ISLAND CONNECT
A residency program for performing artsISLAND CONNECT is a collaborative program between seven performing arts organisations, working with residencies located on (or associated with) European islands of different countries. United in the project by a common interest in contributing to the creation and consolidation of performing arts, the network partners of the international exchange residency program, wish to address an important ambition. The project aims to support the artists and arts companies in their personal and professional development within the project’s framework, and therefore is launching these open calls.
Island Connect II (2024-2026) is a further evolution of the project, funded by Creative Europe, and will announce three open calls per year of the three-year project.
Theme: All artists wishing to participate will be asked to critically engage with the themes of insularity, islander identities or island socio-political realities in a wider European context comparing the similarities and difficulties that emerge from diverse island regions of the project. Working on something related to these themes is a vital part of participating in the project. Artists are not required to have an existing project in development, and new proposals are equally welcome.
Artists are encouraged to interact with the island area and community. Artists’ work-in-progress presentations are organised at the end of each residency and presentations of finished works of selected artistic companies can be performed at partners’ festivals. All presentations are followed by an artist-audience feedback session.
The objective is to provide the artists with a much-needed space for research and free experimentation, and time for reflecting and posing questions. At the same time, partners’ artistic directors may provide them with specialised feedback and dramaturgical advice. This is facilitated through fully-funded residencies for each of the artistic companies.
We are still updating a few final details for the 2025 calls.
- The residencies will take place across seven islands (Bornholm – Denmark, Vis – Croatia, Ireland, Mallorca, Corsica, Sardinia, or Tenerife) at different times throughout 2024-26.
- The length of the residencies will be two weeks with a work-in-progress presentation of the work by the end of the term.
- The residencies provide and ensure both working and living conditions which include: working venue/space and basic technical conditions at a selected island community, paid pre-arranged accommodation (twin rooms), local and international travel expenses to residency and capacity building locations, travel expenses to the residency, per diems, and fee.
- Local partners of the Island Connect network may organise presentations of finished works of selected artistic companies.
- Participants must complete their residencies as scheduled plus the SpringLab.
- The project deals with themes of insularity and isolation, and the rural location of the residencies may contribute to this feeling for artists.
SpringLab – Capacity Building Workshops
The Island Connect program will be complemented each year by a 5-day SpringLab. The next SpringLab is in Tenerife, from March 30th – April 5th 2025. A person responsible for artistic direction from each selected company will be invited to join the workshop with the aim of providing the companies with tools for the development, creativity and sustainability of their artistic projects. The workshop has two parts; one on project development and dramaturgy, and one on one personal leadership. There may also be seminars from guest speakers.
SpringLab is a vital component of the Island Connect project, offering valuable professional development to artists at no cost. This free training is a mandatory part of the program for one artist from each selected company, from all three Open Calls.
Open Call #1 – Artistic Residency Exchange 2025
This call is open to artists or groups/companies of up to 3 artists. Each artist/group will receive 2 weeks of residency in their country of origin or domicile. They will then be sent to a partner country for a further 2 weeks of residency. During these weeks of residency, they may share the space with another group of artists, to encourage networking and exchange.
This call is open to artists who have a performative element to their work or consider themselves to be in the performing arts.
Artists/companies will receive a total of €1200 per 2-week residency (€2400 total) regardless of group size, and per diems of €50* per person. Accommodation and travel is provided.
*Croatian artists receive per diems of €28 while in Croatia.
APPLICATION PROCESS UNIQUE TO THIS CALL:
– a written (250 words max.) or video (2 mins max) explanation of why you want to go to this particular residency centre/country
The other standard application requirements are listed below.
Open Call #2 – Co-Creation Residency 2025
This call is for 1 performing arts creator from each of our regions to participate in a joint co-creation residency on the island of Mallorca, June 23rd-29th 2025. The residency will be organised by C.IN.E. and facilitated by Biel Jordà, in collaboration with another professional facilitator from the Balearic Islands.
The call is aimed at artists from all areas of the performing arts, not only performers, who would like to work on the theme of identity and insularity in order to develop ideas in a co-creative residency. We are interested in artists who have both experience in collaborative work and an interest in the aforementioned topic. Please read the additional process below for more information.
