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
Essay
On a Theatrical Pilgrimage to See Carolina Bianchi and Cara de Cavalo's Chapter II: The Brotherhood
by Amanda L. Andrei
6 April 2026
Essay
Presence Before Performance at ODIN HOME
by Melvin Ningyao Yen
3 March 2026
Video
A Performance of The Pelicot Trial: Tribute to Gisèle Pelicot
Golden Thread presented ReOrient 2019: National Convening of Middle East and North African Theatre Artists livestreamed from San Francisco, California on the commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Saturday 9 November and Sunday 10 November 2019.
Ben Barson and Gizelxanath Rodriguez, part of the Afro Yaqui Music Collective, talk about artivism—what it means, what it can look like—in relation to building a jazz opera with various communities around the world.
Observations from HowlRound and SpiderWebShow’s Digital + Performance Convening
12 August 2019
May Antaki reflects on the Digital + Performance Convening, produced by HowlRound Theatre Commons and SpiderWebShow Performance, which focused on the intersection of digital technology and live performance.
Alex Ates reflects on the Toddler Takeover at Atlanta, Georgia’s Alliance Theatre and shares what the growing field of theatre for the very young can teach adult theatremakers about their craft.
The Playwright's Center in Minneapolis presented the Afro-Atlantic Playwright Festival Closing Roundtable livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Sunday 14 July 2019 at 11 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 1 p.m. CDT (Minneapolis, UTC-5) / 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4) / 18:00 UTC+0.
Emily Garside discusses Y Brain/Kargalar, in which the playwright, Turkish refugee Meltem Arikan, who settled in Wales, explores her conflicting identities.
The Martin E. Segal Center presented the PEN World Voices: International Play Festival 2019 livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Monday 6 May to Thursday 9 May 2019.
Bri Ng Schwartz looks at the importance of companies doing the hard work when it comes to equity, diversity, and inclusion conversations and initiatives.
A public forum during On the Move's General Assembly in Prague, Czech Republic
Thursday 25 April 2019
Center for Architecture and Urban Planning (CAMP), Prague, Czech Republic
On the Move, Arts and Theatre Institute (CZ), Center for Architecture and Metropolitan Planning (CZ) presented Focal point: Culture of Mobility in the Time of Climate Change—a public forum during On the Move's General Assembly in Prague, Czech Republic livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Thursday 25 April 2019 at 10:00 CEST (Prague, UTC +2) / 09:00 BST (London, UTC +1) / 08:00 UTC +0 / 4 a.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).
A Pilot ArtsLink Assembly in New York City organized and produced by CEC ArtsLink
Friday 16 November 2018
Lenfest Center for the Arts, Columbia University
CEC ArtsLink presented a pilot ArtsLink Assembly on Artists and Global Citizenship livestreaming from New York City on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Friday 16 November 2018 at 2 p.m. EST (New York) / 19:00 UTC +0 (London) / 20:00 UTC +1 (Berlin) / 21:00 UTC +2 (Bucharest) / 22:00 UTC +3 (Moscow). Use #ArtsLinkAssembly in social media.
Costume designer Valerie St. Pierre Smith explores the major issue of cultural appropriation in costume and fashion design, touching on every aspect of the production process, from research to execution.
Egyptian American playwright Adam A. Elsayigh uses the 2018 Cairo Festival for Contemporary & Experimental Theatre as a jumping off point to discuss the state of theatre in the city, censorship, playwriting, and more.
Georgina Young-Ellis looks at the history of the innovative Mexican theatre company Teatro Línea de Sombra, its connection to Portland, Oregon, and two of their projects: Amarillo and Rebuilding Small Territories.
Beatrice Basso discusses what it was like to bring multidisciplinary artists from north and south of the US-Mexico border together to create and learn from each other in the artist-driven exchange Práctica. / Beatrice Basso analiza cómo fue el intercambio artístico Práctica, en el que artistas del norte y del sur de la frontera México-Estados Unidos se reunieron para crear y aprender unos de otros.
A public session of the On the Move General Assembly
Thursday 24 May 2018
Lisbon, Portugal
On the Move, the cultural mobility information network active in Europe and worldwide, and Polo Cultural Gaivotas Boavista presented the conversation Tips and Advice for Artists and Cultural Professionals to Internationalize Their Careers and Artistic Practices livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 24 May 2018 at 10:30 a.m. UTC +1 (Lisbon, London) / 11:30 a.m. UTC +2 (Berlin, Johannesburg) / 12:30 p.m. UTC +3 (Beirut, Moscow) / 5:30 p.m. UTC +8 (Singapore) / 7:30 p.m. UTC +10 (Sydney) / 9:30 a.m. UTC +0 / 5:30 a.m. UTC -4 (New York).
Caitlin Cassidy discusses ten principles and practices she's learned as an artist working at the intersection of arts and cross-cultural exchange, and as one of Georgetown University's Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics Fellows.
For the last few years, professor Catherine Coray has been helping create collaboration opportunities for theatre artists in Arab countries and the Americas. Arab Voices: Stories of Palestine is the most recent iteration, and has taken place in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Beirut.
Matthew Covey, founding director of Tamizdat, discusses why American theatre artists should be more knowledgable about US visas and policies, and describes how Tamizdat is working to support international artists performing in the US.
Revenge of the Image and the Wuzhen Theatre Festival
28 January 2018
Artistic Director Travis Preston on the cross-cultural collaboration of bringing Fantômas: Revenge of the Image from CalArts to the Wuzhen Theatre Festival.
Director and educator Luane Davis Haggerty reflects on how prioritizing movement as a form of communication encouraged diversity and intersectionality in her New York City summer classroom.
Ambassador Cynthia P. Schneider, who attended the AsiaTOPA Performance Festival in Australia, reflects how as the United States devalues diversity and imposes restrictions on immigration, Australia recognizes the value of its relationship with its Asian neighbors, and of its own diverse population.
