Governance & Structure IETM is an association based in Brussels and operating under Belgian law. Our governance and organisational structure reflect the current functioning and aspirations of the network.
General Assembly
The General Assembly, held once a year, is the highest authority of the Association. All members have the right to attend the General Assembly, and each member has one vote. Decisions are made by voting, in presence of at least 10% of the members. Members can be represented by another member by a written proxy.
The roles of the General Assembly are to approve the budgets, the membership fees and the accounts; elect and dismiss the Board of Directors and appointed Committee members; amend the articles of the Association; and dissolve the Association.
Board of Directors
The General Assembly delegates its authority to the Board of Directors, between meetings. The Board of Directors consists of seven members who report to the General Assembly.
The Board of Directors has the responsibilities and powers to oversee the legal and financial governance of IETM, the monitoring and approving the internal proceedings and rules of the network and suggestions and modifications of the statutes of IETM to be presented at the General Assembly. It also plans the General Assembly, appoints the Secretary General and assists the Secretary General in official representation of the network.
The Board of Directors is elected by the General Assembly, upon proposal by the Board of Directors, following an open call across the membership. The members of the Board of Directors are elected on individual basis and do not represent their IETM member organisations. The mandate of each Director is three years, with the possibility to renew the mandate once, upon approval at the General Assembly. The quorum has four members. The Board of Directors meets at least twice a year and at the special request of the President.
Jo Mangan
THE PERFORMANCE CORPORATION, Ireland
Jo is Artistic Director/CEO of The Performance Corporation, a multi-platform creative company. She is a Multi-Disciplinary Artist, Director and Curator focusing on the creation of Theatre, Opera, and Immersive Tech experiences as well as developing artists residencies. Jo founded the SPACE Programme - Ireland’s longest running multi-disciplinary international artists residency with a current focus on Arts and Immersive Technology. Running since 2008, it now has a home in Paris at the Centre Cultural Irlandais. She also designed and delivered Creation 21/22, an international Artist’s residency in Catalonia and Ireland, and has been Tutor for the International Performing Arts Network (IETM) in Berlin and Italy.
Cristina Carlini
LIV.IN.G, Italy
Cristina Carlini is a project manager, curator, mentor, freelance consultant and founder of "Liv.In.G. - Live Internationalization Gateway". Since 2005, she has been working in the field of performing arts running international projects, developing new tools and ideas for the sector, taking active part in the advocacy process for contemporary art in Italy. She was project manager of IETM Bergamo 2015, Board Member of C.Re.S.Co. (advocacy organization for contemporary performing arts in Italy) from 2017 to 2019, member of IETM Advisory Board Committee from 2019 to 2023 and local organiser of IETM Campus 2023. She is also engaged in local process of cultural regeneration for Italian Municipalities and in building strong competences on environmental sustainability.
Pippa Bailey
Secretary
Independent, Australia
Pippa Bailey was born in London then grew up and currently lives on Wangal land, Eora Nation (Sydney, Australia). She has performed, produced Festivals, built a new multi-arts centre, curated galleries and talks, flown to the Moon, conjured a museum, supported many independent artists and played with fire. Pippa strives to bring disparate people together to collectively imagine and rehearse brave sustainable futures. She joined IETM in 2009.
Isa Köhler
Bureau Ritter, Germany
Isa Köhler is a Berlin-based dance producer and active member of the international dance community for almost 20 years. Since 2026, she works as a project manager for the international non-profit organisation Bureau Ritter. With a background in dance and theatre studies, she has held positions at PACT Zollverein, Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, the Pina Bausch Foundation, Tanz im August, and the Dance On Ensemble. She was co-director of internationale tanzmesse nrw in 2022 and 2024. Currently, she also serves on the advisory board of choreographer Jefta van Dinther.
Milan Vračar
KULTURANOVA, Serbia
Milan Vračar is an independent cultural producer and a president of Association Kulturanova. He was involved in many international projects and is also collaborating on many most important events in Novi Sad and in Serbia (International film festival Cinema City, International festival of Street Musicians IFUS, Jazz festival, EXIT festival, Sterijino pozorje, INFANT, etc.). In 2017 he became one of the founders of the independent Cultural Centre LAB in Novi Sad, first of its kind in his hometown.
