13:00-00:00 | 22 |
Pre-meeting trip to Veliko Tarnovo and GabrovoMeeting point: Toplocentrala Interested participants
Meeting point: Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Venue Accessibility Please note that registrations for this activity are now FULL. This pre-meeting overnight stay will start on Monday 10 June, 13:00 and last until Tuesday 11 June, 22:00. Find out more information about the pre-meeting trip below. |
10:00-12:00 | 20 |
Advisory Committee meetingLocation: Hall 4, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 4, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility For IETM Advisory Committee members only. |
10:00-19:00 | 21 |
Planetarium - Understanding dark matterLocation: Planetarium, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Planetarium, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility This immersive movie experience about space takes place every 30 minutes. Duration: up to 30 min Credits: Planetarium Andromeda Get in touchContact: Sofia Planetarium How to book?You can purchase your tickets on the spot at the reception - no pre-booking required. |
10:00-12:00 | 20 |
Global Connectors Gathering [CLOSED]Location: Hall 3, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 3, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility This session will be the first opportunity for the Global Connectors 2024 to meet in person after six months of online exchanges. The first hour of this session (10:00-11:00) is open to all Global Connectors 2024 and Associate Members attending the Plenary. The second hour (11:00-12:00) will be attended by the Global Connectors 2024 and the programme alumni attending the Plenary to exchange and dialogue on their priorities and experiences. |
10:00-12:00 | 22 |
Artistic Walk: Tangible and intangible venues of the independent performing arts scene in Sofia [FULL]Starting point: Sofia University main entrance, on the stairs of the university between the statues of the two brothers Interested participants
Starting point: Sofia University main entrance, on the stairs of the university between the statues of the two brothers Interested participants
Address: Sofia Center, Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd 15, 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Ending point: Toplocentrala Freedom Lives Here. Sofia boasts a relatively small but unpredictable and diverse independent scene. Discover the city through the perspective of grassroots venues, legislative loopholes and sustainable models of venue management. Learn about the ways our turbulent recent past and current political vacuum made it possible for venues and collectives to emerge and thrive, creatively challenging the seemingly impossible circumstances. Guide: Stephan Prohorov Accessibility: The walk is 3km and will take 2 hours. Maximum number of participants: 25. This session requires pre-registration. Please note this session is now full. |
10:00-21:00 | 22 |
Exhibition Toplo Gallery - CUBE Toplocentrala - A Dream For a Space 7+3 Years ToplocentralaLocation: Gallery-CUBE Toplocentrala, Hall 3 Interested participants
Location: Gallery-CUBE Toplocentrala, Hall 3 Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility CCA Toplocentrala presents a retrospective exhibition following the birth and development of the project from its dream-phase to the active cultural institution that it is today. ‘A Dream For a Space 7+3 Years Toplocentrala’ is a recollection of official, archival material enriched with the private database of the people, who have helped build the art centre, thus combining the institutional narrative with that of the individual. The Toplocentrala Gallery - Cube will be the host of a spatially non-invasive exhibition titled 'ToploCentering', which occupies the walls in such a delicate way, as to allow for the hall to become a platform for the numerous events and meetings on the IETM agenda. Opposed to each other will be two centres aka clusters of data (visual, textual and tangible), revealing the past of Toplocentrala on one side and the present on the other. The rich history of planning, fighting for and defending the realisation of this project will face or mirror its vivid present of organising, maintaining and preserving this haven for theatre, dance, music, painting, sculpture, photography and many more. An extension to the cluster of operative years of Toplocentrala will be a smaller-scale exhibition situated in front of the Cube - in the dedicated ‘Project Space’. There will be a key timeline of Toplocentrala with additional photographs and video, as well as a display of the most important achievements for the performative and visual art worlds, including a variety of statistics that emphasise the colourful, diverse and ever-growing world of Toplocentrala and the local art scene. The exhibitions aim to pay homage to the many years and people, efforts and ambitions that sparked this dream and continuously create the flame that keeps burning today. Accessibility: You can take the walk at your own pace. See the Practical Information for details about accessibility at Toplocentrala. |
11:00-16:30 | 18 |
Daytime meeting spaceLocation: Foyer, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Foyer, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility The foyer at Toplocentrala will act as a space for you to meet up with old and new friends and take a break between or during sessions. You may want to grab a coffee or explore possible collaborations with international peers. It’s your space! |
11:00-16:30 | 18 |
Accreditation and information deskLocation: Foyer, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Foyer, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility You are welcome to collect your badge as soon as you arrive at the venue. The first session will begin at 12:00. |
11:00-17:00 | 22 |
Relaxed RoomLocation: Dressing Room 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Dressing Room 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility A quiet space for participants to unwind. |
12:00-13:00 | 18 |
Who’s there?Location: Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility A speed-meeting session for those who want dedicated time to make new connections. This is the most joyful and fun way to start your meeting experience. Moderator Filip Pawlak, Freelance artist, Poland |
12:30-13:30 | 20 |
Associate Members Meeting [CLOSED]Location: Hall 4, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 4, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility For IETM Associate members only. |
13:00-14:00 | 21 |
Unveiling Bulgaria's independent scene and the Plenary Meeting artistic programmeLocation: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Join this presentation and Q&A to learn more about the performances featured in the artistic programme at the IETM Sofia Plenary Meeting. You will also be able to hear more about the past, present and challenges of the Bulgarian independent arts scene. Speakers Stefan Prohorov, ACT ASSOCIATION, Bulgaria |
14:00-16:00 | 20 |
AREA: Burning Out by Burning In - or towards more fun and better advocacy for arts practice in rural areasLocation: Hall 3, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 3, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility The AREA network has been focussing on different methods of artists working in rural areas. In this working group, they will start sharing what ‘burning in’ means to rural communities, understanding the subjects that are important for the community, creating your own work space and building trust as part of a creation process. The circumstances we work in, cultural funds that have ‘urban’ conditions, missing infrastructure for artists and how to talk about climate change where populists have a majority in municipal government are all contributing factors for a good, deep, professional Burn Out. This meeting aims to give support to artists to carry out their advocacy better, smarter and with more fun. We do that by analysing our questions, sharing experiences and learning from each other - an active working group session with a result. The moderators are active members of the AREA network. Catherine Paskell, DIRTY PROTEST, United Kingdom |
14:00-16:00 | 20 |
Environmental Working GroupLocation: River Park, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: River Park, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility The IETM Environmental Working Group aims to work towards a more sustainable and green future for the performing arts and make the arts sector a leading force in environmental processes. This session will act as a space for sharing best practices and practical solutions for making the performing arts sector more environmentally friendly at every level. Moderators Pippa Bailey, Producer/Director, Australia |
14:00-16:00 | 20 |
Participatory and Immersive Creation Group (PIC)Location: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility This interactive session facilitated by the PIC group aims to think in practical terms about what it means to develop, present and tour an immersive and/or participatory art experience with sustainability and environmental consciousness in mind. Best practices will be exchanged and case studies will be looked at in order to share practical solutions to concrete problems. The Participatory and Immersive Creation group (PIC) aims to provide a space for IETM members to tackle central issues we have in creating, presenting and producing this genre of work, through open discussions, experience sharing and creative exchanges. Moderators Isadora Bigazzi, Effetto Larsen, Italy |
14:00-16:00 | 20 |
Artists Working GroupLocation: Outdoor Tent, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Outdoor Tent, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Initiated at the Belgrade Plenary in 2022, the Artists Working Group is a network of IETM members who work primarily as artists. It is a space for meeting, exchanging and discussing artistic topics and building concrete networks of support and artistic exchange beyond project-based collaborations. It aims to focus on freelance artists’ perspectives and realities within IETM, increasing our visibility and effecting structural change. Artists Working Group aims to centralise the artist’s perspective and invites deeper dialogue on all issues with members, working groups and the IETM Board. The group adopts intercultural, horizontal and inclusivity values and procedures. You can reach the group by writing to [email protected]. WHAT’S YOUR UTOPIA? Join the Artists Working Group for a collective creation. Dream, develop and define your utopia. In groups, participants will dream big, focus on what’s important and develop possible creative solutions to current challenges using generative, optimistic prompts grounded in reality. These utopias will serve as research that will be presented to IETM for future advocacy. This two hour session will include fake crying, big dreams and hope for the future. Moderators Dalia Kiaupaite, Freelance artist, Lithuania |
14:00-16:00 | 20 |
Producers GroupLocation: Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility This Producer Working Group gathering is co-hosted by members of international producer networks who are collaborating to foster dialogue and solidarity amongst producers of contemporary live arts. It is open to everyone who identifies as a producer, independent and/or associated with a company or institution, working at all scales and in all live art forms. The working group is an opportunity for participants to explore together how producers can support each other on questions of advocacy, information exchange, producer development and the creation & circulation of new works. Moderators Fanny Martin, CIPA, Croatia |
