21-27 March 2015 Beirut, Lebanon Atelier Guide “The true role of a festival is to help artists to dare, to engage in new projects…” (Bernard Faivre d’Arcier) 0 Index Welcome by Nora Joumblatt, President Beiteddine Art Festival ............................................................................ 2 Welcome by The Festival Academy and the European Festivals Association .......................................................... 3 Programme .............................................................................................................................................................. 5 Mentors and Presenters ........................................................................................................................................ 10 Guest Speakers ...................................................................................................................................................... 17 Cultural Beirut ........................................................................................................................................................ 22 Participants ............................................................................................................................................................ 30 The Festival Academy and its mission ................................................................................................................... 34 Atelier for Young Festival Managers: Mission, history, success ............................................................................ 35 Co-organisers ......................................................................................................................................................... 41 Contacts ................................................................................................................................................................. 42 Venues and maps ................................................................................................................................................... 43 1 Welcome by Nora Joumblatt, President Beiteddine Art Festival Dear Atelier Participants, Dear Mentors and Presenters, Dear Honorary Guests, Dear Colleagues, With great pleasure, I welcome you – on behalf of the Beiteddine Art Festival, to the 8th edition of the Atelier for Young Festival Managers! It is the first time that this unique 7-day training takes place in the Arab world and we are very honoured to have the opportunity to host it in Beirut. Though one of the smallest countries in the Middle East, Lebanon enjoys an extraordinary rich and diverse human and cultural heritage, it harbours the largest number of international festivals and numerous cultural venues. The Beiteddine Art Festival was born in the summer of 1985, at a time when civil war was tearing the country apart. It was a cry for normality in the chaos of war and what better approach than the arts to inspire citizens, promote dialogue and encourage social cohesion. Beiteddine became a sanctuary for the arts and with time grew to be one of the leading festivals in the Middle East Beirut, the capital city is at the crossroads between East and West. It was reborn seven times from its ashes. This resilient capital is an Arab metropolis with all the flavours of a contemporary European city. We invite you to enjoy and discover Beirut, a vibrant city that fascinates with its cultural dynamism; it is an ideal backdrop for the Atelier. In a fast changing world, the festival sector faces new challenges that the coming generations of festival directors and cultural professionals have to meet, exploring innovative cultural pathways. In this context, initiatives such as the Atelier for Young Festival Managers are crucial. It is one of a few programmes in the world creating opportunities, allowing next generations of festival makers and programmers to network and be inspired by an amazing group of experienced festival directors. The Beiteddine Art Festival is delighted to support the Festival Academy and the European Festivals Association in its didactic mission. On behalf of the Beiteddine Art Festival, I would like to invite all participants, presenters and guests to benefit as much as possible from the Atelier for Young Festival Managers in Beirut and this incredible network you will now be part of. We are convinced that everyone will leave Beirut with many new ideas, creative intentions and innovative projects, with a twist of oriental flavour! May this edition be memorable! Nora Joumblatt President of the Beiteddine Art Festival 2 Welcome by The Festival Academy and the European Festivals Association Dear Atelier Participants, Dear Mentors and Presenters, Dear Honorary Guests, Dear Colleagues, The Festival Academy, an initiative of the European Festivals Association (EFA), is delighted to welcome you to the 8th Atelier for Young Festival Managers in Beirut, hosted by the Beiteddine Art Festival. We are very pleased to bring together 36 talented, emerging artistic festival managers from 21 countries and five continents and seven renowned festival leaders. The Atelier is a unique occasion for participants and presenters alike to step out of the daily routine for seven days, and to plunge into in-depth discussions on the artistic role of festivals. “The true role of a festival is to help artists to dare, to engage in new projects,” once said Bernard Faivre d’Arcier. His statement has been guiding the Atelier since its very inception in 2006 – no other quote could capture the spirit of the training programme better. The artistic aspects of festival management are at heart of all Atelier exchanges. The Atelier is also a unique opportunity for participants and presenters to network, to exchange ideas and to explore future cooperation possibilities. “The aim of the Atelier is to discuss the artistic aspects of festival management, including inspiring artists, delighting and challenging audiences, political and social responsibility, internationalism and sustainability,” said Lisa Dempster from the Melbourne Writers Festival and participant of the Atelier POZNAN 2014. After seven successful editions in Görlitz, Germany (2006), Varna, Bulgaria (2009), Singapore and Izmir, Turkey (2011), Ljubljana, Slovenia (2012), Edinburgh, UK (2014) and Poznan, Poland (2014), the Atelier Alumni Network counts 264 young artistic festival managers and 32 high-level festival leaders from 60 countries worldwide. We are thrilled to welcome you to this network and invite you to become an active member of it. With its Arab and European influences, Beirut embodies the encounter of different cultures and offers a unique background for an international programme such as the Atelier. We are looking forward to getting to know this vibrant city together with you. The first Atelier in the Arab World is organised at a time when societies are faced with moments of change and questions. There is a great need for debate on the concept and the implementation of democracy, pluralism and citizenship, and a global trend that shows us new tools and concepts are needed to bring contemporary democratic values to life. Since 1998 the European Festivals Association includes member festivals from Lebanon such as the Beirut Chants Festival, Al Bustan Festival, Beiteddine Art Festival and Baalbeck International Festival in order to pursue this objective. You will meet and be introduced to all these festivals and many more cultural players from Lebanon during the Atelier. The Festival Academy and EFA, together with its members and partners such as the European House for Culture or A Soul for Europe, is continuously working on the role arts and culture have to play in this process. In the 2015 Beirut edition of the Atelier the participants will meet Hortense Archambault, Hugo De Greef, Rania Elias, Bernard Faivre d’Arcier, Nele Hertling, Ruth MacKenzie and Alain Weber – all renowned, trailblazing festival managers who will share their rich experiences with the participants and many more guest speakers from Lebanon. To meet such an outstanding group makes the Atelier unique; an Atelier Alumni stated: “I am overwhelmed by an appreciation of being able to work so closely with so many experienced festival directors, to ask my questions and to hear the wide variety of stories they are able to offer about festival-making, their approaches, successes, challenges and failures. It would be impossible to teach ‘festival direction’ in this way in any other kind of fixed institution.” The previous Ateliers have proved how this experience can serve as a stepping stone for young leaders to grow in their careers, to extend their international networks and to start new collaborations. The Atelier BEIRUT 2015 is the third edition taking place under the newly established organisation The Festival Academy, launched in April 2013. The Festival Academy incorporates extended partnerships with networks, cultural institutes, embassies and festivals, higher geographical outreach and new training formats in festival management addressed at more diverse target groups. Thus, it will bring the Atelier for Young Festival Managers to a next level. We 3 are already looking forward to the next Atelier - which will take place in September 2015 for the second time in Asia - in Gwangju, South Korea, in collaboration with the Chonnam National University and the Asian Arts Theatre (Asian Culture Complex). In the meantime, we are also preparing a new training format for production managers; a first