Boulevard throughout the year
Boulevard seeks cooperation with theater makers and festivals at home and abroad. This is how occasional collaborations and long-term relationships are created. With the resources associated with the European funding, Boulevard can allow Dutch performing artists to work in the European context, and the Dutch public can come into contact with international productions. In addition, knowledge exchange takes place between the cooperation partners.
In the period of 2021-2024, Theaterfestival Boulevard will receive European resources in order to be able to collaborate with partners such as Bologna, Berlin, Reykjavik, Lisbon, and Salzburg. Boulevard has developed plans for international cooperation within two networks with twenty European partner organizations. These plans were then presented to the Committee for Creative Europe. In Brussels, it was announced that the big multi-year projects, Dancing in Your Shoes and Feminist Futures were evaluated and approved and therefore can proceed. A total of 68 projects were submitted, of which 20 were accepted. As a result of this grant, theatre producer Naomi Velissariou was included in the European podium art network.
“I am very pleased that investing in international programming and collaboration by Boulevard in recent years has now led to this extraordinary result. We had our hopes on the approval of one of the two requests; receiving two grants is very unique. It is very encouraging for the artists involved in Boulevard. And this is a unique opportunity for the Boulevard audience.” - Director Viktorien van Hulst
The project Dancing in Your Shoes (2021-2023) focuses on choreographers who work with local communities. In this project, Boulevard works with the Dutch partner DansBrabant. This is a follow-up on the European project Performing Gender, in which Boulevard participated in 2017-2019. Presenting stories of people who are normally not heard is one of the themes. The conclusion of the project will take place in 2023 in ’s-Hertogenbosch, with 16 European artists, all partners and representatives, and productions from their communities from 11 European cities.
Collaboration partners are Performing Gender 3, Dancing in Your Shoes: Gender Bender Festival and Il Cassero LGBTI Center and Alma Mater University of Bologna [Italy], City of Women [Slovenia], Paso a 2 [Spain], Yorkshire Dance and British Council [United Kingdom], KLAP Maison pour la Danse [France], SÍN Cultural Center [Hungary] and Norrlandsoperan [Sweden].
The second project is a product of the oldest European creative partnership: APAP (Advancing Performing Arts Project). This is the first time that a Dutch partner – Boulevard – is participating.
In the project Feminist Futures, performances are created and the production works on a new, long-lasting, and inclusive performing arts practice. Theatre producer Naomi Velissariou, who works for Theater Utrecht, has been included in this network for the next four years. During this period, she makes several productions that are co-produced and performed by APAP partners. “The collaboration between Boulevard and APAP provides the feministic ambition of my work an international dimension. Beyond the raging sadness of misogyny in our culture, there is the hopeful task of creating a world image in which women are not limited or degraded,” according to Naomi.
Theaterfestival Boulevard will show various works from this partnership from 2021 up to 2024. Collaborative partners APAP, Feminist Futures: Tanzfabrik Berlin [Germany], Maison de la Culture d‘Amiens [France], BIT Teatergarasjen Bergen [Norway], Kunstencentrum BUDA [Belgium], Centrale Fies [Italy], Reykjavik Dance Festival [Iceland], Teatro Nacional D.Maria Il [Portugal], SZENE Salzburg [Austria], The Performing Arts Institute in Warsaw [Poland], STATION – Service for contemporary Dance [Serbia].