Bek Berger
Artist, Curator, and Dramaturg, Australia/Germany
Bek is an artist, curator, and dramaturg originally from Australia, now based in Berlin. Her practice blends curiosity and innovation, creating new models of connection, collaboration, and reciprocity between artists and communities. From 2020 to 2024, Bek served as the curator of the International Festival of Contemporary Theatre, Homo Novus, in Riga, Latvia, where she initiated a range of international collaborations, including Baltic Take Over Helsinki (LV, LT, EE, FI), The Shake Down with Rosendal Theatre (LV, NO), and The Festivals Path with ANTI Festival (LV, FI). Since 2017, she has worked as dramaturg with dance artist James Batchelor, premiering four works and touring globally to renowned contexts such as Centre Pompidou (FR), Tanz im August (DE), Dance Massive (AU), Spring Forward/Aerowaves 19, and ImPulsTanz (AT).
Marina Barham
Al-Harah Theatre & Global Connector, Palestine
Marina is cofounder and General Director of Al-Harah Theater, President of the Palestinian Performing Arts Network, Vice President of Euromedinculture Network and TAMASI Collective in the MENA Region. She is an active cultural operator in Palestine, the Middle East and Europe. She spoke at several international conferences, festivals and events, produced over 60 theatre productions, managed several international, regional and local tours and Euro Med Projects, and curated the Palestine International Theatre Festival for Children and Youth, the Yalla Yalla Street Festival, and the Bethlehem Site-Specific Theatre Festival in Palestine. Marina joined the IETM network in 2021 through the IETM Global Connect project.
Secretary General
The Secretary General is appointed by the Board of Directors, upon an open call for application. The mandate of the Secretary General is for a fixed term of five years that can be extended for a second term. The Secretary General is accountable to the Board of Directors and shall on a regular basis present the Board of Directors with financial and operational reports, management accounts, and annual reports for approval. In addition the Secretary General consults the Board of Directors with IETM Plenary Meeting proposals and informs the Board of Directors of other relevant activities in a timely manner.
The Secretary General is responsible for developing the vision and strategy of the organisation, defined together with the Board of Directors, in addition to overseeing its implementation. The Secretary General is the manager of the IETM Secretariat team and is responsible for hiring all members of the IETM team.
Ása Richardsdóttir
Brussels/Iceland
Ása joined IETM as Secretary General in March 2019. She has been an active member of the network since 1999. Ása founded an independent theatre venue in Reykjavík in 1994 and has since worked for the performing arts as well as in media, politics, banking and academia. Her former positions include television reporter at RÚV Iceland, executive director of Iceland Dance Company, president of Performing Arts Iceland and director of ICE HOT Reykjavík. Ása has led various Nordic, European and international artistic projects and initiatives and been a catalyst in bringing international attention to Icelandic performing arts and Nordic dance.
Advisory Committee
The General Assembly can at any given time, approve appointment of a Committee set up permanently or temporarily to serve the IETM membership such as the Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee is a self-organised, non-statutory body, with no legal duties, consisting of 12 IETM members (in addition to the members of the Board of Directors) who volunteer for the advancement of IETM.
The Advisory Committee is elected at the General Assembly, upon proposal by the Board of Directors, after recommendation by the Advisory Committee, following an open call across the membership. The mandate of each member is three years, and can be extended for one year, upon approval at the General Assembly. The members of the Advisory Committee are elected on individual basis and do not represent their IETM member organisations. The Advisory Committee is joined by observers who are organisers of recent and upcoming IETM Plenary Meetings. Observers’ mandate go from one year prior to the meeting in question through one year following the meeting.
The Advisory Committee operates as a think-tank to discuss the future direction of the network, and to maintain close relations between the membership and the Secretariat. Its role is to challenge ideas, propose topics and activities, and raise questions that are relevant to the performing arts sector. It aims to provide an informal, diverse, inclusive space for exchange and to provide a voice for the members. Additionally, it supports the Secretariat by giving feedback on proposed actions, policy papers and other strategic matters.