15:00-18:00 | 21 |
Sensory Theatre - PortalLocation: On the river towards the left side of the bridge, towards the mountains Interested participants
Location: On the river towards the left side of the bridge, towards the mountains Interested participants
Address: Ivan Vazov District, 3 Petko Karavelov Blvd., Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility This site specific performance will be located on a steep slope heading down to the river and is not accessible for people with limited mobility. The performance requires good walking shoes and comfortable clothes to enjoy the experience. The sensory experience requires silence, touch from the facilitator and contact with the water. It's a unique individual experience. IF WATER IS A DOOR, A PORTAL… (and this may be true more literally than we can imagine yet…) …then what lies on the other side - and have we already passed through? Indeed - who is the ‘water’? Is it possible for the answers to these questions to be available not to THINKERS and their rational minds, but to EXPERIENCERS through their senses and intuition? And if so, would you become one of them? PORTAL is an immersive sensory performance created by SENSORY THEATRE SOFIA, in a site-specific context of the river and the water park next to TOPLOCENTRALA. Duration: 30 min. Individual entrance is permitted every 10 minutes at the following time: 15:00 Genre: Sensory theatre, site specific theatre Get in touchProduction contact : Zlatina Toleva, PR Manager Global Vision Circle tel:(+359)0885 617 207 Status: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available to purchase on the spot, in the Foyer at Toplocentrala. There will be a printed schedule and you can book your preferred time slot for June 12, 13 or 14, from 15:00 until 18:00. It’s a personal experience, so you can enter individually at your allocated time. The performance is limited to 20 people a day. Important: After you register at the Toplocentrala reception and receive a ticket with the exact entry time of your performance , please arrive at the location 10 minutes before to be able to enjoy the performance. |
16:00-17:00 | 19 |
Sensing Earth: Cultural Quests Across a Heated Globe [Wednesday keynote]Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility 16:00 - 17:00 EEST | 14:00 - 15:00 BST | 15:00 - 16:00 EET | 15:00 - 16:00 CEST | 21:00 - 22:00 SGT | 22:00 - 23:00 JST/KST | 00:00 - 01:00 AEDT | 06:00 - 07:00 PST In his opening keynote, sociologist Pascal Gielen will direct our focus to a subject that threads through the tapestry of our professional and personal realms: the intricate entanglement of nature, culture and our mental condition. The lecture will illuminate the cultural sector's ongoing conundrum — the imperative of cultural mobility for rich and authentic exchange versus the ecological footprint this mobility creates. As professionals in the arts, we grapple with this tension: the necessity of physical nearness to foster cultural dialogue stands in contrast to the pressing need for sustainability and environmental stewardship, while digital technology seems to fall short in each of these arenas. In response to these dilemmas, Gielen proposes three aesthetic strategies that offer pathways toward reconciling these paradoxes. 'Beautiful Thinking' which seeks to integrate the intuitive and the emotional with the intellectual, forming a holistic approach to our environmental and cultural crises. 'Situational in-situ art' which emphasises profound engagement with local contexts, fostering art that emerges from and resonates with the specifics of place. 'Depth aesthetics' which encourages a dive into the underlying strata of our experiences, connecting with our ancestors and the historical, geological, and ecological layers that define our environmental cultures. These strategies offer creative approaches to the tensions we face and form a call to action. They invite us to redefine our cultural practices, to seek solutions that honour our need for cultural proximity while respecting the ecological boundaries of our planet. Speaker Pascal Gielen, Professor of Sociology of Culture and Politics University of Antwerp, Belgium Welcome by This session will be captioned and broadcasted online on Howlround.tv. Access the livestream on the day here. |
17:15-19:00 | 18 |
Welcome receptionLocation: BAR STAGE Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: BAR STAGE Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Come and say hello to old friends and meet new ones as we gather to celebrate the start of IETM Sofia. We look forward to seeing you there! |
18:00-18:30 | 21 |
TanTou - RE(W)RITE! - human specific performanceLocation: Toplocentrala yard, near BAR STAGE Terrace Interested participants
Location: Toplocentrala yard, near BAR STAGE Terrace Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility RE(W)RITE! is an immersive performance, a ritual space devoid of fictional elements, roles or characters, that takes the audience on an emotional, participatory, journey. Duration: 25 min. Credits: Performers: Nullo Facchini, Maria Stoyanova Get in touchProduction contact: www.tantou.dk How to book?Book a ticket and be at the BAR STAGE terrace 10 minutes before the scheduled time: 18:00 or 18:30. |
18:30-19:00 | 21 |
TanTou - RE(W)RITE! - human specific performanceLocation: Toplocentrala yard, near BAR STAGE Terrace Interested participants
Location: Toplocentrala yard, near BAR STAGE Terrace Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility RE(W)RITE! is an immersive performance, a ritual space devoid of fictional elements, roles or characters, that takes the audience on an emotional, participatory, journey. Duration: 25 min. Credits: Performers: Nullo Facchini, Maria Stoyanova Get in touchProduction contact: www.tantou.dk How to book?Book a ticket and be at the BAR STAGE terrace 10 minutes before the scheduled time: 18:00 or 18:30. |
19:00-20:30 | 21 |
Brainstore project - Euphoria of sickness or crossing microscopic boundariesLocation: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility The virus becomes the key to an artistic space where the boundaries between disease, understanding and human experience are blurred and transformed. The Euphoria of Sickness performance delves into the deep subject of disease through the ‘body’ of one of the smallest yet most powerful pathogens known to mankind - the virus - to look at the most critical moment for any human: the encounter with contagion. The performance explores the multi-layered relationship between the host cell and the virus to present its abstract perspective on these minute - yet so essential - complexities intertwined in a common ‘dance’. In Euphoria of Sickness, the virus is a metaphorical projection of a silent invader - like a tempter - of a force of nature that forms from attackers. The mechanisms of attack and spread of contagion are revealed through a series of fluid and dynamic scenes, highlighting the adaptability, resilience and unpredictability of the viral presence. The performance goes beyond the literal, delving into the symbolic aspects of contagion and interweaving insights and intuitive experiences of encountering the unknown, creating a stage environment that reflects the complex relationships between humans and the virus. In it thrives the inevitable euphoria. Duration: 1 hour 30 min Credits: Willy Prager, Iva Sveshtarova Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring. More info on the Brainstore Project website or Facebook page. How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through URBO APP. The discount is automatically applied through the affiliate link below.
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19:00-23:00 | 21 |
Planetarium - Amazing journey to the solar systemLocation: Planetarium, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Planetarium, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility This immersive movie experience about space takes place every hour between 19:00-23:00. Duration: up to 40 min Get in touchContact: Sofia Planetarium How to book?You can purchase your tickets on the spot at the reception - no pre-booking required. |
19:30-21:00 | 21 |
Yalta Art Room - The Maids by Jean GenetLocation: Yalta Art Room Interested participants
Location: Yalta Art Room Interested participants
Address: 20 Tzar Osvoboditel Bul. | Event Map | Venue Accessibility The Maids explores the need and longing for self-destruction, the brutality of loneliness, the nature of the erotic, how the spirit is being dominated, what subjugation is and the disintegration and consequent replacement of one’s identity. It depicts the characters' destructive attempts to find self-validation and questions whether one can retain their humanity, reason and spirit amidst erodent insufficiency. The Maids hurl us into the depths of human misery, where man and his reality are entangled in a labyrinth of delusion that makes playing and living synonymous. Madness is a last resort, logic serves feelings and heaven is no more. Duration: 1h20 Credits: Director: Kristina Belomorska The project is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Department ‘Theatre’. Get in touchProduction contact : Yalta Art Room How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through the ePayGO ticketing platform. The discount is automatically applied through the affiliate link below.
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19:30-01:00 | 18 |
Late night meeting pointLocation: BAR STAGE Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: BAR STAGE Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility An informal moment to come back together, network, relax with colleagues and friends and meet new faces on the large terrace at Toplocentrala. |
19:30-21:00 | 21 |
I AM Studio - What is Virginia Woolf Afraid Of?Location: I AM Studio Interested participants
Location: I AM Studio Interested participants
Address: 149 "Georgi S. Rakovski" St., 1000 Sofia Center, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Directed by Teya Sugareva, this original theatre piece explores the complexities of Virginia Woolf's life, positioning her as one of the foremost figures in modern literature. Set against the backdrop of turbulent wartime conditions, as the world stands on the precipice of impending catastrophe, Virginia Woolf confronts the limits of her own endurance. Struggling with deteriorating health and a restless mind, she finds herself unable to engage in her literary pursuits, culminating tragically in a final, fatal attempt at suicide. What is Virginia Woolf Afraid Of? aims to reassess this profound act, revealing within it the inherent beauty of the human spirit and an unyielding thirst for life – genuine and unbridled, emancipated from society norms and personal fears. Furthermore, it endeavours to portray her death as a dignified and affirming claim of life. Going beyond the confines of her erudite persona, the portrayal of Virginia Woolf unveils recollections of childhood comfort, the exuberance of youth and the poignancy of first love. Presenting her as a figure almost fragile and resilient, distant yet intimately relatable, as she struggles constantly with her inner demons, overcoming the limitations of perception with the profound insight of a true visionary. Duration: 1 hour Credits: Director: Teya Sugareva Get in touchProduction contact : Small city theatre off the channel How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through I AM Studio ticketing platform. The discount is automatically applied through the affiliate link and will be available soon. The performance is limited to 30 tickets.
