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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
Between New York and Shanghai
Essay

Between New York and Shanghai

An Interview with Brenda Liu and Rui Yang

16 September 2016

In this last installment, Playwright Kate Mulley interviews her Chinese classmates Brenda Liu and Rui Yang about their experience as Visiting Scholars at Columbia University.

Studying Theatre in Shanghai
Essay

Studying Theatre in Shanghai

15 September 2016

In this first installment, playwright Kate Mulley shares her experience studying abroad at Shanghai Theatre Academy, reflecting on how her time there influenced her playwriting.

"Migrating Modernist Performance: British Theatrical Travels Through Russia"
Video

"Migrating Modernist Performance: British Theatrical Travels Through Russia"

Wednesday 13 July 2016
Moscow, Russia

The Stanislavsky Electrotheatre presented Dr. Claire Warden's Lecture: Migrating Modernist Performance: British Theatrical Travels Through Russia, livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRoundTV network at howlround.tv Wednesday 13 July at 8:00 a.m. EDT (New York) / 7:00 a.m. CDT (Chicago) / 5:00 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles) / 12:00 p.m. BST (London). Twitter @electrotheatre and #howlround.  

Cafecito
Essay

Cafecito

Por Piedad Teatro

16 May 2015

Georgina Escobar chats with Ana Graham and Antonio Vega about their company Por Piedad Teatro and their upcoming production.

Why Theatre Matters to This Escaped Child Soldier
Essay

Why Theatre Matters to This Escaped Child Soldier

1 May 2015

The author reflects on the role of the performing arts in his own remarkable journey from Ugandan child soldier to performer and playwright.

Generation (Wh)Y: Global Voices on Stage at the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics
Video

Generation (Wh)Y: Global Voices on Stage at the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics

Saturday 18 April 2015
Washington, D.C., United States

The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics and Georgetown University's Department of Performing Arts in Washington, DC presented Generation (Wh)Y: Global Voices on Stage livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 18 April at 7 p.m. EDT (4 p.m. PDT / 23:00 GMT) and then again at 9 p.m. EDT (6 p.m. PDT).

365 Women a Year Project for World Theatre Day 2015
Video

365 Women a Year Project for World Theatre Day 2015

Friday 27 March 2015
New York City, NY, United States

The New International Theatre Experience (NITE) presents a program of talks, readings, and presentations to celebrate World Theatre Day 2015 livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 27 March.

The Visual and Performative Ethnography Symposium at University of Pennsylvania
Video

The Visual and Performative Ethnography Symposium at University of Pennsylvania

Friday 20 March 2015
Philadelphia, PA, United States

University of Pennsylvania presented The Visual and Performative Ethnography Symposium livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 20 March from 9 a.m. EDT to 5 p.m. EDT (New York) / 6 a.m. PDT to 2 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles) / 13:00 GMT to 21:00 GMT (London). In Twitter, use hashtag #pivpe.

Dispatch from Tehran—33rd Annual Fadjr International Theater Festival, Part 2
Essay

Dispatch from Tehran—33rd Annual Fadjr International Theater Festival, Part 2

12 March 2015

Torange discusses productions she saw in Tehran that premiered outside the Festival, and the impact of the political and economic climate on making theatre in Iran.

Dispatch from Tehran—33rd Annual Fadjr International Theater Festival, Part 1
Essay

Dispatch from Tehran—33rd Annual Fadjr International Theater Festival, Part 1

10 March 2015

The 33rd Fadjr International Theater Festival, Iran’s most visible dramatic showcase, opened ran in Tehran  January 21-February 1, 2015. It featured eighty plays from Iran and eleven from Europe and the Middle East, and no representation from the United States.

Convening "The Republic of Inclusion" on Accessibility and Live Performance at Progress Festival
Video

Convening "The Republic of Inclusion" on Accessibility and Live Performance at Progress Festival

Sunday 15 February 2015
Toronto, Canada

Canada's SpiderWebShow and The Collaborations through Canada’s National Arts Centre English Theatre presented the convening The Republic of Inclusion about accessibility and live performance from SummerWorks / The Theatre Centre’s Progress International Festival of Performance and Ideas in Toronto livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Sunday 15 February at 1 p.m.-5 p.m. EST (Toronto) / 11 a.m.-3 p.m. MST (Calgary) / 10 a.m.-2 p.m. PST (Vancouver) / 18:00-22:00 GMT (London).

The Man Behind Scena Theatre
Essay

The Man Behind Scena Theatre

Robert McNamara

10 February 2015

Scena Theatre is small but ambitious, and in spite of its relatively low profile, it has thrived in Washington for twenty-seven years.  Founding artistic director Robert McNamara is tenaciously committed to bringing new work from around the world to D.C. audiences.

