutions in the region. So that's why we now openly support these disciplines as our priority, but in practice, it has always been the case for many years now. So that's just to introduce it a bit more openly than we used to do.

So what we do, as I was starting to tell you, is support and facilitate touring. So if we mean touring French artists in the whole region, we need at least two countries involved to have a touring project. What we want to do more and more is support and facilitate cooperation, which is broadly understood, because it can also be co-production, for example, of a show that we will tell you later about. But it can also be some creation residencies, professional gatherings, workshops in cooperation. So the idea of facilitating cooperation is to create links directly between the organizations in France and in the region.

We also want to develop more capacity building through workshops given by French artists in the region or helping regional artists to go and take workshops or train in France or other countries in the region. It's something that is lacking in the region, globally speaking, to have professional schools and opportunities to meet professional artists and share practices. We also support and co-organize networking and showcasing sessions in France and in the region, and more and more, we take part in these professional events. That's why we're really happy to be part of this event remotely. 

Tanja Gavrilović: Also to elaborate on what you were mentioning, although often the most visible part of what we do is providing funds for various projects, there's also a lot of different kinds of things going on. Just like you were mentioning, it's about partnership building, counseling, advocacy, and hand-holding for our partners, and very much about informing and sharing information. Those are the things we work on year-round. It's not like, okay, we have a call for projects in January or it's closed in March and then for the rest of the year, we are not doing anything. It's quite the contrary.

To give one example, I think it's relevant to elaborate on what you were saying about the Q&A session, one project relevant to this audience that was created and involved local Serbian artists and those from Montenegro, funded through French solidarity funds in cooperation with Serbian artists to develop terms of service. It's a year-round project which allows them for the first time to have year-round funding. You can also elaborate on why this is important, as everyone working in this region knows how important and rare it is for independent structures to have year-round funding. 

I already mentioned we have a call for projects, which is often the most visible part of what we do. It was introduced in 2020 as a step to make Teatroskop more transparent for regional partners, to help them understand how to use Teatroskop for their own goals. For many reasons, not all regional players are used to having open calls. Initially, we were very open-handed. When the open call didn't work, we adjusted. Since 2020, we've supported more than 70 projects over four years, focusing on distribution, cooperation, educational training, and networking. In the last two or three years, we focused on female authorship and performances representing the diversity of contemporary French society. We prioritize projects combining different types of actions, such as a touring show where the artists also conduct workshops for local artists. This is very dear to us. We also support and create co-creative projects outside the open call.

For example, we had programmers from the region cover contemporary French themes, like dance and circus. The most recent example was the emerging choreographers' focus in May. This year, we supported showcasing and professional gatherings in the region, like 'One Dance Week' in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, where we did a French focus and supported workshops for local dancers. The next one will be in Ljubljana, centered around puppetry during the International Biennale in Ljubljana.

We're trying to create spaces for regional and French professionals to meet. It's often about meeting the right people. We hope the event allows these connections. We're also using various French tools, such as small format performances by the Institut Français in Paris. We're providing grants and acting as fundraisers for these tools, and we're offering scholarships for regional dancers to train in Paris. We're submitting more projects to French funds, such as the French Solidarity Fund. We're working on European cooperation in various ways, supporting initiatives for regional platforms dedicated to contemporary circus, even if they don't always succeed in getting European funding. For instance, the 'Moving Balkans' regional platform started in January 2020, and involves countries and partners like the National Dance Centre in Romania.

This is part of our contribution to the regional platform, which includes bringing French professionals to discover regional productions. The first showcase will be next year in Croatia and Slovenia, and the second in 2026 in Serbia. We work closely with partners to identify the right people and structures, facilitating bilateral relationships and cooperation. We've never been an official partner in European projects if they're fully funded by French funds, but European cooperation is becoming a crucial aspect of our work.

Cosmin Chivu: This is extremely informative and also entertaining. It strikes a fine balance and is highly accomplished. Thank you so much. Could you provide examples of current EU-funded alliances or projects currently benefiting from your expertise and support?

