fbpx Cross-cultural Exchange and Cultural Mobility | HowlRound Theatre Commons
Howlround Theater Commons Home Page

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

Blessings and Provocations from the 2024 Under the Radar Symposium
Essay
Blessings and Provocations from the 2024 Under the Radar Symposium
by Ashley Malafronte
8 April 2024
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
event poster for Mobility Webinar: “Parenting, Care and Cultural Mobility” with speaker headshots.
Parenting, Care, and Cultural Mobility
On the move logo.
On the Move
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.

One performer stands next to four seated performers who hold sunflowers in their laps.
How Kyiv-Based Documentary Theatre Amplifies Ukrainian Resilience
Essay

How Kyiv-Based Documentary Theatre Amplifies Ukrainian Resilience

28 February 2023

Lisa Rafferty sits down with Ukrainian documentary storyteller Alem Kent to discuss Kent’s Our Response Ability and upcoming work with ProEnglish Theatre. Through documentary and verbatim theatre practices, these productions detail experiences of Ukrainians living under siege and working as war persists around them.

Four people stand side by side for a photo.
The International Presenting Commons Convenes at Last
Essay

The International Presenting Commons Convenes at Last

6 February 2023

The International Presenting Now convening brought a collective of US-based presenters of international work together in physical space in January 2023, following almost three years of virtual conversations and events. Janice Paran details the conversations that arose around the convening’s key question: how might international presenters want to work differently?

International Presenting Now: Collaborative Models, Practices, and Pathways Toward a Sustainable Future
International Presenting Now: Collaborative Models, Practices, and Pathways Toward a Sustainable Future
Image of a globe and the words International Presenting Commons
The International Presenting Commons (IPC)
howlround logo
HowlRound Theatre Commons
Video

International Presenting Now: Collaborative Models, Practices, and Pathways Toward a Sustainable Future

Monday 9 January 2023
New York City, New York

This roundtable conversation explores pathways for sustaining and furthering global exchange and international touring in the United States. This event livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Monday 9 January 2023 from St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, New York. The archival video has American Sign Language interpretation and closed captions.

Five performers, with one of them holding a baby, stand in a line on stage and hold a Ukrainian flag together.
How Slovo. Theater Group Fights for Ukraine on the Cultural Front
Essay

How Slovo. Theater Group Fights for Ukraine on the Cultural Front

6 December 2022

Slovo. Theater Group uses theatre as a tool to fight against cultural oppression by promoting Ukrainian culture abroad. Audrey Rose, the group’s producer, discusses the process of making theatre during active war as a way of resisting oppression and violence.

Critical Stages in Malawian Contemporary Theatre teaser image with the title at the top and a picture of the guest in the middle.
Theatre as a Tool for Menstrual Hygiene Education
Podcast

Theatre as a Tool for Menstrual Hygiene Education

30 November 2022

Lydia Deborah Banda infuses theatre into community initiatives that work toward gender equality, educate girls about menstruation, and provide leadership and support opportunities in schools and prisons. In this interview, she shares her experiences conducting these initiatives in Malawi and touring internationally to Germany.

event poster for the freedom talk at archives and resistance.
Freedom Talk at Archives and Resistance
Safe Haves Freedom Talks logo.
Safe Havens Freedom Talks (SH|FT)
Video

Freedom Talk at Archives and Resistance

How Archives and Archival Interventions Can Challenge Power

Friday 18 November 2022
Belarus

Safe Havens Freedom Talks (SH|FT) presented a Freedom Talk at Archives and Resistance livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Friday 18 November 2022 at 8:30 a.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 13:30 GMT (London, UTC +0) / 2:30 p.m. CET (Stockholm, UTC +1).

Eight actors in a space with hardwood floors dancing together.
Worldmaking 101: Imagination and Reparation at Double Edge Theatre and Ohketeau Cultural Center
Essay

Worldmaking 101: Imagination and Reparation at Double Edge Theatre and Ohketeau Cultural Center

14 November 2022

Writer and educator Jonathan P. Eburne details how he first came to know of Double Edge Theatre and the Ohketeau Cultural Center and discusses their unique approach to worldmaking, land sharing, and theatremaking.

