What is the Young Europe V Programme
Young Europe is ETC’s award-winning flagship project for youth theatre for creating new and innovative classroom repertory. Now in its fifth edition, "Young Europe V: Life Stories," is a collaboration between nine ETC Member Theatres and strives to explore the boundaries of youth theatre, new writing and the possibilities of the classroom.
Nine playwrights from theatres across Europe will be given a period of over a year to write plays guided by a “dramaturgy of care.” They will be provided with one inhouse dramaturg from each theatre and four masterclasses, to ensure comprehensive guidance.
Each theatre is responsible for designing a suitable educational programme for each classroom play.
The project will culminate in a project presentation featuring staged readings of experts, along with a panel discussion with the playwrights at the ETC International Theatre Conference 2027.
Young Europe Artist in Residence:
Freelance and emerging theatre professionals are invited to join us for the first edition of Young Europe Artists in Residence Programme. We are offering placements at two of the ETC Member Theatres involved in Young Europe V.
The selected professionals will join the creative and educational team of a theatre production process, thus gaining and contributing insights about new working methods and discovering the daily routine and structures of a European public theatre based in a different country. ETC Artist in Residence Programmes are scholarships that support international cooperation, foster new perspectives and professional artistic experience and knowledge exchange. It does not offer an employment in the hosting theatre.
What does the Young Europe Artist in Residence Programme offer?
- Residency in one of the participating theatres
- Travel grant from your hometown to the hosting theatre (up to €400);
- Accommodation organised by the theatre during the time of the residency;
- Financial contribution to your local expenses (per diem subject to the actual period of stay, max. 42 days)
- Additional financial contribution by the theatre
Where are the ETC Artists in Residence Placements?
ETC is offering two residency placements:
- Cyprus Theatre Organisation (Nicosia, Cyprus)
(https://www.europeantheatre.eu/member/cyprus-theatre-organisation) - Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe, Germany)
(https://www.europeantheatre.eu/member/badisches-staatstheater-karlsruhe)
ETC Young Europe Artists in Residence 2026/2027
Deadline: 28 June 2026; 12:00h CET
Residency Placements
Cyprus Theatre Organisation (Nicosia, Cyprus)
Looking for: A theatre pedagogue who can assist at the last stage of rehearsals, travel to schools and implement the education programme around the production.
Experience Level: Theatre professional in the target area (brings new practices to the host theatre)
Additional financial support: 500 EUR
Description of the production: Tentative title, the play is being written, at the time of the open call, and it is going to travel to high schools in Cyprus.
The play explores care as a continuous, active practice rooted in empathy. It positions compassion not as a passive feeling but as a transformative force capable of generating hope, connection, and social awareness.
Two fifteen-year-old boys, Leaf and Stem, are randomly selected to visit the Garden of Humanity, a symbolic space located between sorrow and joy. In this garden, every human hope becomes a seed. Through a mobile application, they can listen to the voices of plants, each one carrying a story from a different person around the world.
As they explore the garden, they encounter stories of loss, identity, injustice, loneliness, resilience, and quiet hope. Gradually, the two characters form a bond through shared listening and emotional engagement. By the end of their visit, they get the chance to plant their own seeds of hope, transforming their experience into an act of responsibility and imagination
Profile of the artist: Cyprus Theater Organisation is looking for a professional theatre pedagogue who can assist at the last stage of rehearsals, travel to schools and implement the educational programme around the production. They will work with the team and become integral part of the troupe touring to schools and possibly other places in Cyprus.
Experience in designing, running and implementing educational theatre programmes, accompanying classroom plays is necessary, as well as basic technical knowledge to support the classroom performance.
Language requirements: Fluent Greek and English
Timeline: 6 weeks (max.) between 25 January 2027 – 25 April 2027
About the theatre: Cyprus Theatre Organisation (THOC) is the State Theatre of Cyprus, founded in 1971. THOC has participated in ETC's flagship programme Young Europe, since its first edition, with only a small absence, and values the significance of classroom plays as carriers of change, both in how teens perceive themselves and their classroom, but also how they may view, discuss and deal with issues that concern them.
With four stages, including an open-air theatre, THOC offers a variety of productions for all sorts of audiences, placing a high importance on inclusivity, sustainability and care.
Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe (Germany/Karlsruhe)
Looking for: Assistant Director for performance Ganzkörperparty (Full-Body Party)
Experience Level: Emerging theatre professional (e.g. recent graduate)
Additional Financial Support: 500 EUR
Description of the production: Ganzkörperparty (Full-Body Party) is an experimental setup for a school class: Two actors enter the classroom, introduce themselves, and ask the students to collectively act out a single body – with each student playing a different body part. There’s grumbling and eating, stretching and looking in the mirror: How beautiful! How strange! How everything about us is constantly changing! “No one is ever born with the wrong body. But some people are born with the wrong words.” Ganzkörperparty explores the impact of language, invents and tests new roles, and delves into the question of who we actually are. Fayer Koch designs a thoughtfully crafted set of instructions in which everyone can let go – of external views of ourselves, of invented notions of gender, and of the idea that we’re not allowed to do something. Because we really don’t have time for that anymore. Fayer Koch is the author of this play. Marty Damour will direct. Steve Oelmann is responsible for set design. Jannika Erdmann is the dramaturg. Hannah Rech is in charge of art and outreach (K+V)
Profile of the artist: The Youth Department at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe is looking for assistant who can bridge the gap between an assistant director and theatre education (K+V). While expertise in theatre education is essential for all of theatre’s youth productions, in classroom plays it often becomes an integral part of the production itself. They are looking for someone with:
- A specific interest in theater for a young audience and the “classroom play” format
- A specific interest in and knowledge of queer discourses, particularly regarding trans* issues
- A commitment to anti-discrimination work
- Training in theatre education and/or practical experience
- Prior experience or a strong interest in the role of assistant director
- A strong affinity for language and the ability to quickly grasp the context of texts aand scenes (reason: The play is written in German and will be performed in German)
Language requirements: Required: English (Intermediate), Optional: German (basic conversational)
Timeline: 11 November 2026 – 20 December 2026 (40 days)
About the theatre: Junges Staatstheater (Just) is the division for young audiences at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe in Germany. In addition to productions for all ages starting at two years old at the Insel, Kleines Haus and Großes Haus venues, it offers concerts, readings, and mobile performance formats such as classroom plays. Just places great emphasis on participation (e.g., through the Dramakomitee, the Children’s and Youth Advisory Board) and inclusion (e.g., through the expansion of accessible offerings and the exploration of Aesthetics of Access). Kunst + Vermittlung (K+V) is responsible for young audiences, audience development, and participatory projects. Karlsruhe is a major city in southwestern Germany. It is also known as the “Residence of Law” because the Federal Court of Justice and the Federal Constitutional Court are located here.
