Project Nós/Nous ARCHE, is a transnational cooperation project based on one avenue of
previous and ongoing work, forming its background, with the aim of creating an open
space for reflective and innovative work around artistic education in Europe. This
project will happen within an already existent “school- theatre-city” network and
grounds on creative practice as a vehicle for practice-led research. The project revolves
around the creation of an artistic performance directed by an established professional
artist (stage manager) and a team of HE students filling all of the creative and
performing functions. This performance is then presented in all of the theatres in the
project. This Erasmus+ initiative will operate in different European locations (Lisbon,
Porto, Vigo/Santiago de Compostela, Lyon) and involves 9 European organisations (5 HE
schools and 4 theatres), who all aim to improve their pedagogical missions, by
developing and reinforcing existent relationships, responsibilities and commitments
towards 3 target groups: HE schools’ group (students, alumni, teachers, academic
researchers, school staff); theatres’ group (stage manager, trainers and professional
staff) and the city group (local citizens). Through previous experience, partner
organisations have come to a mutual understanding that Project Nós/Nous is defined by
a complex set of long-term relationships, pedagogical commitments and responsibilities,
which form the existing network “school-theatre-city”, and are deeply engrained in
their public service missions.
It is now the purpose of this application to further involve the school and theatre
communities, and the public of participating cities. School/theatre communities will be
engaged through the usual specific web channels and partners’ communication means.
The fact that this three-year project previews local International on-site seminars
(Teaching/Learning/Training activities) in each participating location (Lisbon, Porto,
Lyon and Vigo/Santiago de Compostela) and one performance lab (Teaching /Learning/
Training activities) in three of the project locations (Lisbon, Lyon, Porto), assures the
long-term involvement of the school and academic community as well as professional
theatre organisations ́ staff at large. An annual group of 16 students will be directly
involved in the project, by actively engaging in a creative process with a designated
stage director, mainly through the event of creative residency. This group will integrate
the Creative and Research work team and will be set during the first phase of the
project – international seminars, according to students’ own interest in participating
and, if required, decisive voice of stage manager and host teachers.
The stage manager, which is chosen by national theatres, is already set for the first year
(2021-2022). Formal procedures are already in place for selecting a stage director for
years 2 and 3 of the project. The communication channels of theatre partners (websites,
newsletters) and their networks will be used to engage the public of the cities. Also, for
the whole project period (2021-2024) there will be audience labs (Teaching /Learning/
Training activities) in each city (Lisbon, Porto, Lyon and Vigo/Santiago de Compostela),
which were specifically designed to open up the project to the public of the city. The
preparation meetings for designing of project activities, will work as effective procedure
framing for the identification of site-specific topics of interest within the expected
activities, bearing in mind local and regional differences. The fact that one of the
tangible products of the project is a digital platform, that will both function as an open
repository and a public website, also reveals the common motivation and commitment
of the different partners in having a common practice and knowledge ground for theatre
higher education and professional theatre context, preserving their identities. This will
allow for the involvement of different publics beyond the schools, the theatres, and
participating cities, at a national and transnational level. Furthermore, a video/photo
report of the project (with annual teasers) will fortify the acknowledgement of the
project and engagement of target groups.
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