Сontemporary Eastern European theater
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{ ABOUT }

International Director and Dramaturgy Lab
Sammelpunkt / FOCAL POINT / TOCHKA SBORKI

The project creatively explores the impact of current European events on the lives and subjectivity of individuals through the lens of dramaturgy and theatre.
Playwrights, directors, actors and scenographers from Germany and Eastern European countries —Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, and Estonia — are invited to participate in the Lab.
{ What and How }
FOCAL POINT
точка збiрки
The Lab will proceed in several stages
01
03.09.2024 — 10.10.2024
An open competition for dramatic works
20.10.2024
The announcement of competition selection
03
10.12.2024 — 02.01.2025
Actor casting
bY 15.01.2025
The determination of the cast for the seven Lab productions in collaboration with the directors
02
01.11.2024 — 10.12.2024
An open competition for director's concepts
20.12.2024
The announcement of competition selection
04
16.02.2025 — 24.02.2025
beginning
Creation and presentation of work-in-progress PRODUCTIONS
Sammelpunkt
The most important time!
The dramaturgy competition of the Lab has come to an end. A total of 159 plays were submitted by 135 authors from Belarus, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Spain, the USA, Ukraine, etc.

A longlist of 33 plays has been selected.
OUR READERS
You can click on the name!
*PS. Please note that the readers do not provide reasons for their decision.
20.10.2024 — The announcement
Due to the high quality of the submitted plays, the selection of the initially announced 7 plays for the shortlist was a great challenge for the readers and the Jury. As a result, a total of 10 plays were included in the shortlist. These selected plays will be available for the directing competition from November 1 to December 10, 2024.
The seven plays that will be chosen for the Lab productions in February 2025 will be announced on December 20, 2024, together with the names of the directors.
Directors can submit their applications until December 10, 2024. We welcome applications from directors of all ages residing around the world.

Conditions for participation in the competition:

• In-person attendance at the Berlin Lab from February 16 to 23, 2025
• Proficiency in English or German
• Professional education
• Directing experience


Documents for application:

• Director’s explication for one to three selected plays
• Completed application form (Questionnaire for directors)
• CV.
PLAYS
Click on the play to see more
After further development,
A total of seven plays by contemporary playwrights, written from February 2022 onward, will be selected for participation in the Lab. These plays will be presented to the public as work-in-progress by seven directors during the in-person phase of the Lab in Berlin on February 22 and 23, 2025.
From the outset to the final discussion, the Lab events will be moderated by curators and accompanied by masterclasses and public lectures given by a jury of internationally recognized European theatre professionals. Names of the jury members will be announced at the beginning of October 2024.
точка сборки
!!!
The most successful productions
will be included in the repertoire
of Urban Theater Berlin and other interested theaters.
{ WHY }

One of the first attempts at dialogue in the cultural sphere since 2022

By exploring the interplay of dramaturgy and theatre, the Lab creates a platform for the theatrical exploration of the dramatic social and political issues of our time. One of the main goals of the project is to contribute to mutual understanding between the residents of Eastern and Western Europe and to draw attention to the work of Eastern European theatre figures, many of whom are in exile/emigration. The project aims to facilitate an exchange of experience in the theatrical sphere among artists from different countries, especially those who have been affected in one way or another by the war in Ukraine, and to share their perspectives on the current situation in Europe and the world.
As one of the first attempts at dialogue in the cultural sphere since February 2022, the project represents not only a creative but also a socio-political phenomenon, enhancing its international significance. The Lab opens up space for deep cultural and artistic reflection on the current challenges in Europe and the promotion of European democratic values.
koondumispunkt
ŽIDINIO taška
PARTNERS
Saint Petersburg Urban Theater
Teatr Brama
pulcēšanās punkts
SUPPORTED BY
месца зборкi
Natalia Skorokhod

