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Cross-cultural Exchange and Cultural Mobility

Content in this section focuses on theatremakers having conversations and creating work across geographical and cultural borders. There are many examples of powerful work here, but for those interested in learning more, consider starting with “Ten Transformative Ideas for Community-Building and Cross-Cultural Exchange.”

The Latest

Open Lab: Kyiv x NYC
Video
Open Lab: Kyiv x NYC
An open collaborative session between teams of artists in Kyiv, Ukraine, and New York City livestreamed for an international audience. 
Monday 5 February 2024
New York City and Kyiv, Ukraine
On Translating Nobel Laureate Jon Fosse’s Works for American Audiences
Essay
On Translating Nobel Laureate Jon Fosse’s Works for American Audiences
by Sarah Cameron Sunde, Amelia Parenteau
11 December 2023
Strengthening International Exchange in Turbulent Times
Video
Strengthening International Exchange in Turbulent Times
A Meeting of the International Presenting Commons (IPC) at the Edinburgh International Festival
Wednesday 9 August 2023
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Open Lab Kyiv x NYC Event Poster.
Open Lab: Kyiv x NYC
Video

Open Lab: Kyiv x NYC

An open collaborative session between teams of artists in Kyiv, Ukraine, and New York City livestreamed for an international audience. 

Monday 5 February 2024
New York City and Kyiv, Ukraine

Watch a live collaborative rehearsal between two teams of artists; one in NYC and the other in Kyiv, Ukraine. In this open lab session they experiment in real time with digital tools to expand what we imagine is possible on stage and online.

A group of actors perform in a dimly lit space.
On Translating Nobel Laureate Jon Fosse’s Works for American Audiences
Essay

On Translating Nobel Laureate Jon Fosse’s Works for American Audiences

11 December 2023

Amelia Parenteau sits down with Sarah Cameron Sunde, who has translated and directed six of Jon Fosse’s plays, to mark the occasion of Fosse being awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature. Their conversation pays tribute to Sarah and Jon’s longstanding creative relationship, examines the plays’ Norwegian context as it is translated internationally, and uplifts the need for American audiences to see more dramatic work in translation.

ArtsLink Assembly teaser image.
2023 ArtsLink Assembly: The Future is Not What It Used to Be
Video

2023 ArtsLink Assembly: The Future is Not What It Used to Be

A two-day assembly featuring perspectives from artists rooted in their communities, and figures in cultural policy and practice, philanthropy, and social justice.

Thursday 16 November to Friday 17 November 2023
Chicago, Illinois and Kyiv, Ukraine

The 2023 ArtsLink Assembly is a meeting of potent ideas and individual actions, of insights and practices, of artists and institutions, of engaging speakers and active listeners – seeks to spark new ways to dismantle, remember, repair, and reinvent the historic frameworks, ideas, and power structures.

A group of people hold a white sheet between them on a lawn.
Performance, Pro-Democracy Protest, and Activism Across Cultures
Essay

Performance, Pro-Democracy Protest, and Activism Across Cultures

13 November 2023

Kristin Idaszak reflects on experiencing Theatre Du Polet’s Be Water, My Friend at the Prague Quadrennial. This protest art about Hong Kong’s fight for democracy in 2019, performed in the Czech Republic, crosses cultures, political regimes, and time periods.

Three students stand with two chairs in the middle of a circle of audience members outside.
Setting the Stage for Empowerment with Theatre of the Oppressed
Essay

Setting the Stage for Empowerment with Theatre of the Oppressed

9 November 2023

Applied theatre scholars and practitioners Jennifer Schaupp and Dr. Felicia Owusu-Ansah discuss the empowering potential of Theatre of the Oppressed, and how Felicia has been able to utilize it in Ghana and other places around the world.

shadow puppets representing a horse and a rabbit.
Global Puppetry in the United States
Video

Global Puppetry in the United States

A Presentation of Excerpts from Chinese Theatre Works (New York) and US Karagöz Theatre Company (Washington)

Monday 30 October 2023
New York City

An evening celebrating the work of New York based international puppet theatre company Chinese Theatre Works and Washington's US Karagöz Theatre Company. Ayhan Hulagu (KTC), Kuang-Yu Fong, Stephen Kaplin (CTW) presented excerpts from their repertoires and demonstrated the puppets. The panel was joined by Prof. Marvin Carlson, editor of one of the latest Segal Center Publications: Turkish Traditional Theatre: Karagöz Puppet Plays.

event poster for Mental Health, Well-being and International Cultural Mobility forum.
Mental Health, Well-Being, and International Cultural Mobility
Video

Mental Health, Well-Being, and International Cultural Mobility

On The Move Mobility Webinar

Tuesday 26 September 2023
European Union

For this fourth Cultural Mobility Webinar, On the Move explored the positive and negative impacts of international cultural mobility on the mental health and well-being of artists and culture professionals. Many studies and cultural initiatives at local, national, or European levels have investigated the various contributions of arts and culture to the well-being and good health, including mental health, of the population.