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19:30-21:30 | 21 |
Derida Stage - Kvetch by Steven BerkoffLocation: Derida Stage Interested participants
Location: Derida Stage Interested participants
Address: 32 Tsar Samuil St. (Intersection of Bistritsa St. with Tsar Samuil St.) | Event Map | Venue Accessibility We all live in the shadow of mortal fear… of cancer, of AIDS, of unemployment, of impotence - fear of fear, of a forgotten line, from losing money, from making a lot of money, from going bald, getting fat, getting ugly, dumb, being stuck up, being shy, fear of failure, fear of making a bad impression, fear of the strong, of being weak, of being exposed, of being without a pension, without security, fear of ageing, fear of death, of war, of a car accident …this play is dedicated to the fearful. Duration: 1h30m Credits: Supported by the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture Get in touchProduction contact: DERIDA STAGE How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through ePayGO ticketing platform through the link below. The discount of 20% will be applied when enter a promo code WELCOME24
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21:00-21:30 | 21 |
United Cowboys - Speechless SpeechLocation: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Speechless Speech is a chapter from the monumental performance The New Piece. United Cowboys takes along their findings about (cultural) identity, about individuality and about generosity into a performance for and by four dancers. Maarten van der Put and Pauline Roelants have both established their artistic signatures through their intrinsic expertise to channel the individual performer’s power and vulnerability. By merging four dancers with backgrounds in ballet, urban, modern dance and performative physicality respectively, United Cowboys is able to extract the best out of this unique composition. Duration: 30 min Credits: Concept: Maarten van der Put and Pauline Roelants In collaboration with Bulgarian performers: Vassilia Drebova, Marion Darova, Nathan Cooper. Get in touchProduction contact : Pauline Roelants How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through URBO APP via the link below.
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21:30-23:00 | 21 |
VOX POPULI - ExhibitsLocation: Alley 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Alley 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Exhibits is an outdoor theatrе installation in which viewers meet unique ‘exhibits’ in their personal bio-space of 1 sq.m. Exhibits reveals the strength, eccentricity and worldview of people deviating from the social standard. These are stories of real-life individuals, conveyed by the actors through verbatim earphone technique. 1 sq.m is our untouchable zone, an arm's length away, the small circle of attention and the limit of intimacy. The spectator and the actor enter into direct human contact, which can hardly happen in the theatre hall. Genre: Verbatim theatre Credits: Neda Sokolovska Get in touchProduction contact : VOX POPULI How to book?The spots where the artist is going to perform are located outside Toplocentrala, in the park alley. You can join and listen to a story at whichever time you like. No tickets required. |
22:00-22:20 | 21 |
New Circus - Fire showLocation: BAR STAGE Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: BAR STAGE Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Wild fireshow on the amazing terrace in the park. Duration: 20 min Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?This performance is free of charge. Arrive at the terrace 10 minutes before the performance is due to start and enjoy the show with fire and music. |
22:30-23:30 | 21 |
Storycatchers - BURN OFFLocation: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility BURN OFF is an improvisational theatre in which Storycatchers will be hunting for your personal stories, feelings and complaints to become the web of scripts for an unique show. How do you cope with your life? Come to laugh and cry about it together. Storycatchers is a theatre company focused on social art and playback theatre in the age of art and psychology rooted into the storytelling traditions of the ancients. Duration: 1 hour Credits: Alexander Eftimov, Ina Gerginova - Eftimova, Violona Vasileva, Martina Veleva, Alexander Chobanov, Yanitza Atanasova, Madlen Malenov, Konstantin Kuchev Get in touchProduction contact : Storycatchers How to book?This performance is free of charge and requires no pre-booking - just turn up! |
22:30-23:59 | 21 |
Christian Bakalov - One-Two - Show 1 & 2Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Please note that this performance consists of two separate shows. You only need to book and pay for one show at either 22:30 or 00:15 via the booking link below. breathing (inhale One - exhale Two). The hyperventilation that the dancers are under the influence of at all the time makes their body movements sensitive, with heightened sensibility and devoid of theatricality or acting, referring to one of Marina Abramović's early works - ‘Rhythm 4’, 1974. One Two is a breathing story about life, love, despair, pain, hope before death and dance as a way to go through them to make sense of them. Time: First performance at 22:30 and second performance at 00:15 Credits: Christian Bakalov Get in touchProduction contact: Christian Bakalov How to book?Enter the URBO APP via the link below and select the date and time of the performance. You can select the first show at 22:25 or the second show at 00:15. This performance is limited to 25 people and is an immersive performance using infra-red cameras, requiring audience participation.
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09:00-18:00 | 18 |
Daytime meeting spaceLocation: Foyer, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Foyer, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility The foyer at Toplocentrala will act as a space for you to meet up with old and new friends and take a break between or during sessions. You may want to grab a coffee or explore possible collaborations with international peers. It’s your space! |
09:00-21:00 | 22 |
Relaxed RoomLocation: Hall 4, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 4, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility A quiet space for participants to unwind. |
09:00-18:00 | 18 |
Accreditation and information deskLocation: Foyer, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Foyer, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Our staff will be at the accreditation desk to answer your questions and provide you with your badge if you weren’t able to get it the day before. The first session on Thursday starts at 10:00. |
09:30-11:00 | 18 |
Breakfast with the Global Connectors [FULL]Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Following the Global Connect 'Conversation Starters' Online Sessions held on 30 April, 30 participants have the opportunity to share breakfast with the 10 Global Connectors 2024 to deepen the discussions and ideas sparked online in a face-to-face setting. You can watch the sessions recordings with the presentations of each Global Connector here. Please note that this session is now FULL. |
09:30-10:30 | 22 |
Burn In: Connecting bodyLocation: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Offering so many impressions, IETM meetings can be intense for the mind. Тo sustain your energy, good mood, freshness and curiosity, we’re offering this gentle physical session with your body - which is always here and now and ready to support your ‘burn in’ experience. Maximum number of participants: 30 Just turn up - first come, first served. Please consider bringing spare change of clothes. Moderators Veselin Dimov, Toplocentrala, Bulgaria |
09:30-11:00 | 22 |
Artistic Walk: City Sensory Journey [FULL]Meeting point: In front of National Gallery Interested participants
Meeting point: In front of National Gallery Interested participants
Address: pl. "Sveti Aleksandar Nevski" 6 | Event Map | Venue Accessibility The City Sensory Journeys present an unusual point of view towards the city and its many dimensions. These journeys allow us to reach a deeper state of awareness about the space outside and within ourselves. An experience beyond words engaging all senses of the participants (sights, hearing, touch, smell, taste). These are journeys for those of you who like to explore and experiment, and those of you looking for poetry and the soul of the world around you. Last but not least, these are journeys which help you slow down, stop time, even lose yourself completely. It depends entirely on you how far you will go. Guide: Sensory Theatre Sofia and the Institute for Silence Research Accessibility: The walk is about 3.5km long and participants will be blindfolded for most of the walk. It is not suitable for people with mobility difficulties. Maximum number of participants: 20. This Artistic Walk has reached its maximum capacity. Price: Free of charge with an optional discretionary donation at the end of the walk |
10:00-11:00 | 18 |
Who's there?Location: Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility A speed-meeting session for those who want dedicated time to make new connections. This is the most joyful and fun way to start your meeting experience. Moderator Filip Pawlak, Freelance artist, Poland |
10:00-19:00 | 21 |
Planetarium - Understanding dark matterLocation: Planetarium, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Planetarium, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility This immersive movie experience about space takes place every 30 minutes. Duration: up to 30 min Credits: Planetarium Andromeda Get in touchContact: Sofia Planetarium How to book?You can purchase your tickets on the spot at the reception - no pre-booking required. |
10:00-21:00 | 22 |
Exhibition Toplo Gallery - CUBE Toplocentrala - A Dream For a Space 7+3 Years ToplocentralaLocation: Gallery-CUBE Toplocentrala, Hall 3 Interested participants
Location: Gallery-CUBE Toplocentrala, Hall 3 Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility CCA Toplocentrala presents a retrospective exhibition following the birth and development of the project from its dream-phase to the active cultural institution that it is today. ‘A Dream For a Space 7+3 Years Toplocentrala’ is a recollection of official, archival material enriched with the private database of the people, who have helped build the art centre, thus combining the institutional narrative with that of the individual. The Toplocentrala Gallery - Cube will be the host of a spatially non-invasive exhibition titled 'ToploCentering', which occupies the walls in such a delicate way, as to allow for the hall to become a platform for the numerous events and meetings on the IETM agenda. Opposed to each other will be two centres aka clusters of data (visual, textual and tangible), revealing the past of Toplocentrala on one side and the present on the other. The rich history of planning, fighting for and defending the realisation of this project will face or mirror its vivid present of organising, maintaining and preserving this haven for theatre, dance, music, painting, sculpture, photography and many more. An extension to the cluster of operative years of Toplocentrala will be a smaller-scale exhibition situated in front of the Cube - in the dedicated ‘Project Space’. There will be a key timeline of Toplocentrala with additional photographs and video, as well as a display of the most important achievements for the performative and visual art worlds, including a variety of statistics that emphasise the colourful, diverse and ever-growing world of Toplocentrala and the local art scene. The exhibitions aim to pay homage to the many years and people, efforts and ambitions that sparked this dream and continuously create the flame that keeps burning today. Accessibility: You can take the walk at your own pace. See the Practical Information for details about accessibility at Toplocentrala. |
11:00-12:30 | 19 |
International Networks and their role in developing Sustainable International VenuesLocation: Hall 3, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 3, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility When the last IETM Sofia Plenary Meeting took place in 2014, the need for an independent performing arts centre in the city was one of the main topics of discussion; we visited a number of potential spaces and discussed the development and sustainability of interdisciplinary cultural venues. And together with IETM members and participants, Toplocentrala was selected as the most suitable location. The city of Sofia accepted their expertise and developed the space into the new centre for contemporary performing arts in Sofia. Now, a decade later, we return to celebrate Toplocentrala. IETM and similar international networks played a crucial role in the development of the centre - sharing knowledge, gathering feedback and fostering collaboration between stakeholders. Using Toplocentrala and other performing arts centres as examples, we will discuss a roadmap for how international networks can support the development of new venues. Be ready to talk about your own projects, because we will use this practical session to discuss the challenges and opportunities together. Speakers Vikram Iyengar, Pickle Factory Dance Foundation, Global Connector 2024, India |