Worked as a Full Professor of Theatre and Dramaturgy at the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts (RGISI) in St. Petersburg
Founder of the School of Playwriting in St. Petersburg
Author of several books and more than a hundred articles on theatre and drama
Public lecturer on contemporary theatre and drama
Member of AICT/International Association of Theatre Critics
Curator and leader of numerous Playwright’s Labs, including Miracle Spring: Theatre Laboratory in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg
Participant in numerous international festivals and projects
{ Dr. in Art Studies }
Participated in the Russian Program at George Washington University as a Non-Resident Fellow
Served as a Board Member of EuNetArt (European Network for Artists working for and with Young People)
Natalia Lapina
Worked as an Artistic Director of State Russian Theater of Estonia (Vene Teater, Tallinn), then became an Artistic Director of St. Petersburg Urban Theatre — one of a few female Artistic Directors in Russia
Worked as Associate Professor of Acting in Russian State Institute of Performing Arts (St. Petersburg)
Theatre Director and Author of more than 50 shows in Germany, Estonia, Russia, Poland, USA
Participant and winner of many International Theatre Festivals (Finland, Estonia, Ukraine, Russia, Spain, Romania, United Kingdom)
Nominee and winner of a few Russian prestigious Theatre Awards such as "Golden Mask", "Golden Soffit" etc.
Participant of New York Lincoln Center Director’s Lab and Chicago Director’s Lab
Curator of numerous Director’s Labs
Сonducted workshops on different acting techniques and methods (Stanislavski, Meyerhold, M. Chekhov, Adler) in Poland, Sweden, USA, Russia
{ Artistic Director of Urban Theater }
Witalij Schmidt
Earned a PhD in the theory of declamation at the Institute for Slavic Studies, University of Regensburg
Was a key figure in numerous international research, book, exhibition, and cultural projects funded by public grants
Was awarded the University Prize of the City of Regensburg (formerly the Professor Josef Engert Prize) for outstanding academic work
Editor of a monograph and two collected volumes on the theory of declamation by S. I. Bernshtein, as well as several academic articles
Contributed as an actor, director, and leader of various student theater groups at the Theater of the University of Regensburg
Organized the festival "III. Russian Cultural Days in Europe"
Owner of the cultural agency "AD ASTRA events"
Worked at the funding organization Initiative Musik gGmbH as the head of music club funding and project manager of five NEUSTART KULTUR subprograms under the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, aimed at supporting clubs, promoters, and festivals
{ Commercial Director of Urban Theater }
Daniel Jacewicz
Daniel Jacewicz is a theater director, actor, and artistic director of the Brama Theater in Goleniów, established in 1996. He invented and created Goleniowskie Spotkania Teatralne BRAMAT and Festiwal Młodości Teatralnej ŁAKNIENIA, winner of international theater festivals. He directed the performances Zabava (2000), Gaz (2003), My (2007), Uczucia w dziwięku (2009) and others. In addition to active activities in Poland, the Brama Theater under Daniel’s leadership also participates in international projects, for example, with the Stella Polaris Theater from Norway, centers in Germany, Greece, Spain, Ukraine, Peru, the USA, and recently also with Odin Teatret from Denmark.
In his theater, Daniel develops a cultural and educational direction, the main task of which is to prove that theater is a tool of social interaction, without which it is impossible to conduct an international cultural dialogue.
Poland
Johannes Kirsten
Johannes Kirsten has studied literature and philosophy in Berlin and New York. After working at various theaters in Germany, including the National Theater in Mannheim, Centraltheater Leipzig and Schauspiel Hannover as well as freelance work for the Ruhr Triennial and the National Theater of Korea in Seoul, he has been employed as head dramaturg at the Maxim Gorky Theater since 2020. Johannes has collaborated with several prominent theatre directors and artists, including Oliver Frljić, Nurkan Erpulat, Lola Arias, Sascha Hawemann, Rainald Grebe, Dušan David Pařízek and Maxim Didenko. He also worked as a curator for HELLERAU European Centre for the arts (Dresden) with a special focus on Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.
Contemporary plays, new interpretations of classical pieces and an interdisciplinary approach define the programme of the Gorki, a theatre for the whole city, and that includes everyone who has arrived in the city in the last few decades, whether in search of asylum, whether in exile, whether they be immigrants or simply people who grew up in Berlin.