Two photos merged, depicting a woman and man side by side.
On Black and Indigenous Shared Kinship Futures
Essay

On Black and Indigenous Shared Kinship Futures

13 September 2023

As part of the Black and Indigenous Futures series, Amber Starks and Kyle Mays discuss the siloing of Afro-Indigenous identity, the opportunities and challenges of developing Black and Indigenous solidarity, and the potential to build a future more deeply rooted in kinship.

On the left, a performer stands on top of a curved platform and speaks. On the right, a performer sits on a round platform with hands clasped together.
A Cypher Among Theatremakers from the Laotian Diaspora
Essay

A Cypher Among Theatremakers from the Laotian Diaspora

7 September 2023

Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay convenes a roundtable discussion among actors, directors, producers, and playwrights from the Laotian diaspora who work in theatre in the United States. As former refugees and/or the refugees, these theatremakers navigate their places as arrivers in the settler-colonial structure of the United States.

A woman looks skeptically toward the camera.
Negotiating the Migrant Self in Maia Novi’s Invasive Species
Essay

Negotiating the Migrant Self in Maia Novi’s Invasive Species

15 August 2023

Maia Novi’s testimonial play Invasive Species tells the story of one Argentinean immigrant’s experience constructing her sense of self in the United States in the face of the limitations on her identity that she encounters in her new home. Sebastián Eddowes-Vargas, a Peruvian living in the United States, reviews the production with an eye toward the way that Invasive Species embraces complexity, humanity, power imbalances, and even humor.

Strengthening International Exchange in Turbulent Times.
Strengthening International Exchange in Turbulent Times
Video

Strengthening International Exchange in Turbulent Times

A Meeting of the International Presenting Commons (IPC) at the Edinburgh International Festival

Wednesday 9 August 2023
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

On 9 August 2023, the International Presenting Commons (IPC) and the Edinburgh International Festival gathered an invited, international group of presenters, producers, artists, and agents for a candid exploration of the opportunities and barriers artists and programmers face as they move work across borders.

A group of people surrounds a table serving food in a festive setting.
On Producing an International Tour During a Global Pandemic
Essay

On Producing an International Tour During a Global Pandemic

24 July 2023

Amelia Parenteau chronicles the process of translating Eva Doumbia’s Autophagies from French to English and producing its tour in the United States, a project that unfolded across four years.

event poster for IETM Aarhus Plenary Meeting 2023.
IETM Aarhus Plenary Meeting 2023
Video

IETM Aarhus Plenary Meeting 2023

Living on the Edge

Monday 12 June and Wednesday 14 June 2023
Aarhus, Denmark

The IETM Aarhus Plenary Meeting 2023 invited its participants to discuss and digest the ethical and practical role of the performing arts—and of the artist—in the face of climate emergency. It presented a program that aims to provoke new thoughts and inspire action, awareness, and positive impact.

From the Ground Up Podcast Teaser image featuring guest profile image.
Ontroerend Goed’s Participatory Metaphors
Podcast

Ontroerend Goed’s Participatory Metaphors

24 May 2023

Artistic director of Belgian theatre company Ontroerend Goed, Alexander Devriendt talks through their process for imagining and developing participatory content. Alexander and Jeffrey Mosser also dig into financing art in Europe, the cost of touring internationally and how COVID has affected it, and sustaining family and art simultaneously.

Cultural Mobility Forum event poster.
Cultural Mobility Forum 2023 in Tunis, Tunisia
Video

Cultural Mobility Forum 2023 in Tunis, Tunisia

Artistic Mobility and Environmental Sustainability

Tuesday 9 May to Wednesday 10 May 2023
Tunis, Tunisia

The Cultural Mobility Forum 2023 is an attempt to recontextualize the conversation on cross-border artistic mobility and environmental sustainability, unfolding the interdependencies between privileged (Western) Europe and other territories, investigating local practical sustainable solutions, and listening to a variety of voices from the Global South. This event will provide live captioning in English.

portrait of Sasha Denisova sitting in theater seats.
Segal Talk with Sasha Denisova (Ukraine), Igor Golyak (US/Ukraine), Sara Stackhouse (US), and Irina Kruzhilina (US)
Video

Segal Talk with Sasha Denisova (Ukraine), Igor Golyak (US/Ukraine), Sara Stackhouse (US), and Irina Kruzhilina (US)

Discussing Their Production of Sasha Denisova’s The Gaaga (The Hague)

Monday 8 May 2023
New York City

Join us for a talk with award-winning Ukrainian playwright and director Sasha Denisova (Ukraine) and artistic director Igor Golyak (US/Ukraine) of Arlekin Players Theatre to discuss their production of Sasha’s The Gaaga (The Hague). Sasha has been living in Poland, where she has collected stories from refugees who have fled their homes due to the war, and traveled to interview many officials and everyday people in her quest to create a futuristic trail of Putin in the form of this new play.