The Advisory Committee includes all the Board Members, as well as:
Sepehr Sharifzadeh
laGeste(les ballets c de la b), Belgium
Sepehr is a Brussels-based Brussels-based Networker, Curator and International Producer in performing arts. Currently, he's working as head of distribution at laGeste (formerly known as Les Ballets c de la b). He co-founded the first international theatre agency in Iran in 2012, aiming to facilitate cross-cultural relations between Iranian theatre and the International performing arts scene. After the pandemic, he initiated several independent projects including the Re-connect online performance festival, the New Narrative Showcase of Iranian contemporary performing arts, and PADA (Producers, Agents, Distributors Alliance), a global network to connect performing arts distributors, producers and agents to connect, gather, and collaborate sustainably). Sepehr has been a member of the IETM Advisory Committee since 2022.
Fanny Martin
Art of Festivals, Canada/Croatia
Fanny is an international creative producer and facilitator specialised in festivals, networks, interdisciplinary projects and art in public space. Born and educated in France, she developed an eclectic freelance project portfolio in the UK and Canada before founding Art of Festivals, a producer-led creative company that brings more art into everyday life and more life into the arts. As of 2024, she is based in Zagreb, Croatia as Executive Director of Music Biennale Zagreb. She is also the International Producer for Motus Mori, an archive of human movement created by Netherlands-based choreographer Katja Heitmann and Research Lead with CIPA - Creative and Independent Producers' Alliance.
Horacio Pérez
Creative Producer, Curator & Global Connector, Chile
Horacio Pérez is a curator and creative producer of performing arts. His professional practice is related to international programming and artistic mobility, promoting exchanges between Latin America and the rest of the world. He has worked in Chilean institutions like PLATEA: Programmers Week of Teatro a Mil Festival and the Theatre Department of Universidad de Chile, among others. Internationally, he has been part of projects like The Festival Academy (Nicosia, Elefsina, New York), Próximamente festival at KVS (Brussels), OpenScape (online) and The Public Theater (New York). As a producer he has collaborated with Uruguayan choreographer Tamara Cubas and Chilean companies Bonobo, Teatro La María and Teatro Anónimo, touring and showing their work in 15 countries. In January 2025 he launched TEMBLOR, a platform for international distribution of Chilean performing arts.
Nwabisa Plaatjie
Independent Producer and Director & IETM Global Connector, South Africa
Nwabisa Plaatjie is a young theatre-maker, administrative producer and leader with over five years of experience. She holds a Master’s degree in Theatre and Performance from the University of Cape Town and is an alumni of the Mandela Washington Fellowship’s Public Management Leadership Institute hosted at the University of Minnesota. Her theatre productions have been performed in South Africa, Germany and China. She has previously worked as a coordinator and curator at The Baxter’s Masambe Theatre, driving its relaunch as a space for performance, collaboration, mentorship and networking. Nwabisa joined the IETM network in 2021 through the IETM Global Connect project.
Marine Karoyan
ARé Fest, Armenia
Marine Karoyan established the ARé Cultural Foundation in 2015 to advance contemporary art through research, development, and presentation. As the Artistic Director of ARé, Karoyan has collaborated with contemporary artists and theorists locally and internationally. ARé has played a key role in major cultural initiatives, including participation as an implementing member in a project involving ten European cultural organizations under the European Commission's Creative Europe framework. As the co-founder of the Karoyan Gallery and former director of the HayArt Cultural Center in Yerevan, she is frequently invited to curate cultural projects locally and internationally.
Jerry Adesewo
Arojah Royal Theatre & Global Connector, Nigeria
Jerry is a Writer, Theatre Producer/Director and Cultural Administrator. He is the founder and artistic director of Arojah Royal Theatre, a professional theatre outfit in Abuja, Nigeria. The theatre has been at the forefront of sustaining theatre culture in Nigeria, especially in Abuja. As a cultural journalist, he has written for NEXT, The Guardian, Trust, National Mirror, Newscalabash, Metropole Magazine, City Pages International Magazine, The Korean Times and The Enlightener Magazine. Jerry's approach to theatre is a deployment of theatre and creative endeavours as a tool for civic engagement.