11:15-12:45 | 19 |
Sensing Earth WorkshopLocation: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility This workshop encourages practitioners to further reflect on the environmental, organisational and political aspects of their practice, and to explore tangible new ideas for the development of greener, more resilient, and ecologically connected performing arts. Participants will break into three groups, each of which will tackle one of the themes below. Tackling the tension between artistic autonomy and environmental responsibility placed on artistic work - whether art is being instrumentalised for ecological purposes and how growing demands for ‘climate proof’ art may change the aesthetics of its works. How can we develop autonomous aesthetics that are closer to the Earth, to nature and our ancestors, perhaps by drawing lessons from indigenous cultural practices? Sensing Earth Organisations: How Can We Constitute Ecologically Sustainable Art Institutions? Given the potential influx of greening regulations aimed at benefiting our ecosystems, which can be challenging for cultural organisations, we look at how to take environmental sustainability into our own hands. We look at strategies for self-organisation based on the principles of the commons, which offer a third space between state (government subsidies) and market (creative industries). How could the performing arts make cultural organisations greener, yet more resilient, by managing natural and cultural resources independently and in a circular manner? Sensing Earth Politics: How Can We Influence Decision-Making that serves People and Planet Political decision-making focuses too much on greening existing industry sectors through technological innovation. Arts and culture are expected to deliver the creative resources that drive such innovations, to increase citizens’ ecological awareness and to mitigate socio-economic decline in places that are undergoing profound climate-related transition processes. We will attempt to design elements of more advanced cultural policies that respect culture and nature as one ecosystem that serves people and planet rather than already powerful industries and lobbies. Moderators |
14:00-15:30 | 19 |
How do we make it work? A panel on working conditions and status of the artistLocation: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Amidst the challenges magnified by the pandemic, the importance of the 'status of the artist' has become increasingly evident in both national and international dialogues. This concept has not only influenced numerous discussions but has also been incorporated into the names of new laws. The topic of working conditions in the cultural sector has gained momentum at the European Union level, and several national governments across the globe introduced new measures to tackle it. However, UNESCO’s recent study investigated the global situation and concluded that despite the increase in various laws and measures to address artists’ status, conditions are worsening for many artists worldwide. What are the reasons? Is political will insufficient to effect change, especially in the face of rapid changes and constantly emerging global challenges? Are these measures too progressive for their rather conservative contexts? Or is there a lack of recognition of both old and emerging issues that artists really face today? This panel aims to make a breakthrough in the ongoing quest for better working conditions in the arts sector by gaining deeper insight into the types of solutions in place and the obstacles to their success, and shedding light on the nuances crucial for advocating or designing policies in this complex field. Moderator Elena Polivtseva, Independent Researcher, Belgium Speakers Tom Fleming, Tfc Consultancy, United Kingdom |
15:00-18:00 | 21 |
Sensory Theatre - PortalLocation: On the river towards the left side of the bridge, towards the mountains Interested participants
Location: On the river towards the left side of the bridge, towards the mountains Interested participants
Address: Ivan Vazov District, 3 Petko Karavelov Blvd., Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility This site specific performance will be located on a steep slope heading down to the river and is not accessible for people with limited mobility. The performance requires good walking shoes and comfortable clothes to enjoy the experience. The sensory experience requires silence, touch from the facilitator and contact with the water. It's a unique individual experience. IF WATER IS A DOOR, A PORTAL… …then what lies on the other side - and have we already passed through? Indeed - who is the ‘water’? Is it possible for the answers to these questions to be available not to THINKERS and their rational minds, but to EXPERIENCERS through their senses and intuition? And if so, would you become one of them? PORTAL is an immersive sensory performance created by SENSORY THEATRE SOFIA, in a site-specific context of the river and the water park next to TOPLOCENTRALA. Duration: 30 min. Individual entrance is permitted every 10 minutes at the following time: 15:00 Genre: Sensory theatre, site specific theatre Get in touchProduction contact : Zlatina Toleva, PR Manager Global Vision Circle tel:(+359)0885 617 207 Status: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available to purchase on the spot, in the Foyer at Toplocentrala. There will be a printed schedule and you can book your preferred time slot for either June 12, 13 or 14,4 from 15:00 until 18:00. It’s a personal experience, so you canwill enter individually at your allocated time. The performance is limited to 20 people per day. Important: After you register at the Toplocentrala reception and receive a ticket with the exact entry time of your performance, please arrive at the location 10 minutes before to be able to enjoy the performance. |
15:30-17:00 | 19 |
What we burn for and what we burn out from [FULL]Location: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility In this small group session led by a psychotherapist, artist and writer with over 24 years’ practice, you will learn practical techniques to help centre your thoughts and feelings as you move through your day – whether you have five, three or only a minute! Participants will be asked to share the biggest points of stress in their lives, and we will draw on a range of techniques - breathing, body work, meditation and creative activities – to discover the most useful tools for tackling them. Working with the group, you’ll have the opportunity to rehearse putting the tools into practice. Wear loose clothing, warm socks and comfortable shoes for walking and moving. Please note that registrations for this session are now FULL. Moderator Virginia Zaharieva, Artist & Psychotherapist, Bulgaria |
15:45-17:15 | 19 |
Defining a professional artist - measure for measureLocation: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Europe hosts a wide variety of contexts for artists to work within. Some of them include more and some less obvious ways on how an artist can survive and live sustainably by practising their profession and the adjacent competencies. As a follow-up to the panel How do we make it work? on working conditions and the status of the artist, this session will provide a practical and hands-on approach to help us get on the same page in the rich contextual environment. We will form working groups to explore further local contexts and possible ways to define what a professional artist is, based on a variety of social, economic and cultural factors. We will aim at developing an ‘Are you an Artist?’ calculator in order to help better ‘quantify’ what a professional artist is. Moderators |
16:00-17:00 | 18 |
Create and Collaborate with France and GermanyLocation: Hall 3, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 3, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility An informative session hosted by Institut francais, ONDA - Office National de Diffusion Artistique and Goethe-Institut. IETM is proud to present a new session to be hosted at IETM plenaries from now on, starting at IETM Sofia 2024. Aimed at demystifying processes and giving IETM members and our international guests an insight into the work of our Associate Members, three of them, Institut francais, ONDA - Office National de Diffusion Artistique and Goethe-Institut, will host an informative session about opportunities they offer for performing arts professionals based outside of France and Germany. The session will start with a short presentation of current opportunities and programmes, and representatives from all three organisations will remain available for questions from participants. Speakers Catherine Faudry, Institut Français, Serbia |
17:30-18:20 | 21 |
Art Office - The oranges and love of…Location: Amphitheatre, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Amphitheatre, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility The popular play by the Italian playwright Carlo Gozzi ‘The Love of Three Oranges’, together with the poem by Jacques Prevert ‘Like A Miracle’, are the foundation of the play The oranges and love of… by Anastasia Subeva. It is a vibrant celebration honouring humans’ foolishness and naivety, while at the same time talking about how wonderful man can be in their inability to achieve their beauty and dreams. Through the prism of street comedy the authors mock excessive ambition, greed, ignorance and naivety. Clown performance, music, songs, dance and acrobatics are among the main means of expression of the actors Augustina-Kalina Petkova, Ventseslav Dimitrov and Nikolay Nikolaev, who put their gravity and plasticity to the test. All of this happens in close proximity to the audience - on the square, without the constraints and vanity of the theatre hall. Duration: 50 minutes Credits: Adapted and directed by: Anastasia Subeva Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Free of charge. |
18:00-18:30 | 21 |
TanTou - RE(W)RITE! - human specific performanceLocation: Toplocentrala yard, near BAR STAGE Terrace Interested participants
Location: Toplocentrala yard, near BAR STAGE Terrace Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility RE(W)RITE! is an immersive performance, a ritual space devoid of fictional elements, roles or characters, that takes the audience on an emotional, participatory, journey. Duration: 25 min. Credits: Performers: Nullo Facchini, Maria Stoyanova Get in touchProduction contact: www.tantou.dk How to book?Enter your name at the participation list and be at the BAR STAGE terrace 10 minutes the scheduled time: 18:00 or 18:30. |
18:30-19:00 | 21 |
TanTou - RE(W)RITE! - human specific performanceLocation: Toplocentrala yard, near BAR STAGE Terrace Interested participants
Location: Toplocentrala yard, near BAR STAGE Terrace Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility RE(W)RITE! is an immersive performance, a ritual space devoid of fictional elements, roles or characters, that takes the audience on an emotional, participatory, journey. Duration: 25 min. Credits: Performers: Nullo Facchini, Maria Stoyanova Get in touchProduction contact: www.tantou.dk How to book?Enter your name at the participation list and be at the BAR STAGE terrace 10 minutes the scheduled time: 18:00 or 18:30. |
19:00-20:15 | 21 |
36 Monkeys - 37 MatchesLocation: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility 37 Matches is a play that walks on the edge of the crime story genre. It is also a play about social inequalities in Western societies, which are increasingly exacerbating the tensions between people. These dynamics threaten to explode our connective social fabric. It is no coincidence that the title refers to Andersen's The Little Match Girl. The play will take us directly into the life of Elena, who is a caregiver and at this very moment goes to see yet another client. Everything seems as usual, even better than usual. The agency offers good conditions, the house is nice and the family seem kind. However, she starts feeling pressured from all sides. Her own family needs the money she earns in Germany, and the clients are proving to be less than trouble-free. Duration: 1h15m Credits: Zdrava Kamenova and Gergana Dimitrova Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through URBO APP. The discount is automatically applied through the affiliate link below.
