European Performing Arts Laboratory

European Performing Arts Laboratory
Name	European Performing Arts Laboratory
Formation	1998
Type	Research and training institute
Headquarters	Florence, Italy
Region served	Europe
Languages	English, Italian, French
Leader title	Director
Leader name	Maria Rossi

European Performing Arts Laboratory

The European Performing Arts Laboratory is a transnational institute for experimental theatre, contemporary dance, and interdisciplinary performance based in Florence, Italy. It conducts artist residencies, scholarly research, and public presentations that intersect with institutions such as Teatro alla Scala, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Royal Opera House, Comédie-Française, and Berlin State Opera. Founded in 1998 amid networks connecting European Capital of Culture, Venice Biennale, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Avignon Festival, and Festival d'Automne à Paris, the Laboratory has become a node linking practitioners, scholars, and funders including the European Commission, UNESCO, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Fondazione Prada, and British Council.

Overview

The Laboratory operates as a hybrid arts institute, combining practice-led research, pedagogy, and public programming in collaboration with entities such as Sophiensaele, Tate Modern, MAXXI, Centro per la Scena Contemporanea, and ZKM. Its activities draw on methodologies associated with figures and movements linked to Jerzy Grotowski, Pina Bausch, Antonin Artaud, Bertolt Brecht, and Robert Wilson, while also engaging composers and choreographers who have worked at Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and Kulturhuset Stadsteatern. The Laboratory maintains partnerships with universities and conservatories like Royal Holloway, University of London, Universität der Künste Berlin, Conservatorio di Musica Luigi Cherubini, Université Paris 8, and Syracuse University (Florence).

History

The Laboratory was established in 1998 by a consortium of theatre-makers, dancers, and cultural managers influenced by developments at Polish Theatre, Tadeusz Kantor's Cricot 2, and the experimental programmes of Graham Vick and Peter Brook. Early residencies included collaborations with Esch-sur-Alzette festivals, Hamburgische Staatsoper, and Nederlands Dans Theater, while funding initially came through mechanisms of European Cultural Foundation and municipal grants from Comune di Firenze. Throughout the 2000s it expanded through exchanges with contemporary platforms such as KVS Brussels, Het Zuidelijk Toneel, Mercury Theatre (Colchester), and academic symposia connected to University of Oxford and Sciences Po. Key milestones include a 2007 residency series with artists from La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, a 2012 archive project with British Library, and a 2019 commission presented alongside Documenta-affiliated curators.

Mission and Objectives

The Laboratory’s mission aligns with priorities championed by European Commission Arts Council-type programs and initiatives of Creative Europe to foster transnational exchange among practitioners affiliated with Actors Studio, Institut del Teatre, Juilliard School, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and L'École des Arts Décoratifs. Its stated objectives include sustaining experimental performance practices, promoting pedagogy in the lineage of Grotowski Laboratory Theatre, supporting emergent artists connected to Young Vic, and producing scholarly outputs similar to projects at Institute of Contemporary Arts and The Courtauld Institute of Art. Strategic goals emphasize mobility funded through partnerships with Erasmus+ and residency networks modeled on European Network of Cultural Centres.

Programs and Activities

Programming encompasses multi-month artist residencies, short-term workshops, public productions, and symposiums that have featured collaborators from Teatr Powszechny, Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz, Compagnie Käfig, Batsheva Dance Company, and Cloud Gate Dance Theater. The Laboratory offers research fellowships parallel to positions at Max Planck Institute for the History of Science-adjacent labs and curatorial labs akin to Fondation Cartier. Activities include voice and movement labs inspired by Suzanne Farrell, dramaturgy exchanges referencing Hélène Cixous-affiliated seminars, and co-productions staged at venues such as Piccolo Teatro di Milano and Staatstheater Stuttgart. Publication and archival initiatives collaborate with repositories like Bibliothèque nationale de France, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, and Archivio Teatrale Pordenone.

Organization and Governance

Governance follows a board model with representation from cultural institutions including European Cultural Foundation, Fondazione Teatro della Toscana, British Council, Institut Français, and municipal arts offices from cities such as Florence, Amsterdam, Vienna, Barcelona, and Lisbon. Artistic direction has alternated among leaders with ties to Forced Entertainment, Complicité, Compagnie Philippe Genty, Eimuntas Nekrošius', and independent curators associated with Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art. Administrative operations align with best practices seen at Southbank Centre, Lincoln Center, and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.

Collaborations and Partnerships

The Laboratory’s network includes long-term partners such as La Scala Academy, Bristol Old Vic, Helsinki Festival, Stavanger International Festival, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, and academic partners like Goldsmiths, University of London, Universität Wien, Barcelona School of Drama, and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Cross-disciplinary projects have involved collaborators from Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Institut Pasteur (for science-art residencies), V&A, and film partners including CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée) and European Film Academy.

Impact and Reception

Critical reception in outlets and festivals such as Theatre Journal, The Guardian, Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and reviews following presentations at Festival d'Avignon, Edinburgh International Festival, and Wiener Festwochen has highlighted the Laboratory’s role in sustaining trans-European networks akin to those fostered by EFA (European Film Academy) and ISEA International. Its alumni have joined companies like Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Ballet, Het Nationale Ballet, and institutions including Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and MoMA; others have received awards such as the Europe Prize for Cultural Heritage, Laurence Olivier Award, Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival), and national honors from ministries tied to Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali. The Laboratory continues to influence policy dialogues in cultural mobility alongside stakeholders such as UNESCO and European Parliament committees.

Category:Arts organizations in Italy