Germany
Birgit Lengers
Birgit Lengers has worked on many projects and with renowned directors who have left their mark on theater in Berlin, Germany and internationally. For example, she has worked with director Thorsten Lensing in the independent theater scene. She taught at the University of Hildesheim, headed the "Deutsches Theater International" sections at the Deutsches Theater and an the "Junges Deutsches Theater" for 12 years. In the 2023−2024 season, she was director and co-curator of the festival "Fokus Ukraine — Europäisches Theaterfestival 777 TAGE 777 ДНIВ 777 DAYS" at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, where she currently heads the participatory section "Stadt:Kollektiv". Birgit also founded the RADAR OST festival (2018 — 2023) at the Deutsches Theater Berlin, which aims to strengthen relationships between European, Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian artists.
Birgit’s approach is to think and work across all borders, be they geographical, cultural or interdisciplinary.
Germany
Luk Perceval
Luk Perceval is a Flemish theatre director who began his career as an actor at the National Theatre in Antwerp. In 1984 he founded Blauwe Maandag Cie, a company in which he experimented with different forms and rehearsal methods. Luk Perceval’s productions are known for their innovative approach and have won him numerous international awards. He has worked with some of the most prominent cultural institutions in Europe, including the Munich Kammerspiele, the Schaubühne am Leninplatz in Berlin, the Berlin State Opera, the Vienna Festival and the Salzburg Festival. Until 2016 he was also the leading director of the Thalia Theater in Hamburg. Since then he has worked internationally as a freelance director in cities all over Europe.
In addition to his theatre work, Luk Perceval is a yoga and meditation teacher, and his work combines his interest in the ritual and spiritual dimensions of theatre with a great curiosity for new forms. His openness to new techniques and methods in directing and scenography, and for his unique and inimitable approach to every aspect of the production process, from rehearsal to preparation makes Luk Perceval’s work outstanding.
Belgium
Esther Bol
Graduated from the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts in dramaturgy
In Russia, her plays were performed on leading stages such as The Moscow Art Theater, Alexandrinsky Theater, Bolshoi Dramatic Theater, Taganka Theater, Meyerhold Center
After an immediate and unequivocal declaration of her anti-war, pro-Ukrainian stance, her name was withdrawn from the repertory of most Russian theatres
After leaving Russia, as a sign of the totality of the catastrophe and the impossibility of returning to the past, she changed her name (her previous name was Asya Voloshina)
Performances based on her plays were also created in France, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czech Republic, Moldavia, Israel and Uruguay
Now she lives in France
{ playwright, performer }
There were over 50 shows based on her original plays and adaptations
Lidiia Golovanova
Her plays have been shortlisted numerous times in international drama competitions
Performances based on her plays and concepts have been staged in Germany, Russia (before 2022) and abroad and have been awarded with various theater prizes
As a theater maker and playwright, she's particularly interested in body transformation experience, ritualisation of daily routines and issues of queer vulnerability
Lidiia is a Fellow of the “Weltoffenes Berlin 2024” fellowship program, in the framework of which she is collaborating with the performance collective She She Pop
{ author, theatermaker, slowlifer }
Electra Liberte
Her plays have been staged in Russian cities such as Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Samara, and more
As a musician, she leads the "tema kresta" project, known for its powerful protest songs
She is also an active blogger and runs a Telegram channel about contemporary art called "Trampoline into Trompe-lœil"
Her main interests in the theater field include exploring new media and its influence on contemporary theater
{ playwright, musician, blogger }
Since leaving Russia in 2022, Electra has been based in Europe and is currently working on a new project at the Gorky Theater (Berlin), focusing on grassroots activism in today’s Russia
THE longlist of 33 plays
Agapova Apogeya Russia/India Goa-Petushki
Агапова Апогея Россия/Индия Гоа-Петушки

