To the attention of the art manager: how to go to performances and festivals with benefit?

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Interest in Ukraine increased the presence of Ukrainian works of art at the international level. In order to attract the attention of a wider audience and gain a foothold in the world and European cultural space, more Ukrainians should be included in the programs of important festivals and, of course, visit them. Among them are Festival d’Avignon in France, Wiener Fetswochen in Austria, Theater der Welt in Germany. Olga Dyatel, co-founder of the proto produktiia educational and cultural event agency, explained why it is important to attend such events and how to do it with benefit. Synchronize In order to gain a foothold on international platforms, works must be interesting to the world. An important question for a work presented abroad: will audiences want to see it again, and will event organizers include it in their programs in the future? In order to understand what foreigners are interested in, one must synchronize with the international discourse. Notice what messages the foreign audience perceives, how they understand what concerns Ukraine, what they want to learn more about. Read also: “A modern work about truth, feminism and anti-imperialism”: “Cassandra” by Lesia Ukrainka was translated and staged in Britain for the first time. At major international festivals, you can even see what topics people are concerned with on other continents. The program is often formed by the curators of the festival: there is a central theme around which the program of events is formed. But each of the participants will still have their own problems. Over time, you can better notice and outline for yourself “national features”: for example, what a British theater would rather be, or what to expect from a Brazilian performance. Olga Dyatel (right) during a trip to the festival. Photo: provided by Olga Dyatel It is important to synchronize with formats as well. Even if you find that your work is not relevant enough to the world, you will still have reference points for further research. This year we organized trips for 11 representatives of the performative sector to festivals in Austria and France and are looking for opportunities to continue this work. After all, we need to learn to understand how people from other countries see us, our activities and our art. The more I see different examples, the more information I have to analyze and implement in my own practice. During this season, she watched 26 performances in Austria, Germany, France, and Romania. In Vienna, thanks to the partnership with the festival, I had the opportunity to watch all the performances that were in the Wienerfestwohen program. In May, more than 10 people watched it. Read also: How Ukraine emerges from the shadow of the Russian Empire. The creative director of the Ukrainian Institute, Tetyana Filevska, explains: This allows you to form your own rating of performances, notice more aspects, and refine your criteria for good and bad. They will always be subjective. But the amount of research constantly affects our ability to see more. Evaluate through different aspects of work. As a result, the “ruler” with which we measure from “good” to “bad” or from “quality” to “poor quality” turns into a long tape measure. Olga Dyatel organized trips abroad. Photo: provided by Olga Dyatel Stock up on contacts Going to events to meet different people is a condition for the development of international relations. It is not only about work contacts, but also about the fact that people know you. That they are interested in drinking lemonade or wine with you in the evening. For example, at the Avignon Festival, you can get a professional card if you really belong to the sector. This gives access to the festival bar where people grab drinks and socialize. From 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM, access is only for professionals, meaning these are important business hours for networking. What are people doing there with varying degrees of success. Read also: “The Russians will not hide from us anymore”: a conversation about the European triumph of Ukrainian modern opera with the composers of Opera Aperta It is good to make it a habit to also contact festivals in advance. For example, for the artists of the Antonin Artaud Scholarship, we agreed on free tickets to the performances of the Wiener Fetswochen festival. This became possible because we made a request to the organizers half a year before the event. And they had time to find sponsors and funds for this. Agency of educational and cultural events proto produktiia is constantly present on international platforms. Photo: provided by Olga Dyatel Discuss I write down my impressions and thoughts so as not to forget anything. And it is much easier to reflect on what you have seen and heard during the discussion. That is why it is useful to attend such events with colleagues, or to look for those with whom you can exchange ideas in the process. Other people may see the same thing, but in a completely different way. And that is also valuable. Look for opportunities Do you have money or resources for cooperation? This is still a very popular question and perspective of colleagues when looking at foreign partners. There is not enough money for culture and art in many countries. Support and funding tools are better configured somewhere. For example, this is how people from Austria and Germany talk about themselves. But in most cases, competition for resources is very high. Therefore, to apply for this resource, you need to understand what your value is as a partner and a full-fledged player of this international environment. Olga Dyatel (on the left in the photo) – during a trip abroad. For example, to become part of the Off program of the Avignon Festival, creators independently invest money in the presentation of themselves. The Avignon Festival was founded in 1947. And in 1966, the Off program appeared for those who remained outside the main scenes. It arose as a protest movement against authorities. Now it’s about 1,000 performances a day, which take place every day during the festival in theaters, garages and anything that can serve as a platform for a performance. Some are very proud of such a program, while others criticize it. After all, the artists themselves pay for this alternative program. Invest their funds or seek funding to present their work. To get into this program you need to: find a location for the presentation in Avignon and money for the presentation. Then it is good to plan a communication campaign so that someone comes to you. Critics of the Off program say that creators become bankrupt in such conditions. Therefore, you can imagine that people may not have the financial resources to cooperate with you. But the organic cooperation that arose on the basis of good contact, common interests and topics can become there the most important resource that will facilitate the search for resources in the future.

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