Critical Stages in Malawian Contemporary Theatre teaser image with the title at the top and a picture of the guest in the middle.
Dance for Change
Podcast

Dance for Change

A Conversation with Robert Magasa

26 October 2022

Robert Magasa is an experienced dancer, choreographer, and actor who trained in Zimbabwe and now runs UjeNi Dance Ensemble Theatre in Malawi. In this interview, Magasa discusses his career, the economics of producing theatre in Malawi, and his current work to bring a combination of traditional and Afro contemporary dance to schoolchildren in Malawi.

event poster for united kingdom and european union mobility forum.
Mobility Webinar
On the move logo.
On the Move
orange gradient circle logo.
Wales Arts International
Video

Mobility Webinar

UK-EU Mobility Flows in the Visual Arts

Tuesday 25 October 2022
UK and EU

On the Move and Wales Arts International presented a Mobility Webinar: UK-EU Mobility Flows in the Visual Arts, livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Tuesday 25 October 2022 at 9 a.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 13:00 UTC / 15:00 CEST (Brussels, UTC +2).

event poster for Open Channels & The Caribbean Roots of Theater for Social Change.
Open Channels and the Caribbean Roots of Theatre for Social Change
The Stone Center for Latin American Studies
Estudio Macubá logo.
Estudio Macubá
Video

Open Channels and the Caribbean Roots of Theatre for Social Change

Exploring the Dialectical Possibilities for "Re-Ritualizing" Theatre and “Re-Theatricalizing” Everyday Life in the Twenty-First Century

Saturday 15 October 2022
New Orleans, Louisiana

Imagining America and Open Channels presented Open Channels and the Caribbean Roots of Theatre for Social Change livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 15 October 2022 at 11:30 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 1:30 p.m. CDT (New Orleans, CDMX, UTC -5) / 2:30 p.m. EDT (New York, Havana, UTC -4).

event poster for The Novelist as Knowledge Keeper Safe Havens Freedom Talk.
Freedom Talk: The Importance of Storytelling
Safe Haves Freedom Talks logo.
Safe Havens Freedom Talks (SH|FT)
Video

Freedom Talk: The Importance of Storytelling

The Novelist as Knowledge Keeper

Friday 14 October 2022
South Africa

Safe Havens Freedom Talks (SH|FT) presented an Freedom Talk: The Novelist as Knowledge Keeper livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 14 October 2022 at 8:30 a.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 12:30 UTC / 2:30 p.m. SAST (Capetown, UTC +2).

A woman dancing on stage.
Shakespeare in Gdansk: A Vessel for Past, Present, and Future
Essay

Shakespeare in Gdansk: A Vessel for Past, Present, and Future

29 September 2022

Monica Payne recaps the 26th international Gdansk Shakespeare Festival, where artists from around the globe adapted, deconstructed, and celebrated Shakespeare’s plays through boldly contemporary productions.

Several actors sitting at two different tables on stage.
No Borders’ Feast: A Reckoning at the Royal Court/On the Square
Essay

No Borders’ Feast: A Reckoning at the Royal Court/On the Square

26 September 2022

verity healey speaks with Polish theatremaker Nastazja Domaradzka about No Borders, an arts program she created in collaboration with the Royal Court Theatre in London that prioritizes migrant artists’ experiences and voices.

Five people sitting around a table on stage.
Polish Connections: A New Generation of Theatre Linkages Between the United States and Poland
Essay

Polish Connections: A New Generation of Theatre Linkages Between the United States and Poland

19 September 2022

For the past two years, LINKAGES: Poland has convened theatre leaders from Poland and the United States to discuss fieldwide issues. When three theatremakers who have been deeply involved in the project traveled from the United States to Poland this summer, they were struck by the changing landscape of Polish theatre and its parallels to the US theatre industry.

event poster for out of the frame convening with shoshin theatre.
Out of the Frame
logo for shoshin theatre.
Shoshin Theatre
Video

Out of the Frame

International Theatre Forum Hosted by Shoshin Theatre Association in Cluj, Romania

Saturday 17 September 2022
Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Shoshin Theatre Association in Cluj, Romania presented Out of the Frame International Theatre Forum livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 17 September at 7 a.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 11 a.m. UTC / 2 p.m. EEST (Cluj, UTC +3).

event poster for freedom talk in the name of freedom.
Freedom Talk at In the Name of Freedom
Safe Haves Freedom Talks logo.
Safe Havens Freedom Talks (SH|FT)
Dark blue square with white text: Safe Muse in white.
Safemuse
Video

Freedom Talk at In the Name of Freedom

Art That Unites, Makes Us Stand Up, and Makes Us Human

Friday 16 September 2022
Oslo, Norway

Safe Havens Freedom Talks (SH|FT), together with Safemuse, presented a Freedom Talk at In the Name of Freedom, livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 16 September at 8:30 a.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 12:30 UTC / 2:30 p.m. CEST (Oslo, UTC +2).

event poster for puppets in the green mountains festival 2022.
Puppets in the Green Mountains 2022
Puppets in the Green Mountains logo.
Puppets in the Green Mountains
Video

Puppets in the Green Mountains 2022

Access Through The Arts Panel Discussions Exploring the Theme of Roots and Wings

Saturday 10 September - Sunday 18 September 2022
United States

Sandglass Theater presented events from the Puppets in the Green Mountains Festival 2022 livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 10 September, Saturday 17 September, and Sunday 18 September 2022.