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19:00-23:00 | 21 |
Planetarium - Amazing journey to the solar systemLocation: Planetarium, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Planetarium, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility This immersive movie experience about space takes place every hour between 19:00-23:00. Duration: up to 40 min Get in touchContact: Sofia Planetarium How to book?You can purchase your tickets on the spot at the reception - no pre-booking required. |
19:30-20:10 | 21 |
Derida Stage - FractusLocation: Derida Stage Interested participants
Location: Derida Stage Interested participants
Address: 32 Tsar Samuil St., 1000 Sofia Center, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility FRACTUS is a visual dance performance in which bodies interact with each other in a certain geometric structure. In the performance, this internal relationship develops in many layers, building a universal pattern in the relationship, which associatively leads the viewer to a personal experience. This visual expression follows the natural regularity of fractals, which are geometric shapes made up of smaller, similar parts. They move in the so-called organised chaos, in which each component develops its own trajectory, limited to a common geometric figure. The concept of the performance provides an opportunity to observe from different perspectives, which allows the viewer to build their own three-dimensional space. Jivko Jeliazkov was awarded IKAR 2017 for a contemporary dance performance for S INNER and is one of the TOP 20 choreographers of Europe in the frame of 'Aerowaves - dance across Europe' with F63.9 performance. Duration: 40 min Concept & Choreography: Jivko Jeliazkov Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through ePayGO ticketing platform through the link below. The discount of 20% will be applied when enter a promo code WELCOME24
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19:30-20:30 | 21 |
Yalta Art Room - Morphine by Mikhail BulgakovLocation: Yalta Art Room Interested participants
Location: Yalta Art Room Interested participants
Address: Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., 20, Sofia, Bulgaria | Event Map | Venue Accessibility The one-man play Morphine zeroes in on the human condition and explores the disintegration of character, arising from the clash of reason and emotion, the divine and the earthly, the real and the unreal. Where do self-isolation, alienation, lack of intimacy and love, the search for meaning, and the yearning for connection lead? These are just a few of the unsettling questions Dr. Polyakov must confront... What dreams does he have? What visions plague his hallucinations? What is he fleeing from, and is there anyone capable of rescuing him? Duration: 1 hour Credits: Polyakov: Petar Petrov – Pero Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through ePayGo ticketing platform. The discount is automatically applied through the affiliate link below.
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19:30-01:00 | 18 |
Late night meeting pointLocation: BAR STAGE Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: BAR STAGE Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility An informal moment to come back together, network, relax with colleagues and friends and meet new faces on the large terrace at Toplocentrala. DJ set by Partymeneva |
20:00-21:00 | 21 |
Yanitsa Atanasova - AwlLocation: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Awl is a performance that aims to highlight the state of being ‘stuck’ in one place and how the body can transform even the most limited environment around it. To provoke reflection on the idea of ‘comfort’ and its relationship to social and cultural norms. The awl is a symbol of the desire for physical and emotional liberation, a reminder of how the body can rebel against constraints and seek its sense of comfort and satisfaction. The performance is also a meditation on the experience of sitting and the sensations that can arise in the body when we allow ourselves to be still. An exploration of sitting as not just physiology but as culture. An insight into the circumstances that keep us ‘stuck’ and how we can get out of there, push our boundaries, and discover new potentials to help us move further than just surviving. Awl is the third co-production between One Dance and Toplocentrala. Credits: Concept/Choreography: Yanitsa Atanasova Duration: 50 min. Get in touchProduction contact: Yanitsa Atanasova How to book?Book your tickets through URBO APP via the link below.
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21:30-23:00 | 21 |
VOX POPULI - ExhibitsLocation: Alley 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Alley 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Exhibits is an outdoor theatrе installation in which viewers meet unique ‘exhibits’ in their personal bio-space of 1 sq.m. Exhibits reveals the strength, eccentricity and worldview of people deviating from the social standard. These are stories of real-life individuals, conveyed by the actors through verbatim earphone technique. 1 sq.m is our untouchable zone, an arm's length away, the small circle of attention and the limit of intimacy. The spectator and the actor enter into direct human contact, which can hardly happen in the theatre hall. Genre: Verbatim theatre Credits: Neda Sokolovska Get in touchProduction contact : VOX POPULI Status: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?The spots where the artist is going to perform are located outside Toplocentrala, in the park alley. You can join and listen to a story at whichever time you like. No tickets required. |
21:30-22:30 | 21 |
Stephan A. Shtereff & Ligna - Nonument 2.0Location: Hall 4, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 4, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Nonument 2.0 is a film about the radio ballet premiered at the Park-monument of the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship in Varna in October 2022. As a trilogy, it presents the monuments which have lost their meaning over time, and from places of memory and tribute became such of worship of ideological myths and convenient historical narratives. The so-called ‘no-numents’ are ideologically charged, surrounded by hate, nostalgia, attitudes of revisionism and destruction, but also by desire for protection, conservation and rethinking of their function in the present. Can a theatrical interference (performance) demythologise a NO-nument? Can it make a contemporary interpretation of it so that we change the imposed perceptions of the past, we can live the same emotional and critical sense of the present and provide a meaningful future without any lies? Duration: 1 hour Credits: The performance was realised with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the National Culture Fund, Goethe-Institut Bulgaria, ‘Fraport Twin Star’ – concessionaire of Varna Airport and Burgas Airport. Nonument 2.0 is part of the project Life Long Burning – about a sustainable ecosystem of contemporary dance in Europe, which is performed with the financial support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
Get in touchProduction contact : Storycatchers How to book?This performance is free of charge and requires no pre-booking - just turn up! |
22:00-22:50 | 21 |
Ana Dankova - OratoriaLocation: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Oratoria is a contemporary performance that creates a neo-dramaturgy consisting of music articulations based on a variety of genres ranging from opera to trash and hardcore by using only the intonation and sound extraction of speech. It choreographs a contemporary dance from the gestures we use while speaking. The project traces human verbal development solely through the non-rational, automatic and affective aspects of speech - intonation (music) and gesture (dance). Thus Oratoria ‘reconstructs; a universal ‘authentic’ proto-language, that everyone can understand, and opens up a space for research into the causes and the functions of speech as a human phenomenon. Duration: 50 minutes Credits: The performance is realised with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria and ‘Etud’ Foundation, co-production with Toplocentrala. Written and directed by Anna Dankova Get in touchProduction contact : Anna Dankova How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through URBO APP. The discount is automatically applied through the affiliate link below.
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22:30-23:59 | 21 |
Christian Bakalov - One-Two - Show 1 & 2Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Please note that this performance consists of two separate shows. You only need to book and pay for one show at either 22:30 or 00:15 via the booking link below. breathing (inhale One - exhale Two). The hyperventilation that the dancers are under the influence of at all the time makes their body movements sensitive, with heightened sensibility and devoid of theatricality or acting, referring to one of Marina Abramović's early works - ‘Rhythm 4’, 1974. One Two is a breathing story about life, love, despair, pain, hope before death and dance as a way to go through them to make sense of them. Time: First performance at 22:30 and second performance at 00:15 Credits: Christian Bakalov Get in touchProduction contact: Christian Bakalov How to book?Enter the URBO APP via the link below and select the date and time of the performance. You can select the first show at 22:25 or the second show at 00:15. This performance is limited to 25 people and is an immersive performance using infra-red cameras, requiring audience participation.