Each artist will be paid €800, per diems of €50 per day during the residency, and approved travel expenses will be covered. C.IN.E. will provide accommodation and workspace for all the participating artists. Please check the C.IN.E. website for more information about the residence centre: https://www.cinesineu.com/
Click below for further details on the process of this Co-Creation Residency.
Further Process of Co-Creation
Before the residency, there will be 2 Zoom meetings (to be scheduled later) focused on introducing ourselves as artists and on the planning for both the work process and the co-creation tools we will use in the residency.
The SPRINGLAB to be held in Tenerife from 30 March to 6 April provides us with a fantastic opportunity to generate a first face-to-face meeting in which we can start working on a first brainstorming session.
The residency in Mallorca will be from 23 to 26 June and will be focused on finalising the ideas the group would like to work on and researching possible methodologies to follow. The objective will be to propose a map of ideas in which it would be possible to continue the work in the future, both with all the artists and in smaller groups.
At the end of the residency, there will be a presentation with all the partners, where we will present the lines of work we have developed, in order to assess possible collaborations in new co-creative residencies or, even, in a possible co-production. Each work process must be shared with the community, whether in the form of a colloquium or a work-in-progress.
SELECTION PROCESS UNIQUE TO THIS CALL:
– We select artists based on experience and ideas, but also to ensure we put together a diverse group of creators.
The other standard application requirements are listed below.
Open Call #3 – Islander Focus Residency 2025
This open call is for one artist, who will be sent internationally to two separate residencies of up to two weeks each. These residencies may also include locations outside of the seven core partner countries, which may only send artists to one location.
This call is open to a wider field of artists beyond just the performing arts, such as writers, photographers, etc. or anyone who believes they can engage with the aforementioned theme of the project to produce new research or work.
The artist will receive a fee of €600 per 2-week residency (€1200 total) and per diems of €50* (€1400 total). Accommodation and travel is provided.
The standard application requirements are listed below.
*Croatian artists receive per diems of €28 while in Croatia.
Residency Schedules
Click below to read more.
For 2025 certain cross-country residencies have been scheduled. Please select the country you are based in to see what your available options are.
One member of each selected company will attend the Springlab in Tenerife (March 30th – April 5th, 2025).
For artists based in Balearic Islands
Open Call 1: 6 – 19 May 2025 in C.IN.E. in Mallorca and 18 June – 2 July 2025 in Sardegna Teatro in Sardinia
Open Call 2: Open Call 2: C.IN.E., Mallorca, 23 – 29 June 2025
Open Call 3: Vis, Croatia (1-14 June 2025) and Lofoten, Norway (1-14 July 2025) and C.IN.E. (dates TBC)
One member of each selected company will attend the Springlab in Tenerife.
For artists based in Croatia
Open Call 1: May/June 2025 with Domino in Vis, Croatia and June 2025 in LAV, Tenerife (2 weeks in each place)
Open Call 2: C.IN.E., Mallorca, 23 – 29 June 2025
Open Call 3: Sardegna, Italy (6-20 May 2025 (Outdoors) or 4-18 June (In or Out)) and Åland, Finland (15-28 September 2025 – Outdoors)
One member of each selected company will attend the Springlab in Tenerife
For artists based in Denmark
Open Call 1: 16-29 June 2025 in BIRCA, Bornholm and 5-18 August 2025 in Irish Aerial Creation Centre, Ireland
Open Call 2: C.IN.E., Mallorca, 23 – 29 June 2025
Open Call 3: Madeira, Portugal (2-13 July) and Vis, Croatia (1-14 June)
One member of each selected company will attend the Springlab in Tenerife.
For artists based in Ireland
Open Call 1: 7-20 April 2025 in Théâtre Alibi in Corsica and 5-18 August in Irish Aerial Creation Centre, Limerick
Open Call 2: C.IN.E., Mallorca, 23 – 29 June 2025
Open Call 3: Suomenlinna, Finland (TBC) and Madeira, Portugal (9-22 June 2025)
One member of each selected company will attend the Springlab in Tenerife.
For artists based in Sardegna or Italy
Open Call 1: 6-19 May 2025 in C.IN.E in Mallorca and 18 June – 2 July 2025 in Sardegna Teatro in Sardinia
Open Call 2: C.IN.E., Mallorca, 23 – 29 June 2025
Open Call 3: Åland Islands (15-28 September 2025, Outdoors) and Suomenlinna, Finland (TBC 2025)
One member of each selected company will attend the Springlab in Tenerife.
