9th of July 2025, a fire takes over Pennes-Mirabeau and L’Estaque in Marseille. While flames eventually came under control, the damage was done: Material losses and environmental trauma. The climate crisis rages…
By Lina Allia for On the Move (part of a collaboration between the European Theatre Convention and On the Move)
A few kilometres away, the Festival d’Avignon is in full swing. Despite a rail network disrupted by the fires, thousands of festival-goers from all corners of Europe flood the city’s streets. “It feels like you’re walking on a stage or through a theatre house, the city is drowned in the festivities,” describes Boyan Kracholov, a director and writer based in Sofia, Bulgaria (ETC Member Theatre: Ivan Vazov National Theatre), attending the festival for the first time.
I had the pleasure of interviewing him alongside Diana Merkel, a dramaturge and producer based in Innsbruck, Austria (ETC Member Theatre: Tiroler Landestheater). Both are participants in the 2025 edition of ETC’s Academy, a European Theatre Convention programme dedicated to the next generation of theatre-makers.
The ETC European Theatre Academy, part of the Next Theatre Generation Programme, is structured as a hybrid programme that includes seminars, workshops, masterclasses, mentoring sessions, and performances. The topics discussed in Avignon range from the digital transition, the need for sustainability, diversity and stronger EU relations. Laura Gardes, ETC Project & Network Manager, describes the core mission of the programme as a bridge to the national-international divide, empowering young, well-established theatre professionals from national scenes to go beyond borders: “These projects are essential. It's important to have a European perspective, to not be tempted to stay secluded. Exchange of information, especially in the current context, is more needed than ever.”
And indeed, the current context is on everyone’s lips, both in Avignon and far beyond.
It is precisely in this context that the European Theatre Talks are held : Open public panels reflecting on the challenges of theatre professionals across the world. This year’s edition is entitled: ‘Democracy, Freedom and New Voices’, with a strong focus on the global campaign for artistic freedom: RESISTANCE NOW TOGETHER.
Speakers reflect on empowering new voices, on the need for policy tools that protect the artist’s voice in hostile climates. Georg Häusler, Director for Culture, Creativity, and Sport at the European Commission, commented on the topic of the discussion : “There is not an event we attend where this is not the topic. Ten years ago, we wouldn’t have imagined the Bratislava declaration to be appropriate…”
This Declaration arises from a shared and urgent need to resist the threat to artistic freedom across the Member States of the European Union (EU). The declaration calls for a robust legal response to the growing influence of governments that seek to control and interfere with the cultural and creative sectors and undermine internationally agreed human rights standards.
During our interview, Diana Merkel, a participant in the ETC European Theatre Academy, echoes what is said during the panel. She argues for her need of defending and developing a European perspective in her practice ; as the risk of getting stuck in one’s background can be costly. To her, it’s interesting to see how the same dominating topic affects national contexts in different ways: political divides, programming decisions, production choices, communication to audiences, etc. How can theatres keep their artistic freedom in climates of societal hostility toward culture?
Boyan agrees, and adds that opportunities, like attending the ETC European Theatre Talks during the Festival d’Avignon allows for learning from established professionals, seeing other mindsets, broadening horizons. He has worked in Bulgaria for the past 10 years and he was getting the sense of feeling confined within one space, so he finds it refreshing to come across different ways to view and deal with similar issues and crises.
In this context of growing political interference and overreach and decrease in public funding, and rising censorship, the cultural sector is weighed down. Data Tavadze, Artistic Director from Georgia, shares his experience with the audience of the panel : “In Georgia, it’s 30 years of very plotted plans that brought us here. Art is getting weaponized, what we are seeing now: eight months of protest against rigged elections, theatres, artists, directors functioning as a shield for the people. We launched 100 days of theatre strike, 8 months of performance as well, we didn't feel like we abandoned the function of theatre quite the opposite.”
Later the same day, Boyan recounts another case of threat to theatre-makers this time in Sofia : “There was an event in November where a premiere was blocked by right-wing protesters. They didn’t allow the public to enter (the venue), and attacked the theatre and its workers, it was not so long ago…This was scary to happen in the 21st century”.
Diana follows: “In Austria, partly because the theatre gets funds from the public sector, politicians sometimes voice opinions on programming. When ticket sales declined at the Tiroler Landestheater due to a change in the artistic direction, the politicians in charge about the theatre gave advice what to show at the theatre and to look at what was going on in other theatres that made higher ticket-sales. While I think, because of the funding, transparency in terms of finances is legitimate, art must always be able to maintain freedom of creation – especially in order to serve the public. There are red lines, that we as a society and also the media, must watch closley. Art, like democracy and political systems, needs freedom.”
Today, the European Commission dives into drafting its seven-year budget cycle, among crises and political upheaval, and a general public debate on the role of culture takes place, both at national and European levels. Georg Häusler from the EU Commission asserts confidently that culture and cultural policy, democracy and artistic freedom are focal points for the Cultural Compass of the EU. However, he urges cultural workers to continue making their voices heard, as the support for culture shouldn’t be taken for granted, he insists “The state of the world at the moment, it is not good.”
To conclude our conversation, Diana and Boyan left me with precious reflections on what theatre is for. Boyan speaks of dialogue, as the cornerstone of the job : “Theatre must win its place as a space for dialogue, for voices to be heard. Speaking locally, in order to have any form of democracy, the pillars are culture and education; they're the foundation of capability for dialogue. You need to learn to hear a different opinion and find compromise. We can’t address this moment by becoming like those attacking us. We must protect the dialogical function of theatre. Without education, culture can’t do much. The results will be seen in 30 years, this is where we should focus on.” Diana nods confidently, and continues : “Yes, education and culture. Theatre should unify audiences, not contribute to division. We must define our red lines and make clear what matters.”
Cláudia Belchior, President of the ETC and Executive Coordinator of Centro Cultural de Belém (Portugal), closed the morning panels with a powerful stance on ETC’s vision :
“We’ve been speaking about the power of theatre to move people. We must now speak of shared responsibility, about the silence that threatens freedom.
We are 80 public theatres in 33 countries, reaching 50,000 people.
We are widely spread but not fragmented. We stand for dialogue, solidarity, and action.
The Convention is not the end of the conversation, it’s the beginning of a deeper one.
Theatre must resist not just censorship, but self-censorship.
In this climate, standing up has become the exception - not the norm.
We co-create the future. We bring policy-makers and theatre-makers to equal ground.
We must stand, physically and unapologetically.
Neutrality is complicity.
We don’t gather to apologise for being political.
This is not a time for caution, but for courage.
To remind everyone:
Theatre is not a luxury.
It’s a necessity.”
