what keeps them alive? joanna ostrowska phd adam mickiewicz university poznań, poland european...

What keeps them alive?

Joanna Ostrowska PhDAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznań, Poland

European Festival Research Project

le Mans research workshop18 November 2006

Duration of the festival life span

Running time Year created Number of theatre festivals

1-5 years Between 2006 and 2002

128

6-10 years Between 2001 and 1997

74

11-15 years Between 1996 and 1992

39

16-20 years Between 1991 and 1987

12

20+ Before 1987 26

But…98 of the 128 theatre festivals which have been running between 1 and 5 years have only emerged

this year!!!

Festivals older than 20 years:

• The majority in small provincial towns which were capitals of administrative regions during the communist era•Some of them descendents of main national festivals prior to 1989, with very precisely defined formulae •Still run exclusively by institutional theatres or local cultural centers as part of their activities• None of these festivals is taking place in Warsaw.

The Polish experience:

Almost all theatre festivals depend on local authorities as main or sole subsidy givers.Local authorities identify more with their party programme than with the local community; thus festivals often become „political matters”.

Festival Suwalskie Eksploracje Teatralne (Suwałki Theatre Explorations) was organized in the poorest region in the EU. Its director, Jolanta Hinc-Mackiewicz, had money from different EU programmes but hardly any support from local authorities. The festival existed from 1996-2002.

Łódzkie Spotkania Teatralne – began in the early 60’s and was, during the 70’s, the most important theatre festival for student (independent, alternative) theatre. It re-started in the beginning of the 90’s. The festival suffers from money shortage every year but has a very clear “focus group” and a very determined although “old-type” leader. Now it has serious problems because of a personal hatred of the vice-minister of education towards the festival director Marian Glinkowski.

So Polish festival directors have had to learn how to operate on this swampy ground, and tackle different politicians on local and national level. Without their support the festival may vanish or find itself in big financial problems (Festiwal Dialogu Czterech Kultur in Łódź).

Another factor is the organisation of our theatre life which for many years has been divided into two streams: repertory, institutionalised state theatre and amateur theatre with a quite narrow sphere “in-between”, occupied by so-called “student theatre” or “alternative theatre”, with separate festivals for each stream. After 1989 these separate theatre milieus have tried to find common ground, so some of the festivals started to shift their formula. (e.g. “Counterpoint” Festival in Szczecin).

1) The festival of Small Theatre Forms “Counterpoint” (Szczecin)- in search for a new formula, combines 41 years of traditional theatre with contemporary theatre, also a clear example how separation of management from artistic leadership can change the festival.

2. Some new festivals appeared, and their organizers are in weaker position because “tradition” (especially “long local tradition”) is still a key term for local administration (especially in smaller provincial cities) in subsidy decisions.

Look at the quite large number of festivals created before 1989.

So one of the ways to strengthen sustainability is to find a more contemporary festival formula that covers different circles of theatre (Krakowskie Reminiscencje Teatralne, Festival of Small Theatrical Forms “Counterpoint”, or the event which a few years ago had been the most conservative theatre festival - “Polish Classic”), and become somehow ‘exceptional’.

Krakowskie Reminiscencje Teatralne (Cracow Theatre Reminiscences), born in 1975 as student theatre festival, changed its original formula completely two years ago, from the alternative theatre festival to the festival on new dramaturgy. Still organized without local government money but – in contrary to Suwałki or Toruń -in the city with a strong artistic, avant-garde tradition.

A new type of festival director has appeared. S/he is a strong artistic leader and also a manager of his/her festival. S/he is able to lead his/her festival through politically oriented reality. S/he is well-oriented in what is going on in the world theatre.

Approach towards festival audience:In my opinion festival sustainability nowadays in Poland may be secured by one of two opposite approaches toward audience:• local audience oriented festivals, with strong support from local artistic milieu (Maski Festival in Poznań) •or a well recognized and very clear “focus group” (Łódzkie Spotkania Teatralne)

Maski (Masks) Festival in Poznań (1997) in the beginning had been conceived as a presentation of Poznań theatre milieu but is now gradually is changing into big international event.

“Without the participation of Polish Public TV this festival will be only local event. And we are not interested in that kind of festival.”Maciej Okuński, director of Festival of Dialog Among Four Cultures.

- main “focus group” audience is the television audience and the “real-life audience” is mostly needed as a different type of performer for the TV show. But why is the television audience important for theatre festival? Because public TV is a quite wealthy sponsor, but on the other hand too much involved in politics, backing the ruling party (Festival of Dialog Among Four Cultures in Łódź).

Festival of Dialog Among Four Cultures, conceived in 2002 by the President of the Board of Directors of the public TV. For four years this festival had one of the largest budgets among Polish festivals, was supported by the Prime Minister from socio-democratic party (left) because Łódź is his hometown and a city where his party had the strongest support. After last year’s election the political situation changed completely and now the festival is in debt.

Conclusions:

1. Long life and a good artistic quality of a festival may be ensured by a strong artistic leader (he/she may be a good manager otherwise he/she has to have a good manager – which is quite obvious). At the same time he/she mustn’t be too much involved in politics but has to learn to deal with politicians of different opinions.2. Even with small amount of money one can keep the festival alive when it has the support of the local community and a well-recognised “focus group” (Łódź Theatre Meetings, Poznań Masks).Even with money, but without the support of local authorities and with a “focus group” that is not in the main field of interest of local politicians (e.g. youngsters - they are not voters) it is hard to keep a festival alive. (Suwałki Theatre Explorations, Crashes from Kłodzko, The Fringe of Theatre from Toruń)

3. It is much easier to organise a festival and to keep it alive when it receives a nation-wide recognition, especially through TV, and when the organisers care more about the VIPs than the local audience (The Festival of Dialogue of Four Cultures in Łódź, Dialog in Wrocław, Malta in Poznań4. For festival sustainability the location is very important – e.g. a long local artistic tradition (Kraków) or a city council that recognises the importance of art for promoting the city (Wrocław).