For artists based in Corsica or France
Open Call 1: 7-20 April 2025 in Théâtre Alibi, Corsica and 16-29 June 2025 in BIRCA, Bornholm
Open Call 2: C.IN.E., Mallorca, 23 – 29 June 2025
Open Call 3: Lofoten, Norway (1-14 July 2025) and Sardinia, Italy (6-20 May 2025 Outdoors only, or 4-18 June 2025 in or out)
One member of each selected company will attend the Springlab in Tenerife.
For artists based in Canary Islands
Open Call 1: May/June 2025 in Vis, Croatia and June 2025 in Tenerife (4 weeks total)
Open Call 2: C.IN.E., Mallorca, 23 – 29 June 2025
Open Call 3: Corsica (April or June 2025) and Ireland (Flexible Outdoors, or August Indoors)
One member of each selected company will attend the Springlab in Tenerife.
2025: For artists based in Madeira
Open Call 1: n/a
Open Call 2: n/a
Open Call 3: Vis, Croatia (1-14 June 2025) and Ireland (Flexible outdoors, or August indoors)
One member of each selected company will attend the Springlab in Tenerife.
2025: For artists based in Finland
Open Call 1: n/a
Open Call 2: n/a
Open Call 3: Corsica (April 2025) and Mallorca (3-16 June 2025)
One member of each selected company will attend the Springlab in Tenerife.
Company Profiles and Residency Specifications
Click below to read more.
To read more about the companies involved, and the specifications of the residency locations, please select a company below.
BIRCA - Bækkelund International Residency Center for Artists (Bornholm, Denmark)
BIRCA is located on the Danish island of Bornholm. BIRCA has different farmhouse buildings that have been renovated and modernized in order to provide optimal working and lodging facilities for national and international residencies. There are two big rehearsal studios and an atelier apartment with a first floor dormitory/studio in the stable building.
BIRCA are situated in the middle of 3 hectares of land, beautiful fields with a small stretch of forest nearby, 3 km from the nearest little village. You will need to bicycle or take a bus to get around Bornholm.
BIRCA is looking for residencies interested in working in the rural surroundings and investigating nature and the local setting, it can be within any genre of performance art. We will have two groups in residency at the same time.
We expect that residency groups are interested in sharing processes and being in dialogue with each other. We live close together in a joint community and will work together on cooking and cleaning and we will dine together in the evenings.
The residency at BIRCA includes the following items:
- Free use of the white room (160 m2) or black (130 m2) for two weeks both equipment with new sound systems – we also have some basic lights and a projector that can be used.
- Accommodation with 3 rooms for each group.
- Access to kitchen, common areas, washing machine, internet
- Transport to/from the airport or port and assistance in purchases of food.
- Opportunity to present a work in progress and show local audiences the work, followed by a feedback session.
You reach Bornholm via Copenhagen Airport, where you can either fly to the local airport of Bornholm or take bus/ferry over Sweden. For further info about the space, travel and practical info please visit the website: https://www.birca.org/en/
C.IN.E., Centre d'Investigació Escènica de Sineu (Majorca, Balearic Islands, Spain)
C.IN.E., Centre d’Investigació Escènica de Sineu (Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain)
The C.IN.E. opened its doors in 2016 with the idea of hosting, provoking and promoting artistic processes. Nowadays, the Centre offers creative residencies for taking-risk companies, artists, groups or performing arts researchers who engage in innovative creations, mixing languages and collective contemporary creation. In the main space (the building had been a movie cinema), projects requiring height, with special attention to circus, are prioritized.
The C.IN.E. has two different venues:
. the Main Hall, a 200 square metre venue ideal for circus and large-format projects
. the Boiler Hall, ideal for small-format projects and for developing dramaturgy
Our goal is to host two Island Connect groups in residency at the same time; our vision for that is that the two collectives benefit from sharing processes and exchanging experiences with each other.
The residency at C.IN.E. includes the following items:
. Free use of the Main Hall for two weeks, in an agreed schedule shared with the local company: mornings (9:00-15:00) or afternoons/evenings (15:00-21:00). 200 sq metres and 10 m high, suitable for circus, aerial, physical theatre and large-format works.
. Accommodation at the venue, up to 3 people: 32 m2 loft, open space with kitchen and access to rooftop terrace.
. Free Wi-Fi.