Two people standing on a barely lit stage with large photos of faces behind them.
Claim Your Culture, Find Your Power
Essay

Claim Your Culture, Find Your Power

5 May 2023

Jacqueline Flores and Abel López, co-curators of the Latinx Leaders at the Forefront series, discuss their careers, their sense of cultural identity as Latinx theatremakers, and importance of intergenerational dialogue.

Segal theatre center logo.
New Plays from the Caribbean
Video

New Plays from the Caribbean

With Stéphanie Bérard (France), Daniely Francisque (Martinique), Elvia Gutiérrez (Mexico, China), Gaël Octavia, and Others

Tuesday 2 May 2023
New York City

Join us for a conversation celebrating the unique anthology and latest Segal Center Publication, New Plays from the Caribbean, a most significant and lasting part of the 2019 Caribbean Theater Project ACT (Actions Caribéennes Théâtrales)—initiated and co-organized by the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York City, the theatre company SIYAJ from Guadeloupe, and Stéphanie Bérard.

On the left, a headshot of Nidia Medina; on the right, a headshot of Jose Luis Valenzuela.
Reflecting the United States Latinx Experience on Stage
Essay

Reflecting the United States Latinx Experience on Stage

2 May 2023

Nidia Medina, associate artistic director of INTAR Theatre, interviews José Luis Valenzuela, artistic director of the Latino Theater Company, about his path into artistic direction, his mentors, and the legacy he has cultivated.

Event poster for International Screenings from the Artistic Freedom Conference ("Fri Kunst").
Documentaries Highlighting Artistic Encounters Across the World
Video

Documentaries Highlighting Artistic Encounters Across the World

A Safe Havens Freedom Talk

Wednesday 26 April 2023
Oslo, Norway

Encounters between artists from different corners of the world are captured in a series of mini documentaries. Safe Havens Freedom Talks (SH|FT) presents Safe edition #2, launched during the Artistic Freedom Conference ("Fri Kunst").

Two people speaking on stage with one person standing behind them.
Surviving in the States: Audience Rejection on the Road with Oklahoma!
Essay

Surviving in the States: Audience Rejection on the Road with Oklahoma!

3 April 2023

The 2022 national tour of Oklahoma! brought Daniel Fish’s critically acclaimed revival to commercial theatre audiences nationwide. Those audiences met the production with overwhelming disapproval and animosity rooted in its departures from decades-old conventions. Actor Christopher Bannow, who played Jud in the touring production, details his experience of enduring audience rejection while remaining committed to engaging audiences in challenging conversations through risky theatrical choices.

János Szász and Philip Arnoult.
Coigney-Arnoult Global Theatre Awards
Video

Coigney-Arnoult Global Theatre Awards

Honoring Lifetime Achievements in Global Collaboration: James C. Nicola, Robert J. Orchard, and Molly Smith

Wednesday 29 March 2023
Washington, D.C.

Join the Center for International Theatre Development (CITD) and the Trust for Mutual Understanding at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. for a celebration of global theatre prior to the evening’s preview performance of Angels in America, Part One: Millenium Approaches, directed by János Szász. CITD founder and director Philip Arnoult will present the inaugural Coigney-Arnoult Global Theatre Awards to James C. Nicola, Robert J. Orchard, and Molly Smith in honor of their lifetime achievements in global collaboration. This virtual celebration will unite friends and supporters, along with Will Wadsworth, nephew of the late Martha Coigney.

book cover of A Permanent Parliament: Notes on Social Choreography.
Book Talk with Michael Kliën and Cory Tamler
Video

Book Talk with Michael Kliën and Cory Tamler

A Permanent Parliament: Notes on Social Choreography

Monday 20 March 2023
New York City

Artist and writer Cory Tamler holds the container, editing together her memories of her own experiences as a participant in parliament, excerpts from conversations with Kliën and from his personal archive, theoretical propositions for the way parliament could go to work in the world, and reflections from other participants in parliament over the years.

A still from Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World.
How Javaad Alipoor’s Fourth World Trilogy Disrupts What We Think We Understand About History, Politics, and the Internet
Essay

How Javaad Alipoor’s Fourth World Trilogy Disrupts What We Think We Understand About History, Politics, and the Internet

14 March 2023

Joseph Dunne-Howrie examines the way that three of Javaad Alipoor’s plays infuse the internet into theatrical performance, creating intersecting narratives that interrogate identity formation in the age of global interconnectivity.

event poster for Mobility Webinar: “Parenting, Care and Cultural Mobility” with speaker headshots.
Parenting, Care, and Cultural Mobility
Video

Parenting, Care, and Cultural Mobility

Webinar Exploring the Tensions Between Cultural Mobility and Parental Responsibility in the EU and Internationally

Tuesday 7 March 2023
European Union

For this third Mobility Webinar, On the Move will explore the tensions between cultural mobility and parental responsibility in the EU and internationally. Discussing how our ecosystem considers and manages parenthood, particularly for women, at the different stages of the creative value chain.