Open Call for Partnerships with Performance Venues for the Project and Publication Perceptions (Working Title)

Who can participate?
All performance venues within Berlin’s independent performing arts community who are prepared to host selected communication formats twice between February and May of 2022.

Deadline: October 25, 2021

What shapes our perception as audience members? What position do I watch a piece of theater from? Does our identity, our self-perception, play a role in the reception of art? And if so, what is it? Under which (physical) conditions do I perceive an artistic experience? To what extent does the performance venue also affect my perception?

Communication formats can encourage audience members to direct their attention to their own perception of an artistic work and to question it. To do so, we are inviting members of the independent performing arts community to develop up and test out up to three new formats (an additional open call for this will follow). The formats should specifically make it possible to examine one’s own perspective.

We would like to realize this project in collaboration with performance venues within Berlin’s independent performing arts community. To facilitate this, we are initially looking for performance venue partners who would like to accompany this project and test out the new formats.

A total of up to three newly conceived communication formats will be tested, further developed and adapted twice at three performance venues in Berlin. The selected formats will additionally be presented in a publication, accompanied by experiential reports from the performance venue partners and supplements through text contributions on already existing formats and experiences within Berlin’s independent performing arts community.

What exactly will happen?
We are looking for performance venues that would like to host and accompany the contents of the project. The performance venues will also take part in the selection process for the communication formats at a later time. During the test phase, two performances within the venue’s schedule of programming between February and May 2022 should be selected and offered for the testing out of the formats. Ideally, one of the planned workshop formats (please see the following schedule) can also be hosted in the performance venue. A team member from the performance venue should be present during each test and should take place in the round of feedback that follows. A short written statement that reflects upon the experience from the point of view of the performance venue is desired for the publication. You can find the first publication on the topic of cultural communication and audience research, Between Audience and Stage, via the following link.

How can I participate?
The application deadline for performance venues is October 25, 2021.
We ask you to please include the following texts with your application:

• A description of the profile of the performance venue
• A short statement of motivation for taking part in the project

Applications should be sent via email to nathalie.frank [at] pap-berlin.de.

We strive to reflect the diversity of our society in our projects and thus expressly welcome applications by performance venues that have a focus on inclusion and cultural diversity.

 
Schedule for the Project (subject to changes):

October 2021:
Open call for authors of communication formats

November 2021:
Selection of up to three performance venue partners by an advisory committee of experts

December 2021:
Selection of up to three communication formats by an advisory committee of experts with the involvement of the performance venue partners

January 2022:
Kick-off event: the creators of the selected ideas will be invited to attend a workshop format. Alongside the opportunity to exchange and provide input on communication formats, the goals, procedures and practical conditions of the formats will be clarified during the workshop.

Open call for additional text contributions for the publication accompanying the project

February to May 2022:
Test phase: each newly conceived format will be tested out and worked with twice at the three performance venue partners. There will be a round of feedback following each test.

Selection of up to six additional text contributions by an advisory community of experts with the involvement of the performance venues partners.

June 2022:
Conclusion of the test phase: the creators of the formats will be invited to attend a workshop format. The test phase will be reflected upon and the written contributions will be discussed.

July 2022:
Text contributions by the authors of the formats as well as by the performance venues will be written that reflect upon the experience from different perspectives.

October 2022:
Release of the publication: all of the participants will be invited to the festive public presentation of the publication