. Transport to/from the airport.
. Opportunity to present a work-in-progress and show local audiences the work, followed by a feedback talk.
For further info about the space visit the website: https://www.cinesineu.com/english/home
The C.IN.E.’s associated local partners are: Teatre Principal de Palma, Consell de Mallorca and Institut d’Estudis Baleàrics
DOMINO (Zagreb, Croatia — residency on the island of Vis)
Domino is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation based in Zagreb, Croatia, who’s programs focus on minority human rights (LGBTQI+), socio-political issues concerning the independent cultural scene, climate changes and transitional processes. Domino perceives independent scene as a space for developing critical social consciousness in the public and media space, consequently the organization produces and presents a range of artists working in performance art, theater and dance, enticing and promoting independent, experimental and research artistic authorship in the local artistic landscape and internationally. Sounded Bodies, Perforations and Queer Zagreb Season are the festivals Domino organizes for over 15 years in Croatia and abroad. Domino’s participation in Island Connect II project is based on island Vis and the city of Komiža.
Residency space
Name of the space: Spomen dom Komiža
Address: Hrvatskih mučenika 17, Komiža, Hrvatska
Description of the space:
Spomen dom is a cultural center created in the time after World War II. It is a complex that housed the city administration, cinema and theater hall, art gallery and city library. It is located in the center of Komiža, with a modern, fully functional performance hall, works of art dedicated to those who died in World War 2.
Transportation:
– Transport to/from the airport to the residency space will be coordinated and organized by sending and hosting partner organization
It is possible to get from the Airport Split to the ferry port in Split by bus, taxi, and public transport. A ferry and a catamaran run from the ferry port to Vis. The ride takes 1.25 hours by catamaran or 2.20 hours by ferry. Upon arrival at the port of Vis, Komiža can be reached by taxi or bus. The ride takes about 20 minutes.
Accommodation:
Accommodation will be organized in a 3-star hotel or in fully equipped apartments.
Venue space:
– Dimension of the performing space – approx. 10 m wide, 7 m deep, 4 m high
– Basic technical theatre equipment – *specific needs can be discussed with the hosting partner
– Floor – laminate
– Number of seats for the audience – fixed seats, approx. 120 in the auditorium and 80 in the stands
– Description of other venues (lectures, meetings) – “Boris Mardešić” Gallery for the purpose of holding meetings, lectures, and workshops; size approximately 120m2, with chairs and a piano.
Our online presence
Instagram: @this_is_a_domino_project
Facebook: Udruga Domino https://www.facebook.com/thisisadominoproject
Youtube: Udruga Domino https://www.youtube.com/@udrugadomino1879
Website: https://thisisadominoproject.org/
Project is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs, The City of Zagreb, Foundation Kultura nova.
For more information on Domino visit https://thisisadominoproject.org/
Irish Aerial Creation Centre: The National Home for Aerial Arts (Limerick, Ireland)
The Irish Aerial Creation Centre (IACC) is located in Limerick, Ireland. A national home and international hub where aerial artistic excellence can flourish, creative collaborations can grow, and where people from all walks of life can learn to fly and allow their creativity to soar.
The IACC is home to Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Company, the founders. The centre has over 650 square meters of space dedicated to nurturing artists and the community.
IACC are situated 25 minutes drive/bus to Limerick City, 20 minutes walk to University of Limerick. We are situated in rural surroundings. We can accommodate all artists in apartments near the University of Limerick, within cycling distance and we supply bikes. You will need to hire a car, or take buses or use taxis to go further.
The centre can accommodate all forms of aerial, acrobatics and dance. Priority may be given to aerial artists, particularly for Open Call #1, but we welcome applications from all art forms particularly for Open Call #2 and #3. We hope to have two groups in residency at the same time. We expect that residency groups are interested in sharing processes and being in dialogue with each other.
The residency at IACC includes the following items:
- Free use of space for two weeks. 650 sq metres and 9m high, suitable for aerial, and other circus and dance works.
- Accommodation and place for 2 or 3 people near the University of Limerick
- Access to fully equipped kitchen, common areas, internet, etc. We are 5 minutes drive from the nearest shopping center or 10 minutes cycle.
- Opportunity to present a work-in-progress and show local audiences the work, followed by a feedback talk.
For Open Call #3, we may send artists to the Aran Islands instead.