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09:00-16:00 | 18 |
Accreditation and information deskLocation: Foyer, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Foyer, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Collect your badges and ask any questions about the programme or how to get around Sofia. Please note that the first session on Friday starts at 09:00. |
09:00-10:00 | 22 |
Burn In: Connecting bodyLocation: Hall 3, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 3, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Offering so many impressions, IETM meetings can be intense for the mind. Тo sustain your energy, good mood, freshness and curiosity, we’re offering this gentle physical session with your body - which is always here and now and ready to support your ‘burn in’ experience. Maximum number of participants: 30 Just turn up - first come, first served. Please consider bringing spare change of clothes. Moderators Veselin Dimov, Toplocentrala, Bulgaria |
09:00-16:00 | 18 |
Daytime meeting spaceLocation: Foyer, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Foyer, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility The foyer at Toplocentrala will act as a space for you to meet up with old and new friends and take a break between or during sessions. You may want to grab a coffee or explore possible collaborations with international peers. It’s your space! |
09:00-03:00 | 22 |
Relaxed RoomLocation: Hall 4, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 4, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility A quiet space for participants to unwind. |
09:30-11:30 | 21 |
Sensory Theatre - PortalLocation: On the river towards the left side of the bridge, towards the mountains Interested participants
Location: On the river towards the left side of the bridge, towards the mountains Interested participants
Address: Ivan Vazov District, 3 Petko Karavelov Blvd., Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility This site specific performance will be located on a steep slope heading down to the river and is not accessible for people with limited mobility. The performance requires good walking shoes and comfortable clothes to enjoy the experience. The sensory experience requires silence, touch from the facilitator and contact with the water. It's a unique individual experience. IF WATER IS A DOOR, A PORTAL… (and this may be true more literally than we can imagine yet…) …then what lies on the other side - and have we already passed through? Indeed - who is the ‘water’? Is it possible for the answers to these questions to be available not to THINKERS and their rational minds, but to EXPERIENCERS through their senses and intuition? And if so, would you become one of them? PORTAL is an immersive sensory performance created by SENSORY THEATRE SOFIA, in a site-specific context of the river and the water park next to TOPLOCENTRALA. Duration: 30 min. Individual entrance is permitted every 10 minutes at the following time: 9:00 Genre: Sensory theatre, site specific theatre Get in touchProduction contact : Zlatina Toleva, PR Manager Global Vision Circle tel:(+359)0885 617 207 Status: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available to purchase on the spot, in the Foyer at Toplocentrala. There will be a printed schedule and you can book your preferred time slot for June 12, 13 or 14, from 15:00 until 18:00. It’s a personal experience, so you can enter individually at your allocated time. The performance is limited to 20 people a day. Important: After you register at the Toplocentrala reception and receive a ticket with the exact entry time of your performance , please arrive at the location 10 minutes before to be able to enjoy the performance. |
10:00-19:00 | 21 |
Planetarium - Understanding dark matterLocation: Planetarium, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Planetarium, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility This immersive movie experience about space takes place every 30 minutes. Duration: up to 30 min Credits: Planetarium Andromeda Get in touchContact: Sofia Planetarium How to book?You can purchase your tickets on the spot at the reception - no pre-booking required. |
10:00-10:50 | 19 |
Sense of Place, Sense of Time [Friday keynote]Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Apart from very small groups of indigenous people, the rest of the world population has lineage connected to colonisation, settling and migration. Contemporary cultures result from translocal flows of people, technology, capital, media and ideas. They are shaped by hybridisation and cultural exchange, and yet identity-based political tribalism seems to be gaining ground globally. Society at large is experiencing burnout symptoms, such as social unrest and polarisation, prolonged economic downturns, environmental degradation, political instability, loss of cultural vitality and cohesion. How can artists continue to make work when feeling the effects of this turbulence, and what role can institutions play in supporting them? Through a number of historic and contemporary examples the lecture will trace how artists have reflected and responded to political and social challenges, and look into cultural policies and management models that could break a crisis cycle. Speaker This session will be captioned and broadcasted online on Howlround.tv. Access the livestream on the day here. |
10:00-21:00 | 22 |
Exhibition Toplo Gallery - CUBE Toplocentrala - A Dream For a Space 7+3 Years ToplocentralaLocation: Gallery-CUBE Toplocentrala, Hall 3 Interested participants
Location: Gallery-CUBE Toplocentrala, Hall 3 Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility CCA Toplocentrala presents a retrospective exhibition following the birth and development of the project from its dream-phase to the active cultural institution that it is today. ‘A Dream For a Space 7+3 Years Toplocentrala’ is a recollection of official, archival material enriched with the private database of the people, who have helped build the art centre, thus combining the institutional narrative with that of the individual. The Toplocentrala Gallery - Cube will be the host of a spatially non-invasive exhibition titled 'ToploCentering', which occupies the walls in such a delicate way, as to allow for the hall to become a platform for the numerous events and meetings on the IETM agenda. Opposed to each other will be two centres aka clusters of data (visual, textual and tangible), revealing the past of Toplocentrala on one side and the present on the other. The rich history of planning, fighting for and defending the realisation of this project will face or mirror its vivid present of organising, maintaining and preserving this haven for theatre, dance, music, painting, sculpture, photography and many more. An extension to the cluster of operative years of Toplocentrala will be a smaller-scale exhibition situated in front of the Cube - in the dedicated ‘Project Space’. There will be a key timeline of Toplocentrala with additional photographs and video, as well as a display of the most important achievements for the performative and visual art worlds, including a variety of statistics that emphasise the colourful, diverse and ever-growing world of Toplocentrala and the local art scene. The exhibitions aim to pay homage to the many years and people, efforts and ambitions that sparked this dream and continuously create the flame that keeps burning today. Accessibility: You can take the walk at your own pace. See the Practical Information for details about accessibility at Toplocentrala. |
11:00-13:00 | 19 |
AI, Immersive Tech & CreativityLocation: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Immersive Technologies (Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Realities) are an increasing part of our everyday lives, but how can they be used in creative practice? Join creators as they demonstrate how they have made use of AI and Immersive Technologies in their own projects, from world building and storytelling to generating visuals as planning tools. 12:00-13:00 - In the second half of the session, there will be an opportunity to see some works of artists as well as engage with the creators in a discussion delving into the potential of these tools in making new work, and unpacking some of the burning questions that their use poses. In order to make the most of the practical elements of this session, bring your own laptop or mobile phone. Moderators Jo Mangan, The Performance Corporation, Ireland |
11:30-13:30 | 19 |
Mapping the Queer InternationalLocation: Hall 3, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 3, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Queerness in performance is not only a prism for categories of identities, it is aesthetic, it pulses in the creative process, it’s a politic and a magnifying lens. There are artists and institutions around the world that centre queer artistic practice, but they are not always connected in conversation, or sharing challenges. Furthermore, an increasing number of institutions that produce and present ‘queer work’ exist in cultural contexts which are not fully queer-friendly, and lack the knowledge to give these artists what they need. Queer artists and leaders need to be in conversation with each other, grow their international connections, to create new opportunities for mobilising artworks, and to support each other through the challenges of making and leading in queer communities. This working session, centred around an exercise of mapping queer institutions and undergrounds around the world, as well as learning of the varied realities of queer people around the world, will grow a queer network of collaborators and co-conspirators, looking at both local and global challenges in queer collaboration. All are welcome, but the queers are invited. This session is open to everyone, queer voices will be centred. Moderators Israel Aloni, IL Dance, Sweden |
11:45-13:15 | 18 |
PitchoramaLocation: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility The IETM Pitchorama is a session where you can present a project or an idea and look for partners by taking part in a live pitching session and Q&A during the IETM Sofia Plenary Meeting Moderator: Cathie Boyd, Cryptic, United Kingdom |
14:45-16:00 | 20 |
General AssemblyLocation: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility The General Assembly is the key moment of the year to discuss, discover and dispute IETM's decisions, celebrate its achievements and contribute to its future developments. This is also the moment where IETM members have the opportunity to come together and vote on new members for the Board of Directors and Advisory Committee. Take an active part in the decisions surrounding your network! Non-members are welcome to participate, but only members can vote. Hosted by the members of the IETM Board. This session will have live captions in English |
16:00-17:00 | 20 |
Talks & ListensMeeting Point: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Meeting Point: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility An interactive discussion where IETM members have an opportunity to share their feedback about the meeting and express their views on the role of art in society and the strategies that will help our sector survive and thrive. We will meet in Hall 1 at Toplocentrala and split off into individual rooms. Moderated by the members of the IETM Advisory Committee. |
17:30-18:30 | 21 |
HaHaHaImpro - ImprovLocation: Amphitheatre, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Amphitheatre, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility HaHaHa ImPro Theatre is the first Bulgarian improv theatre. Since 2009, they have played over 400 shows of short improv forms and more than 150 long form performances. During the years, they have played across most of the territory of Bulgaria and performed in Berlin, Paris, Luxemburg, Vienna and Brussels a couple of times. Since 2009, they have trained over 100 professional artists in improvising in the way we see and understand it. They are also professional actors who graduated from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria. What is Improv? Improv is exactly the same as scripted theatre, only it’s not scripted – it’s made up on the spot. The actors improvise the plot, dialogue and characters, and in essence direct themselves - all with no previous planning. So it’s not exactly like scripted theatre, but there are some similarities. Sometimes. Sometimes improv is purely comedy-based, other times it’s dramatic – sometimes it’s a mixed bag. No one knows what might happen. Improv is unique - when you see a performance, that’s it…there will never be another show exactly like it ever again. Improv is different every time. Improv is spontaneous, entertaining and fun. But like all great things, you have to experience it to fully appreciate it. Short Forms is the longest-running format performed by HaHaHa ImPro Theatre actors. In this format, the audience is immersed for an extremely short time in various funny situations. In it, audience participation is something you can expect. A performance consists of several games. The so-called games are mini scenes, each with different rules. Each time the show is completely different and can never be repeated. Duration: 1 hour Get in touchProduction contact : HAHAHA IMPROV How to book?Tickets for this event are free and require no pre-booking - just turn up! |
19:00-20:10 | 21 |
Alexander Manuiloff - The DecisionLocation: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility The performance, based on the text of the writer and playwright Alexander Manuiloff, is a text-situation and design for a theatre evening, examining the topics of internal, personal corruption, and the important decisions (often invisible to outsiders' eyes) that can change the direction of one’s life. The audience will witness hesitations, letters, dilemmas, questions, a complicated and multi-layered love story and a bit of state dystopia, also – serenades. An essential part of the concept is the opportunity for the audience to also take decisions while the actors are not supposed to pre-learn a script. The performance becomes an interactive event that effortlessly invites everyone to join in and have their say. The text was developed within the framework of the WRITE International Playwriting Residency, Sicily, 2018 and was presented for the first time in Romanian at Transit House, Cluj, Romania, in 2019. Duration: 70 min. Price: 20 лв. / €10 Credits: Co-producton: Toplocentrala Artists: Vasilia Drebova, Yavor Kostov-Yondin, Emilia Toncheva Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through URBO APP. The discount is automatically applied through the affiliate link below.