Alexiou Dimitris Greece A Valley of Poppies

Bialkovich Maryia Belarus/Poland Any Spots with Marks Left Behind
Белькович Мария Беларусь/Польша Любое место, где остались следы

Borodina Polina Germany Berlin Syndrome
Бородина Полина Германия Берлинский синдром

Chenskiy Vitaliy Ukraine/Germany Moonshiner Anna and Her Unlucky Children
Ченский Виталий Украина/Германия Самогонщица Анна и ее непутевые дети

Ilyinchyk Mikita Belarus/Poland Say Hi to Abdo
Ильинчик Микита Беларусь/Польша Say Hi to Abdo

Fassberg Allex Germany My Naked Self
Fassberg Allex Deutschland Meine Nackte Existenz

Fassberg Allex Germany History Drought
Fassberg Allex Deutschland History Drought

Grinstein Nana, Humeniuk Nadiia, Meltendorf Friederike, Reznichenko Natalia, Schmidt Henrike, Solovieva Julia, Zeichenkind Julia
Germany, Russia, Ukraine
Forbidden Feelings ...During the War
Verbotene Gefüle…in Zeiten des Krieges
Забороненi почуття …пiд час вiйни
Запретные чувства …во время войны

Lizorkina Nataliya Russia/Georgia Vanya is Alive
Лизоркина Наталья Россия/Грузия Ваня жив

Machiejevska Malgorzata Poland Come in, Come in
Maciejewska Małgorzata Polska Chodźcie, Chodźcie

Matyushkina Taya Belarus The End of Men
Матюшкина Тая Беларусь Конец мужчин

Mikheleva Maria Russia The Porcupine Dilemma
Михелева Мария Россия Дилемма дикобразов

Моava Jana Germany Summer. Escape
Моava Jana Deutschland Sommer. Fluchten

Pihla Mehis Estonia Business as usual
Pihla Mehis Eesti Rahamaa

Pludovska Aniela Poland Hungry
Płudowska Aniela Polska Głodni

Povilaitis Janis Russia/Lithuania Adventure of a Lost Soldier
Повалайтис Янис Россия/Литва Приключение неизвестного солдата

Potapova Olga Russia Years of Trees
Потапова Оля Россия Годы деревьев

Prusak Olga Belarus/Germany It Was a Nice Performance, the Artists Cried
Прусак Ольга Беларусь/Германия Хороший был спектакль, художник плакал

Razumas Orestas Lithuania Ticks
Razumas Orestas Lietuva Erkės

Samarkandskaya Margarita Russia Dating-2022
Самаркандская Маргарита Россия Дейтинг-2022

Serebriakova Iryna Ukraine/Spain Men in Daylight
Серебрякова Ирина Украина/Испания Мужчины при свете дня

Sobik Daria Poland Tired
Sobik Daria Polska Zmęczone

Sokolovska Marta Poland Please, Let There Be Peace
Sokołowska Marta Polska Proszę, niech zapanuje pokój

Stasiva Marianna Latvia Bones and Skin
Stasiva Marianna Latvija Kauli un āda

Talan Renata Belarus Limbo
Талан Рената Беларусь Лимб

Timerkaev Timur Russia Tableware Dropping Effect
Тимеркаев Тимур Россия Последствия падения столовых приборов

Timofejevs Andrejs Latvia The Timofeyevs and the Death
Тимофеев Андрей Латвия Тимофеевы и смерть

Tott Iva Russia DinaxDina
Tott Iva Россия ДинахДина

Volkonsky Vyacheslav Ukraine Dogs and People
Волконский Вячеслав Украина Люди и собаки

Volkonsky Vyacheslav Ukraine Neither Fish nor Fowl
Волконский Вячеслав Украина Ни два, ни полтора

Węgrzyn Mariusz Poland Equality: Heraclitus' Fire. A Theatrical Score for Three Characters Playing With Fate for the Set Design,Props, and Meaning of the Performance
Węgrzyn Mariusz Polska Równość: ogień Heraklita. Partytura teatralna dla trzechpostaci grających z losem o scenografię, rekwizyty i sens przedstawienia

Yanikova Zukhra Russia/Montenegro Undead (Always to Be Read as Verbed Tenderness)
Яникова Зухра Россия/Черногория Нежить (всегда читать как оглаголенную нежность)
THE SHORTlist of 10 plays
Ilyinchyk Mikita Belarus/Poland Say Hi to Abdo

Fassberg Allex Germany History Drought

Grinstein Nana, Humeniuk Nadiia, Meltendorf Friederike, Reznichenko Natalia, Schmidt Henrike, Solovieva Julia, Zeichenkind Julia
Germany, Russia, Ukraine
Forbidden Feelings… During the War
Verbotene Gefüle…in Zeiten des Krieges
Забороненi почуття… пiд час вiйни
Запретные чувства… во время войны

Pihla Mehis Estonia Business as usual

Sokołowska Marta Poland Please, Let There Be Peace

Talan Renata Belarus Limbo

Volkonsky Vyacheslav Ukraine Dogs and People

Volkonsky Vyacheslav Ukraine Neither Fish nor Fowl

Yoki Yanis Russia/Lithuania Adventure of a Lost Soldier

Yanikova Zukhra Russia/Montenegro Undead
Made on
Tilda