Please ASK! (Art Science Kick) – Kick-off new methodologies in performing art and science collaboration

The project’s initial phase focused on exploring diverse approaches to art-science collaboration culminating in a 7-day laboratory held in the Bulgarian mountains. Each project partner will then develop a theater performance on a scientific topic – astrobiology, quantum physics, and evolutionary biology – tailored to a specific audience and with the support of a science partner.

The performances will premiere nationally in April 2025, culminating in an international showcase at Sofia’s Theatre of Wonder festival on October 10-12, 2025, accompanied by a conference on art-science collaboration.

Central to Please ASK! is to expand audience engagement with science by making innovative cultural productions accessible to diverse groups: women in science, underrepresented communities, children, teenagers, adults, and families, while empowering artists to approach science responsibly.

Please ASK!’s objectives are to establish performing arts as a dynamic tool to foster societal engagement with science, empower citizens and organizations to address pressing challenges, deepen artists’ understanding of science, scientists, and the scientific process, and create successful innovative models for sustainable art-science partnerships. The project seeks to inspire, inform, and engage a plethora of audiences across Europe, leaving a lasting legacy in the intersection of art and science in the form of high-quality, thought-provoking, and engaged theatre performances.

Please ASK! Partners, Science Topics and Target Audiences:

• Arte Urbana Collectif – Sofia (Theme: Astrobiology; Local Partners: Astronomy Department of Sofia University & Municipal Centre for Extracurricular Activities, Baykal village; Audience: Adults & Teenagers);
• Pro Progressione – Budapest (Theme: Evolutionary Biology; Local Partners: Jane Goodall Institute & Women in Science Association; Audience: Family);
• Dafa Puppet Theatre – Prague (Theme: Quantum Physics; Local Partners: Technical University of Prague & QWorld – QCzech; Audience: Children 7-12).

Please ASK! is a project funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.

With the support of the National Cultural Fund (Nemzeti Kulturális Alap)