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19:00-20:00 | 21 |
Derida Stage - Pas BougerLocation: Derida Stage Interested participants
Location: Derida Stage Interested participants
Address: 32 Tsar Samuil St., 1000 Sofia Center, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility In the work, character A is in constant search, moving in a straight line, and character B is contemplating motionless. Despite the diametrically opposed states of presence and concepts that follow, A and B manage to meet and unite around a deep and superficial, painful and ironic, essential and meaningless question: How to live? Aesthetics of the play determine the stage realisation of Pas Bouger. The team fully follows the minimalist structure, seeking maximum economy in developing the movement, music and visual environment. The French reading of the play is hypnotically incorporated into the sound environment, and the subtitles in Bulgarian add additional value to the experience. The overall harmony of the interaction of text, movement, sound and visual environment provokes associativity and contributes to a complete emotional catharsis. Duration: 1 hour Credits The project is implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture. Visual dance performance by Derida Stage based on the play by Emmanuel Darley. Translation: Natasha Kolevska-Kurteva Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through ePayGO ticketing platform through the link below. The discount of 20% will be applied when enter a promo code WELCOME24
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19:00-23:00 | 21 |
Planetarium - Amazing journey to the solar systemLocation: Planetarium, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Planetarium, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility This immersive movie experience about space takes place every hour between 19:00-23:00. Duration: up to 40 min Get in touchContact: Sofia Planetarium How to book?You can purchase your tickets on the spot at the reception - no pre-booking required. |
19:00-22:00 | 21 |
Ivan Vazov National Theatre - The Merchant of VeniceLocation: Ivan Vazov NATIONAL THEATRE Interested participants
Location: Ivan Vazov NATIONAL THEATRE Interested participants
Address: 5 DYAKON IGNATIY STR., SOFIA 1000 | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Language: Bulgarian with English subtitles In this rendition of The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, performed in Bulgarian with English translation by Alexander Shurbanov, we explore the hidden factors that contribute to conflicts supposedly rooted in cultural, ethnic, religious and gender differences. Special attention is given to the linguistic disparities that emerge in our interconnected world. In the initial iteration of the project, tentatively titled ‘Sephardic’, certain characters express themselves in their native languages during particular scenes. This serves the purpose of concealing their conversations from others, remaining true to their roots and challenging the prevailing language of their host country. Thus, speaking in places in Judeo-Spanish (Ladino), in Arabic and in Aragonese, the characters of the play often willingly become incomprehensible to the other characters, but also to the audience, to whom the meaning of what is spoken must be communicated through subtitles to compensate for the linguistically produced effect of alienation, which aims to confront us with an encounter with the ‘others’ in their personal life-world and their own small linguistic environments amid global Babylon. Duration: 1h40m Credits: Director: Javor Gardev The production includes texts by Gaius Valerius Catullus, Guido Cavalcanti, Pierre de Ronsard, Edmund Spenser, and Heinrich Heine, as well as excerpts from the French translation of the play by François Pierre Guillaume Guizot, the German translation, by August Wilhelm von Schlegel, and the Italian, by Carlo Rusconi. Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through the National theatre ticketing platform.
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19:30-20:45 | 21 |
I AM Studio - Ashes To Ashes by Harold PinterLocation: I AM Studio Interested participants
Location: I AM Studio Interested participants
Address: Sofia, 149 Georgi S. Rakovski St. | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Ashes To Ashes welcomes us in the most private space of a man and a woman. We are so close to them that we may feel a little confused. But it is also so attractive! He loves her more than life itself. He has taken away her freedom. The audience is in a labyrinth of painfully strong love that alternates with episodes of brutal terror. Then the reality blurs and dance appears to take us out of that sad place and bring us some joy. Is there an exit to the Light? There always is! Duration: 1h15m Price: 20 лв. / €10 Credits: Director: Savina Barzeva With original music by neverdance Translation: Galina Tomova-Stankeva Production of Theater OZ Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through I AM Studio ticketing platform or on spot. The performance is limited to 17 seats.
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19:30-20:25 | 21 |
Ivan Vazov National Theatre - HYPOTHETICALLYLocation: Ivan Vavoz National Theatre Interested participants
Location: Ivan Vavoz National Theatre Interested participants
Address: 5 DYAKON IGNATIY ST., SOFIA 1000 | Event Map | Venue Accessibility A performance that is not to affirm, but to happen. A performance about the performance itself. We are silent, or we speak concretely and conceitedly, but we do not strive for excessive illustrations. A performance that soothes, but at the same time raises anxiety. We discuss things that we have heard about but have not seen. The performers demonstrate their commitment and challenge the issues with pleasure. We present details, but the essential part may be missing. We also think about what might be missed. We use words to flesh out hypotheses and the body as a container of content made up of problems and memory. Judgments that creep into specific images in specific circumstances can be proved or rejected. Hypothetically, anything can happen. It is tempting to control processes, but the likelihood of succeeding is slim and doubtful. We live together only to realise that collectives are gatherings of alienated individuals. We don't want art to end. Duration: 50 minutes Credits: Idea, choreography and direction: Galina Borissova Get in touchProduction contact : Galina Borisova How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through the National theatre ticketing platform.
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19:30-21:00 | 21 |
Yalta Art Room - Leonce and Lena by Georg BüchnerLocation: Yalta Art Room Interested participants
Location: Yalta Art Room Interested participants
Address: Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., 20, Sofia, Bulgaria | Event Map | Venue Accessibility This version of Leonce and Lena is based on the incapability to hold out the ‘paradox’ of power – to rule over somebody in order to serve him. What becomes of power when it is uncontested – and absolute? What happens with language? How can one break the link between ‘saying’ and ‘doing’? Can one name things that aren’t there – and other people to oblige? This version of Leonce and Lena is based more on violence and its frivolity, rather than an attempt to satirise the people ‘in charge’. The original performance unfolds in an underground bar – a closed, claustrophobic even, space, unsettling for the audience – in order to portray Buechner’s concept of rulers, ruling over an extremely small territory – but, on the other hand, believing they have full power over whatever they imagine. Duration: 1h30m. Credits: Performers: Dimitar Krumov, Simona Zdravkova, Ivan Nikolov, Galya Kostadinova, Vasil Duev-Taig, Denitza Darinova Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through ePayGo ticketing platform. The seats are limited to 25 people.
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20:30-21:30 | 21 |
Ivo Dimchev - IN HELL WITH JESUS / TOP 40Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 1, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility In Hell with Jesus/Top 40 - interactive music performance Text, music and choreography by Ivo Dimchev Whether it's a casting, a late-night talk show, a weird festival in Copenhagen, or a healing concert at a private birthday party in a New York gay bar where suddenly everyone dies. Does it really matter? For better or worse, during the show, some of us are going to Hell with Jesus, while others will choose to go in bed with the Dalai Lama. While you're still figuring out what's going on, some members of the audience are already earning $20 for their unprofessional tap dance and for smashing a dildo on stage while shouting, "Respect art!" And yes, amidst this "holy mess of a musical," we will still be graced with Ivo's most beautiful live songs. Duration: 1 hour Credits: Ivo Dimchev Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through the ticketing platform.