Camilla Gurtler
THE DEVELOPMENT PLATFORM, Denmark
Camilla is the producer at The Development Platform for the Performing Arts (UP) in Denmark, where she creates and facilitates both national and international residencies, artist development programmes, and networks. She is the project manager of Moving Identities, a three-year European residency programme supported by Creative Europe, focusing on supporting underrepresented performing artists across Europe. Camilla trained as a theatre director at Drama Centre London and worked for 10 years in London, before returning to Denmark. In the UK, she founded Cut the Cord Theatre through which she created and facilitated performing arts exchange projects between the Nordic countries and the UK.
Burcu Yilmaz
A CORNER IN THE WORLD, Turkey
Burcu Yilmaz is the founding partner of A Corner in the World, an organization dedicated to curatorial practices at the intersection of contemporary artistic expression and social engagement. With over 15 years of experience in the arts, culture, and creative industries, her work includes extensive experience in project evaluation—particularly as an external expert for the Creative Europe Program. She has also joined the expert rosters of UNESCO and EIT Culture & Creativity, contributing to global and European-level cultural policy and innovation initiatives. In addition to her curatorial and managerial roles, she is a performer, trainer, and soundpainter with a deep commitment to improvisation and instant composition. She regularly leads programs for children, youth, women, and marginalized communities, using the arts as a powerful tool for expression and connection.
Liz Pugh
Walk the Plank, United Kingdom
Liz Pugh – as Creative Producer for Walk the Plank (UK) Liz works with diverse communities to create civic celebrations and performance in public space - through festivals, site-responsive commissions, and creative collaborations. As well as creating ambitious transnational events, Liz has worked with British Council worldwide – living in Ukraine in 2013/14 and subsequently working in West Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean. She has designed training and events to build the capacity of artists and communities in Wales, where she lives; and developed two European training programmes: School of Participation (2019-21), School of Spectacle (2017-19). Currently Creative Producer for the annual Manchester Day Parade and co-director of Festival of the Sea Grimsby, Liz has been an IETM member since 2014.
Hazem Header
NÜT Dance Company / Breaking Walls Festival & IETM Global Connector 2021-22, Egypt
Hazem is an Egyptian contemporary dancer and choreographer. Hazem studied at the governmental creative center “Cairo Contemporary Dance Center (CCDC)” at Cairo Opera House. In 2013 he founded his own dance company ‘ NÜT Dance Company’ (NDC), which produced over 60 cultural events and performances since 2013 presented in Egypt, Netherlands, United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Italy, Rwanda, Tunisia and Sri Lanka. In 2017 Hazem founded “Breaking Walls Festival” to be the first international festival for site-specific performances in Cairo.
Filip Pawlak
Freelancer & Global Connector, Poland
Filip Pawlak is an independent, performance arts producer and self-advocate for artists with disabilities rights. For the last few years, he has been focusing on collaboration with the Europe Beyond Access project as an ambassador for its Polish projects, as well as co-curator of Learning Journeys in the frame of EBA since 2021.
He currently works as the production manager of Theatretreffen Festival in Berlin - 10Treffen programme. He has a strong background in performing and producing in various Polish theatres (International Culture Center Nowy Teatr in Warsaw, Academy of Theatre Arts Cracow - Faculty of Dance Theatre) and currently lives between Berlin, Warsaw and Malmo. Filip has been an IETM Member since 2021 through the IETM Global Connect programme and also took part in the IETM Campus in 2019.
Harriet Macauley
InDance International, Spain
Harriet is the Artistic Director and Founder of InDance International and an independent choreographer and scholar. Her collaborative practices are all about fluidity, erasing borders and creating common space by moving together, which can be translated into her artistic work on different levels. Working across borders in a multicultural environment, Harriet has been incorporating and cherishing diversity in her practice. Her work is focused on uniting; blending different cultural backgrounds, languages and making them nourish and enhance each other. She has an excellent advantage to work with people who are carriers of bodily wisdom from different corners of the planet, rich in its diversity, which may be expressed in different ways and displayed in her choreographic creations.
Working groups
IETM has several informal temporary, non-statutory, self-organised, working groups which serve the network and can be set up independently by IETM members through contacting the Secretariat.
Current working groups
Find the full list of our current working groups on this page.
