Duration: October 2016 – September 2018

Europe’s first virtual think tank devoted to researching the theatre of the future.

The digital shift changes how we create, share and monetise content, including theatrical works. European theatre needs to increase civic engagement by bringing theatre to new audiences and sectors – through instruments such as participatory theatre and new technologies that break down barriers, encourage dialogue and help Europe’s rich cultural tradition thrive. In light of these challenges, the ETL brings together 6 of Europe’s leading theatres and scientists in the pursuit to use new technology to bring Europe’s stages into our communities and online.

Stage Your City is a project of the partner theatres Centre Dramatique National Nancy-Lorraine, Théâtre de la Manufacture (F), Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe (DE) and Kote Marjanishvili State Drama Theatre (GE), coproduced by the European Theatre Convention (ETC) as part of the European Theatre Lab: Drama goes digital. The European Theatre Lab is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the EU.

“Stage Your City” is merging the trends of digitisation and participatory theatre. It plays with augmented, mixed and virtual reality, 360° video, gaming elements and an app-guided audio walk. The participatory approach encourages the audience to co-create the way out of a dystopian fairy tale: In the future the city will be controlled by an artificial intelligence called Zigmagora. The participants are asked to explore their city interactively, focusing on topics like future health, security, identity – and love.

Opera (e)Studio takes form after the professionals in charge of programming and selection of casts at partner opera houses observe that the new generations of singers that answer calls for auditions are not fully prepared for the demands of current theatres once they complete their formal musical training. Directors and audiences have become increasingly more demanding, and singing beautifully is no longer enough: singers must also look the part, act dramatically, bring us to tears, make us laugh, move elegantly and be fit to withstand the physical demands of the roles on stage.

Opera (e)Studio is a formative project aimed at young opera singers under the age of 32 who have finished their formal training, but have not made their stage debut and need further comprehensive training to align themselves with the demands of the current labour market of the European opera houses to improve their employability. Participants are selected from international auditions held in partner cities throughout Europe, following a mass call for auditions broadcast through specialized networks and printed and online media to maximize dissemination. A one-month intensive residential training course follows in Tenerife covering all disciplines that encompass opera, offered by internationally renowned professionals. The participants then produce a selected opera title with the professional pace of a theatre, which is premièred in Opera de Tenerife’s Season. The entire artistic team then tours with the production, premièring in the partner theatres in within their regular opera season. The project creates a framework for singers, agents, artistic directors and theatres to meet, allowing singers a better understanding of the sector and its internal links, and acting as a showcase of their work, encouraging exposure and the internationalization of their careers. We aim to attract younger audiences through activities designed specifically to bring them to opera.