Shahid Nadeem's Amrika Chalo (Destination: USA) from Pakistan's Ajoka Theatre at The Lab
Video

Shahid Nadeem's Amrika Chalo (Destination: USA) from Pakistan's Ajoka Theatre at The Lab

Saturday 24 January 2015
Washington DC, United States

 

The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics (The Lab) at Georgetown University in Washington, DC presented the US Premiere of Amrika Chalo (Destination: USA) livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 24 January at 8 p.m. EST (Washington, DC) / 5 p.m. PST (San Francisco) / 01:00 GMT (London) on Sunday 25 January / 06:00 PKT (Lahore).

A Cautiously Optimistic Cuban American
Essay

A Cautiously Optimistic Cuban American

22 January 2015

Marissa Chibas weighs both the positive and negative sides of reestablishing diplomatic ties with the Cuban government, and what it could mean for people in both Cuba and the United States.

A Flash of the Irish Stage
Essay

A Flash of the Irish Stage

14 January 2015

Alex Ates heads to Ireland, where he encounters the kindness and charm of many theatregoers and students, and remembers what theatre is about for him.

Cultural Mobility Symposium 2015
Video

Cultural Mobility Symposium 2015

Wednesday 7 January 2015
New York, NY, United States

Join us for the symposium and official launch of the Cultural Mobility Funding Guide for the USA: Theatre, Performing Arts, and Dance—a free and user-friendly guide to funding for international exchange for artists traveling to and from the USA livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 7 January from 10 a.m. EST to 5:30 p.m. EST. In Twitter, direct comments @SegalCenter and use #USCulturalMobility

Performing Arts in the Islamic World
Essay

Performing Arts in the Islamic World

The Divine Spark

4 January 2015

Muslim theater artist Hafiz Karmali discusses the 12th-century Persian poem The Conference of the Birds and the overlap of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian performance traditions.

Photo for Sweet Dreams, Mr. Heroin.
Sweet Dreams, Mr. Heroin in Lewiston, Maine
Essay

Sweet Dreams, Mr. Heroin in Lewiston, Maine

28 November 2014

Amy Merrill writes about Sweet Dreams, Mr. Heroin and the value of presenting this piece at a substance abuse recovery center in Lewiston, Maine.

An Interview with Abhishek Majumdar and Gopal Datt
Essay

An Interview with Abhishek Majumdar and Gopal Datt

23 November 2014

Steve Ginsburg interviews Abhishek Majumdar and Gopal Datt about the Indian Ensemble.

Instytut Adama Mickiewicza logo
Livestreaming Essence of Polish Contemporary Theater Life Until Yesterday
Video

Livestreaming Essence of Polish Contemporary Theater Life Until Yesterday

Monday, November 3 2014
Boston, MA, United States

ArtsEmerson: The World On Stage in Boston presents the talk "Essence of Polish Contemporary Theater Life Until Yesterday" livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday, November 3 at 1pm PST (Vancouver) / 2pm MST (Calgary) / 3pm CST (Chicago) / 4pm EST (Montreal) / 21:00 GMT (London) / 22:00 CET (Warszawa). In Twitter, use #newplay to participate in conversation. Szymon Wróblewski with Andrzej Chyra will lead a conversation giving insight to the current trends and cutting edge of Polish theater today. The conversation will be framed around the contemporary directors defining the moment and include excerpts of their work.

a production shot from belarus dream theatre project
Beyond Lukashenko
Essay

Beyond Lukashenko

New Short Plays About Belarus

3 November 2014

In addition to new works by Belarusian playwrights, writers as far-flung as Europe and the United States, Australia and New Zealand, ended up making excellent contributions. The Belarusian Dream Theater project linked playwrights with more than a dozen independent presenting groups in Europe and North America, who donated their time and talents to assemble the collaborators necessary to present as many of the twenty-five new plays as each group wanted.

Encuentro 2014
Essay

Encuentro 2014

Moving Forward, Never Forgetting the Past

2 November 2014

Professor Jorge Huerta gives a short overview about the precedents that led to the historic and revolutionizing event, focusing on the growth of Chicano/a theatre festivals since 1970. 

A Polish Theater Cookbook
Essay

A Polish Theater Cookbook

Onstage Diversity in Postwar Society

9 October 2014

Many Polish theaters seek to explore Poland's diverse heritage or to connect with other cultures in Europe, but lack immediate access to a large multiethnic pool of actors. Despite the obstacle of recent history, many contemporary Polish theaters present and honor different forms of diversity onstage.

Creating the Belarusian Dream Theater Project
Essay

Creating the Belarusian Dream Theater Project

19 September 2014

While I was reaping the benefits of working internationally, my Belarusian friends were living as a theater company in exile. What could I do to help make a difference? What tools could I use, as a theater artist, to break down this silence, censorship, and oppressive regime?

Listening for Unheard Voices—Syria
Essay

Listening for Unheard Voices—Syria

The Trojan Women

18 September 2014

Derek Goldman offers an overview of the production of Syria: The Trojan Women.