Tanja Gavrilović: One project is the 'Moving Balkans' platform, a regional platform for dance. It was created by several regional players and took six years to develop, applying multiple times with changing partners. This collaborative project is divided among partners responsible for production, touring, and educational programs. The National Dance Centre in Romania, for example, handles educational programs. The platform also organizes showcases of regional performances, with the first in May next year in Croatia and Slovenia, and the second in 2026 in Serbia. We're helping to establish long-term relationships between contemporary dance players in the region and France.

Cosmin Chivu: Could you share the criteria that, in general or from the very beginning, help you identify the potential of such projects?

Tanja Gavrilović: When looking for such partnerships, we focus on initiatives that already exist or that partners want to develop further, supporting their work and goals. We tailor our approach to meet the needs of organizations, considering the diverse realities in the region. This tailor-made approach is about being as close as possible to the needs of the organizations.

We don't seek new regional partners randomly but support initiatives that are meaningful and necessary. It's about discussion and understanding where we can be useful and impactful. We have no strict criteria for being part of our program. It's more about discussing with us and understanding where we could be useful and meaningful. 

Caroline Sotta: You used the term tailor-made approach, which resonates with what Stéphane Segreto-Aguilar mentioned about impact. Where can we bring the most impact? It's about having the same understanding of where it makes sense to act, rather than rigid criteria. 

Stéphane Segreto-Aguilar: I just want to make clear to the audience, both here and online, that although we are partly financed by the same organization and partly have common goals, we are in regular touch to increase the level of impact of our actions. When I started this job in 2016, there was a big conference in Paris called Fresh Circus. An initiative of circus artists based in Serbia and Croatia met there and started a project, an itinerant festival that is one of the most exciting contemporary circus stories in the Balkans today. Thanks to you in our context, we try to combine our resources and knowledge because we know the actors and needs. We try to make it happen because we share the same values.

Cosmin Chivu: As I was saying earlier, according to Caroline and our early communication, the term tailor-made approach really defines your leadership. Our first day of this year's market is all about leadership. If you could share with our participants what lessons you have learned applying your new vision, particularly what not to do, that would be very valuable. 

Caroline Sotta: To answer the 'what not to do' question, maybe I will quote Tanya: "We cannot be everything for everyone all the time." Thank you, Tanya, for this concise answer. Since Teatroskop is still relatively young, created 13 years ago, the ministries trust us in the experimentation we want to do with this program. It's framed but not strictly, allowing flexibility. The annual call for projects was tried, adjusted yearly, and now we want to be more tailor-made to be more relevant.

What we try to do very strongly is focus on partners who have development potential and with whom we understand each other in how we work and what we want to develop. Also, we try to be more visible and understandable in the region because the French ecosystem can be difficult to grasp if you're not familiar with it. We work with local French institutes, connecting regional partners with French partners. Sometimes it's easier for organizations to dialogue directly, which is fine and often more long-term.

Stéphane Segreto-Aguilar: In multilateral activities, one size fits all doesn't work. You need to be complex, adaptive, and flexible while staying true to your values and mission. International leverage should empower local communities to advance through their own means in the long term. We shouldn't be there forever; our role is to contribute and empower, funded by France, Europe, or any other country.

Cosmin Chivu: Please know that artists from around the world, especially those benefiting from your support, are very happy and feel lucky. My next question is personal. When you wake up after a tough week with many obstacles, what keeps you going? Who is your final destination? Who do you think of when you're motivated to continue despite the challenges? 

Tanja Gavrilović: We should acknowledge how privileged we are in our contexts. Even if we face difficulties, it's nothing compared to the struggles many artists experience. Being aware of our privilege and using it responsibly to benefit others is crucial. Handling tax-payer money means making it meaningful for everyone involved. Sometimes a simple thank you can be very motivating. 

Stéphane Segreto-Aguilar: We should normalize feeling bad about our work sometimes. It's okay to have off days. I find energy from the community I'm working for, be it my team, members, or the sector at large. Also, looking at my track record reminds me that things work and have an impact. Knowing I'm not alone in this work, that we have a team and community, provides comfort. 

Caroline Sotta: I agree with Tanya and Stéphane. The diversity of contexts is inspiring because partners struggle but don't give up. I don't want to disappoint them because our support can be crucial. Despite harsh political contexts, focusing on progress, even if slow, keeps me motivated. Listening to partners to ensure we meet their needs is core to my motivation.