From SCHOOL to STAGE – Training, Employment and Public Responsibility in European Theatre Academies is a European workshop promoted by Teatro Stabile del Veneto – National Theatre, in partnership with ETC – European Theatre Convention, Teatro Stabile di Torino, the National Theatre of Greece and the Théâtre National de Bretagne, with the support of the Veneto Region Office in Brussels.
The initiative will take place on 10 June 2026 in Brussels, at Cà Veneto, the headquarters of the Veneto Region and home to the Brussels office of Teatro Stabile del Veneto.
The workshop aims to open a shared reflection on the relationship between artistic training, access to professional opportunities and the public responsibility of cultural institutions. In particular, it focuses on the role that public theatres and national theatres can play in accompanying young artists in their transition from education to professional artistic practice.
Academies operating within national theatres represent a strategic infrastructure for the development of new generations of artists. By combining training and production, they allow students to work directly alongside professional artists, technical departments and organisational teams. In this context, young performers can acquire practical skills, gain first professional experience and build networks that support their entry into the labour market.
Across Europe, however, the transition from artistic education to employment remains uneven and often fragile. In many countries, theatre education is still separated from the production system, making access to professional opportunities uncertain and fragmented. From SCHOOL to STAGE therefore seeks to explore how theatre academies embedded within public cultural institutions can become effective platforms connecting education, employment, mobility and cultural cooperation.
The programme will be divided into two main moments. The first part, Training for the Future: European Models Between Public Responsibility and the Labour Market, will be a closed-door focus group among the participating academies and National Theatres. The discussion will address training models, professional practice, the transition from education to employment, European mobility and the cultural and social responsibility of theatre academies.
The second part, open to a wider public and institutional audience, will include institutional contributions from Members of the European Parliament from the three countries involved and representatives of the European Commission’s DG EMPL and DG CULT. The session will also feature the presentation of the focus group outcomes, a best-practice sharing session among the participating National Theatres, and a final networking moment with institutions, cultural stakeholders and European partners.
The initiative also looks ahead to the next European programming period 2028–2034, encouraging a stronger dialogue between cultural policies, youth employment, skills development and mobility programmes. It aims to contribute to the creation of a European network of theatre academies linked to public theatres, promoting shared models of cooperation, exchange and professional integration for young artists.
By bringing together training, production and public responsibility, From SCHOOL to STAGE intends to highlight the performing arts sector not only as a cultural field, but also as a vital European ecosystem capable of generating skills, employment, social innovation and cultural citizenship.
To attend the public session, please register here: https://forms.gle/RXM3EvpekrjwqgBs9