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21:00-21:50 | 21 |
Arte Urbana Collectif - The Long Way to the StarsLocation: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility The Long Way to the Stars introduces us to the latest scientific theories about the origins of the Solar System and life in the Universe. In a funny, inventive and accessible manner, it immerses us in scientific ideas and makes us think about where we are going and what needs to be done if we are to survive as a species. With presidential elections coming up, a popular television talk show invites the favourite candidate, astrophysicist John L. Ivanov, to present his ambitious ideas on space exploration. But the host, Denes Nagy, isn’t afraid to ask the real questions. As the civil debate turns into a verbal boxing match, startling ideas about the future of humanity will be revealed. The brave team behind the project – Andrea Brunello, Director and Playwright of Jet Propulsion Theatre, Italy, Dr. Vladimir Bozhilov from the Department of Astronomy at the Faculty of Physics at Sofia University and Dimitar Uzunov, Director and Actor at Famille Mundi, Paris, and at Arte Urbana Collectif, Sofia – brings theatre and science together. Duration: 50 minutes Price: 20Лв. / €10.5 Credits Director: Andrea Brunello THE LONG WAY TO THE STARS is a co-production of Arte Urbana Collective, Jet Propulsion Theatre and Democritus Forum. The project is part of the Cultural Programme of the Bulgarian Presidency of the European Union. Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through URBO APP. The discount is automatically applied through the affiliate link below.
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22:00-03:00 | 18 |
Closing partyLocation: Hall 1, BAR STAGE Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 1, BAR STAGE Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility A celebration to mark the closing of what we hope will have been a stimulating plenary meeting in Sofia.
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10:30-14:00 | 18 |
Farewell brunchLocation: Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Terrace, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Before we part ways and you begin your journey home, join us for one final moment to come together over brunch. Don’t forget to save the date for the next IETM meetings in your schedule. |
14:00-15:00 | 21 |
I AM Studio - PrimitiveLocation: I AM Studio Interested participants
Location: I AM Studio Interested participants
Address: Sofia Center, 149 Georgi S. Rakovski St. | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Primitive is a non-verbal performance. It is based on primitive myths, legends and rituals. The performance tells about the eternal cycle of creation and destruction of life. Gluttony, lust, power, love and all known human sins since the creation of the world are refracted through the prism of the grotesque and the ascetic. Duration: 1 hour Credits: Performers: Augustina-Kalina Petkova, Aleksansra Dimitrova, Rusita Boeva, Camelia Khatib, Pavel Kinchev, Maria Yordanova, Dimitar Ivanov, Vladimir Solakov, Alexander Yordanov, Magdalena Slavcheva, Boris Litov Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available to purchase through the ticketing platform of I AM Studio. The performance is limited to 25 tickets with a discount for IETM participants. Tickets are also available to purchase on the spot through email or phone reservation.
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19:00-22:00 | 21 |
Ivan Vazov National Theatre - The Merchant of VeniceLocation: Ivan Vazov NATIONAL THEATRE Interested participants
Location: Ivan Vazov NATIONAL THEATRE Interested participants
Address: 5 DYAKON IGNATIY STR., SOFIA 1000 | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Language: Bulgarian with English subtitles In this rendition of The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, performed in Bulgarian with English translation by Alexander Shurbanov, we explore the hidden factors that contribute to conflicts supposedly rooted in cultural, ethnic, religious and gender differences. Special attention is given to the linguistic disparities that emerge in our interconnected world. In the initial iteration of the project, tentatively titled ‘Sephardic’, certain characters express themselves in their native languages during particular scenes. This serves the purpose of concealing their conversations from others, remaining true to their roots and challenging the prevailing language of their host country. Thus, speaking in places in Judeo-Spanish (Ladino), in Arabic and in Aragonese, the characters of the play often willingly become incomprehensible to the other characters, but also to the audience, to whom the meaning of what is spoken must be communicated through subtitles to compensate for the linguistically produced effect of alienation, which aims to confront us with an encounter with the ‘others’ in their personal life-world and their own small linguistic environments amid global Babylon. Duration: 1h40m Credits: Director: Javor Gardev The production includes texts by Gaius Valerius Catullus, Guido Cavalcanti, Pierre de Ronsard, Edmund Spenser, and Heinrich Heine, as well as excerpts from the French translation of the play by François Pierre Guillaume Guizot, the German translation, by August Wilhelm von Schlegel, and the Italian, by Carlo Rusconi. Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through the National theatre ticketing platform.
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19:30-20:30 | 21 |
Derida Stage - WIRED by Deyan GeorgievLocation: Derida Stage Interested participants
Location: Derida Stage Interested participants
Address: 32 Tsar Samuil St. (Intersection of Bistritsa St. with Tsar Samuil St.) | Event Map | Venue Accessibility The performance WIRED was part of Top 20 for 2023 of the European platform AEROWAVES. WIRED is a solo performance, an individual experience and experience, sunk into the threads of what we call ‘We’. A physical body enclosed in a black box full of stored information. An attempt to find the original source responsible for our personal entanglement. Is life an endless question and can we find peace in our ignorance? Can we surrender to something greater than our own sense of being? The play is inspired by documentary stories and science fiction. Duration: 1 hour min Credits: Choreography and direction: Deyan Georgiev Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through ePayGo ticketing platform. The discount is automatically applied through the affiliate link below.
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19:30-21:00 | 21 |
Ivan Vazov National Theatre - IN THE DARKLocation: Ivan Vazov NATIONAL THEATRE Interested participants
Location: Ivan Vazov NATIONAL THEATRE Interested participants
Address: 5 DYAKON IGNATIY STR., SOFIA 1000 | Event Map | Venue Accessibility ‘You think I’m tellin’ you ‘bout things I’ve seen, but no. All of these are just miracles, this is all just ignorance and if we could see ‘em, they’d transform into visions.’ With a jar of jam and an old suitcase Gichka the Cuckoo, the adopted daughter of the village priest, is alone in the belfry of the church. Her stories are unbelievably funny and offer a passage to a small village and its absurd, but lost world. Her stories are also sad as the trusting nature of a child is incapable of seeing through the veil of evil, even if it is staring it in the face. This is a tale of loneliness for those who are different, of frantic living on the margins of sanity and unconditional love. A life filled with memories and wonder. All of them were kept in a tiny tinder box. Duration: 1h30m Credits: Director: Albena Stavreva Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through the National theatre ticketing platform.
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19:30-20:20 | 21 |
Yalta Art Room - BEHIND YOULocation: Yalta Art Room Interested participants
Location: Yalta Art Room Interested participants
Address: 20 Tzar Osvoboditel Bul. | Event Map | Venue Accessibility Behind you is a solo dance performance about the relationship between our conscious and unconscious experiences. Memories merge and separate, seeking their way to consciousness. The human psyche‘s ability to ‘forget’ and erase memories and situations is not just a theme, but an essential element of the journey into the inner world of possibilities for awareness and self-discovery. The performance is created with the financial support of the National Culture Fund of Bulgaria- program ‘Creation’ 2023. Duration: 1 hour Credits: Idea & choreography: Filip Milanov Get in touchStatus: Available for local versions and ready for touring How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through ePayGo ticketing platform.
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20:30-22:15 | 21 |
Emergency Theatre - The Room of Pleasure is EmptyLocation: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Location: Hall 2, Toplocentrala Interested participants
Address: ul. "Emil Berzinski" 5, 1408 Yuzhen, Sofia | Event Map | Venue Accessibility The Room of Pleasure is Empty is based on the team’s documented life experiences and original texts. The performance is the result of a two-year laboratory process exploring the human inner stage in relation to the Uncanny. The capital of the unconscious becomes the object of dramatic exploration, reinterpretation, enactment. We invite the darkest side of the soul onto the stage. We manifest those encapsulated and rejected desires that seek their way to appear in reality through distorted manipulative fetishized actions. There, body abuse, guilt and self-abasement lead to the unattainable end of the human unconscious projected into the space of the Empty Room. Duration: 1h45m Credits: Featuring: Juliana Saiska, Yana Moroz, Elica Alexieva, Elena Dimitrova, Velislav Pavlov, Nino Gomes How to book?Tickets are available for purchase through URBO APP via the link below.
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22:00-00:00 | 22 |
Travel overnight journey to Varna - for post-meeting attendees onlyMeeting point: in front of Central Railway Station Sofia Interested participants
Meeting point: in front of Central Railway Station Sofia Interested participants
Address: Sofia Central Railway Station | Event Map | Venue Accessibility We will meet in front of the Central Railway Station Sofia at 21:00. You can find an exact drop pin here. Тhe night train to Varna departs at 22:00 and arrives at 06:50. The duration is 8 hours and 50 minutes. It is recommended to bring your own food, water, cold or warm drinks with you, since it is not possible to buy those on the train. |
07:15-00:00 | 22 |
Post-meeting trip to Varna: Local Venue – Global ValuePlease note that this post-meeting stay starts on Saturday 15 June at 21:00 with an overnight train journey and will last until Tuesday 18 June Please note that adding this activitiy to your schedule does not count as registration. You must complete your registration via the button below. Find our more information about the post-meeting trip including practical information, programme and how to register below. |