EXCEPT – Exchange of Community-engaged Performing Arts Practices

The knowledge transfer was based on the recognition, that there is a great need for basic human competence development activities in the current education system (especially in underprivileged regions). The partners of the program were already experienced in SAP (social art practice) in different fields (clownery, music, fine arts, handcraft and – for sure – theatre), were active in different target areas: city slums, underprivileged small villages, also war zones. According to our experiences that stage was an exceptionally effective vehicle of community building, but we felt the need of knowing each other’s best practices.

EXCEPT was about unifying all the various competences that social theatres require and sharing them with each other. They were willing to achieve this in many different ways:

by teaching other partners · by training together and co-producing social theatrical performances · by the mobility of artists and performances · by learning from each other · by organizing a conference about the theoretical findings of the project.

The program had several target groups, reached by various forms of events

devoted art professionals with training’s & practice, performances followed by presentations · professionals of social, health and educational fields with training’s & practice, and performances followed by presentations · related professionals: municipal decision makers; institutional responsibles, consultants · urban planners, rural development experts with conference, performances followed by presentation · underprivileged youngsters by more than 100 performances, art camps, touring.