ConnectUp – The Life of the Others | European Theatres for Young Audience in a Union of Diversity

CONNECTUP sets in place an international cultural initiative for the target group 12+ in order to counteract the process of increasing social and cultural division across Europe.

Theatres with different artistic expertise, festivals and a university, all working in the field of Theatre for Young Audiences, plan a major investment in Audience Development (AD). They aim to reach the cross section of society at least within their audience by bringing together existing middle-class audiences with young people from the margin of the society. Under professional guidance, young people of all social classes, cultural backgrounds and abilities will share experiences in theatre processes under the theme “The lives of the others”.

The theatres combine their different skills in a European “union of diversity” and extend the traditional AD by a missionary approach. They aim for comprehensive social inclusion by working with the essentials of “mediation – involvement – outreach”.

29 cross-over productions are developed, enriching the repertoires. The use of an APP, supporting translation and evaluation, facilitates their presentation at 22 festivals.

To reach the new target groups and to harmonize relations with the existing audience, special skills of mediation are required. Therefore, CONNECTUP makes professionalization the keyword of the project and offers two runs of a 1,5-year certified Dual Education “Theatre Mediation”, combining formal (E-learning) with peer group learning and practical work. CONNECTUP Mediators accompany all processes with participation projects (workshops, 30 co-creations) and guarantee that the institutions will turn into welcoming places for young people of all social and cultural backgrounds.

All activities support the partners to pro-actively implement an irreversible change management process and a profound change in the mind-set of the organisations, the audience and the cultural environment.

Ljubljana Puppet Theatre

(Partner) Ljubljana

All projects of Slovenian producer

Foreign producers in the supported project

Universitetet i Agder (leader)

Norway
ASSITEJ Norge (partner)

Norway
Bialostocki Teatr Lalek (partner)

Poland (EU)
Centar za kulturu Cakovec (Cultural Centre of Cakovec) (partner)

Croatia (EU)
Cooperativa de Producao Artistica Teatro Animacao o Bando CRL (partner)

Portugal (EU)
Divadlo Alfa prispevkova organizace (partner)

Czech Republic (EU)
Dschungel Wien - Theaterhaus fur Junges Publikum GmbH (partner)

Austria (EU)
Elsinor Societa CS (partner)

Italy (EU)
FITEI (partner)

Portugal (EU)
"Ich bin O.K." - Kultur- und Bildungsverein der Menschen mit und ohne Behinderung (partner)

Austria (EU)
Landesbühnen Sachsen GmbH (partner)

Germany (EU)
Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru (partner)

United Kingdom (EU)
University of Derby Theatre Ltd (partner)

United Kingdom (EU)

Funded projects

CAFÈ: Redefining Historic Cafés as European Cultural Heritage

ArtElevate – Fostering inclusive cultural expression in Europe

CARE – Culture for Mental Health

Glassmaking Between Tradition and Innovation

WONDERCUT – Collaboratively Exploring the Public Value of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Next Level Cultural Experiences

Heroes Unleashed: Implementing a Sensory Reading Program in European Public Libraries

DATAS – The Data and the Sovereign

TALKING HEADS – Conversation with the art of the past

Libraries of Emotions for Good

GreenHeritage – Nurturing a sustainable future in the gardens of time

G-BOOK 3

PAGE: a Project for Advancing coGnitivE accessibility in publishing

DIGITAL on STAGE – Unleashing the Performing Arts Experience through Digital Innovation

OASis – Open Art Spaces in Synergy

Transport: Sustainable puppet co-creations for European young audiences

Danube Dance Alliance for Development of Contemporary Dance Scene in the Danube Region

Mind the GAP

Beletrina Digital

WOMEN interACT - participatory theatre against the double exclusion of women

TECH(ing) TALES WITH A TWIST for the children of the present

DoSEL – Drama of Smaller European Languages

MUSICVILLE – Green European Opera

Operation Nova

Kino x Games

FASIH - Future Art and Science Industrial Heritage

Cultural BEES

Is this us?

Climate Art Fusion Caravane (CARAVANE)

Moving Balkans

Youth Art for the Earth (YAFE)

Shadow Pandemic: Hidden Voices

Open House Europe (OHEu)

Third Stage

VERSOPOLIS – WHERE POETRY LIVES

December: Uncomfortable Beings, Azra, Best Imaginary Friends Forever

LINA - Learn, Interact, and Network in Architecture

Reactivating unused urban spaces through architecture and arts (ReCITYing)

Art Nouveau: a new EUtopia

Creative Industries Development Centre (KUL)

Web 3.0 Accelerator for Sustainable Cultural Tourism (Web3Tour)

Studiotopia: Enter the Symbiocene with Arts and Science (Studiotopia 2)

Bio Awakening - developing bio-art practices in Western Balkan

TestArt

GREENSTAGE

Connecting Emerging Literary Artists (CELA)

Transmedia stories of insularity (TRAST)

Female Digital Creativity (FLUX)

Planet Hope (New European Fiction) (PH)

More than a Book (MTaS)

Our Little Library: Through literary bridges to reading adventures (OLLLB)

Connected with Books (CWB)

Exploring Expanded Publishing: EX-Pub

Thinking Publishing (ThinkPub)

Novel Europe (NovelEU)

REVIVE

Temporama: Mini Slate 2023

Studi Virc: Mini Slate 2023

The 10th and 11th edition of FeKK - Ljubljana Short Film Festival

The 20th and 21st Kino Otok - Isola Cinema International Film Festival

20. and 21. ANIMATEKA International animated film festival

Film in Hospital 2.0

EU Youth Cinema: Green Deal 2024-2026

Cinema without barriers (CWB)

Literary Agent Platform: Capacity building (LAP CB)

Tramal Films Mini Slate 22 (TFMini22)

Vertigo Slate 2022: Chestnuts, Memory of Autumn Mists, OHO, Splashing around

Staragara slate 22

Our Little Library: Literary exchanges (OLL LE)

Testing Ground (TestG)

Better Live

Variola - Dark Spring TV series

SEMA

Paradiso

Leave the door open

The Big Green

The Long Way Down

New approaches for local media (NEWLOCAL)

Life Long Burning – Futures Lost and Found (LLB3)

Time For Live Art (LIVETIME)