open channels 2022 poster.
Canales Abiertos / Open Channels
Estudio Macubá logo.
Estudio Macubá
Cuban and Caribbean Studies Institute of Tulane University logo.
Cuban Institute, Tulane
The Stone Center for Latin American Studies
Video

Canales Abiertos / Open Channels

Un Taller de Teatro Popular del Caribe desde Santiago de Cuba y Nueva Orleans / A Caribbean Theatre Workshop from Santiago de Cuba & New Orleans

Saturday 9 July 2022
Santiago de Cuba

The Stone Center for Latin American Studies, The Cuban and Caribbean Studies Institute of Tulane University (New Orleans, Louisiana), and Estudio Teatral Macubá presented Canales Abiertos 2022 livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 9 July at 7 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 9 a.m. CDT (Mexico City, UTC -5) / 10 a.m. EDT (Santiago de Cuba, UTC -4).

Two actors pointing at the ceiling.
Theatre as Laboratory: Exploring and Forging Humanity with Les Inachevés / Théâtre comme Laboratoire: Explorer et Fabriquer l'Humanité avec Les Inachevés
Essay

Theatre as Laboratory: Exploring and Forging Humanity with Les Inachevés / Théâtre comme Laboratoire: Explorer et Fabriquer l'Humanité avec Les Inachevés

A Conversation with Moïse Touré / Une Conversation avec Moïse Touré

5 July 2022

Michelle Haner interviews Moïse Touré, artistic director of Les Inachevés, about the company’s ongoing project on the theme of hospitality and the decision to reframe the company’s work as a laboratory.

event poster for solastalgia, Climate Change Discourse in Performing Arts.
Climate Change Discourse in Performing Arts and a Performance of Habituare (Habituation) by Ioana Hogman
reactor logo.
Reactor
Video

Climate Change Discourse in Performing Arts and a Performance of Habituare (Habituation) by Ioana Hogman

A Focus on the Concept of Solastalgia, Hosted by Reactor in Cluj, Romania

Wednesday 29 June and Thursday 30 June 2022
Cluj, Romania

Reactor presented a conversation on Climate Change Discourse in Performing Arts and a performance of Habituare (Habituation) by Ioana Hogman, livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 29 June and Thursday 30 June at 9 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 4 p.m. UTC +0 / 7 p.m. EEST (Cluj-Napoca, UTC +3).

event poster for freedom talk at speak up.
Freedom Talk@SpeakUp
Safe Haves Freedom Talks logo.
Safe Havens Freedom Talks (SH|FT)
Video

Freedom Talk@SpeakUp

Focusing on the Situation of Artistic Freedom and Public Art in Turkey

Tuesday 14 June 2022
Turkey

Safe Havens Freedom Talks presented a Safe Havens conversation at Speak Up livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 14 June 2022 at 8:30 a.m. EDT (New York, UTC -7) / 12:30 p.m. UTC / 2:30 p.m. CEST (Stockholm, UTC +2) / 3:30 p.m. TRT (Istanbul, UTC +3).

Cultural Mobility Forum event poster.
Cultural Mobility Forum 2022 on Digital Mobility
Nordic Culture Point Logo.
Nordic Culture Point
On the move logo.
On the Move
Video

Cultural Mobility Forum 2022 on Digital Mobility

Hosted by Nordic Culture Point in Helsinki, Finland and On the Move

Wednesday 25 May 2022
Helsinki, Finland

Cultural Mobility Forum 2022 hosted by Nordic Culture Point in Helsinki, Finland and On the Move livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network Wednesday 25 May 2022 at 07:00 BST (London, UTC +1) / 08:00 CEST (Brussels, UTC +2) / 09:00 EEST (Helsinki, UTC +3) / 14:00 SGT (Singapore, UTC +8) / 16:00 AEST (Sydney, UTC +10).

ukranian flag.
International Exchange in a World Turned Upside Down
CITD
blue and green rings.
TMU
Video

International Exchange in a World Turned Upside Down

International Panelists Discuss the Coming Decade of International Cultural Exchange

Sunday 22 May 2022
United States

Center for International Theatre Development (CITD) and Trust for Mutual Understanding presented the conversation International Exchange in a World Turned Upside Down, livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Sunday 22 May 2022 at 1 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 4 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 9:00 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 22:00 CEST (UTC +2).

event poster for the gathering 2022.
The Gathering from the CrossCurrents Festival
the lab black and white logo
The Lab at Georgetown
Video

The Gathering from the CrossCurrents Festival

Productions, Readings, Discussions, and Workshops Focusing on Climate Change, Immigration, and Indigeneity

Wednesday 4 May to Saturday 7 May 2022
United States

The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. presented The Gathering, livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Wednesday 4 May to Saturday 7 May 2022.