You reach IACC via Dublin, Shannon or Cork Airport, hire car or use public transport on arrival and departure.
For further info about the space visit the website: https://irishaerialcreationcentre.com/
This project is co-funded by The Arts Council, and Limerick City and County Council.
Laboratorio Artes Vivas y Ciudadanía de Canarias (Tenerife, Spain)
LAV-C (Spain) is a laboratory of mediation, creation and innovation in contemporary performing arts that develops residencies of artistic creation, social participation and critical thinking in collaboration with public administrations and other entities, operating throughout the Canary Islands territory.
A project based on the utmost attention to collaborative relationships between artists, citizens and the context they operate in; to artistic creation as an agent of change and to the rethinking of the territory through artistic processes, supporting a shared custody and responsibility of cultural practices and policies as a guarantee of a co-imagined archipelago future based on co-leadership and politics of care.
LAV-C aims to nourish the generation of a shared space of creation-mediation-action around Contemporary Performing Arts as a tool for the design of healthy models of citizen participation through:
– The support of research in performing arts and citizenship.
– The impact of artistic practice on the archipelago territory as a tool for cohesion, maturation and social well-being.
– The intersectional care to artists and their processes from the recognition of their times, spaces and their specific needs for creation, research and contact with the territory.
– The islands as a centre (and not as a periphery) for creation, research, thought and social participation in the regional, national and international context.
– The promotion of multilateral and horizontal exchange relations between other spaces inside and outside Tenerife from the potential of ISLAND as a place for a feminist, dissident and decolonising exchange and learning context.
LAV-C provides to the residents the following support:
– Working space. We form alliances with different venues and public institutions of Tenerife, with whom we share objectives and desires in the projection of an emancipated society from the tools of the living arts. Therefore the venue for Island Connect’s selected artists is still to be decided, depending on availability and artists’ needs. We collaborate with: Espacio La Granja, Teatro Leal, Círculo de Bellas Artes de Tenerife and Desleal among others.
– Accommodation. To be decided depending on the working space location.
– Transport to/from the airport.
– Opportunity to make a presentation “work-in-progress” and share the work to local audiences, followed by a feedback talk.
– Logistics and PR through LAV-C and Island Connect II.
For further information about us please visit: www.laboratorioartesvivas.org
Instagram: @laboratorioartesvivas
Sardegna Teatro (Sardegna, Italy)
Teatro di Sardegna is the only TRIC, Theatre of Relevant Cultural Interest, in Sardinia.
TDS, acknowledged by the Italian Ministry of Culture, as TRIC in 2015 and confirmed in 2018, supports artistic creation granting the artists a long-time rehearsal, to experiment with the cross-media fusions of new languages, socio-cultural contexts and manifold environments.
TDS is committed to conveying a cultural scene that is not only artistic, aiming to take shape as a plural subject, capable of embodying multiple languages and of being a vehicle of educational opportunities.
The presence in the territories is plural as well: in the main cities of Cagliari and Nuoro, TDS runs spaces inhabited by performances and installations both produced or hosted.
TDS is also present in Paulilatino where it manages Grazia Deledda’s Theatre, addressed to artistic residencies, and in Argentiera village, in the municipality of Sassari, where together with LandWorks it takes an active part in the process of change and development through performing and digital arts.
In the former mining town of Fluminimaggiore, TDS presented the first editions of “Giornate del Respiro”, an international nomadic festival where artists’ research intertwines with the community and territories experiences thus resulting in unknown trajectories, unexpected paths, and multiple narratives.
The will to connect to territories comes together with the need to interpret the political and social role of TDS by playing an active part in the educational processes, starting from infancy. This is the reason why TDS broadens its field of exploration by creating NESTzerosei, a bilingual nursery and preschool, the only theatre organization in Italy to run this kind of centre. The new exploration spreads out from a reflection on infancy carried on in the last years to gain a deeper connection between the languages of contemporary performances and education, starting from the very first years of children’s life. Moreover, in our centre we are able to welcome visiting artists’ children between 0 and 6 years old.
Teatro di Sardegna are giving priority to people BORN / LIVING in Sardinia, refugees, and first/second generation migrant artists for open calls#1 and #3. Open call #2 is unaffected.
Our residency spaces
Venues for residency
Teatro di Sardegna manages several venues on the island, among them the theatre in Paulilatino is mainly focused on artistic residencies. However, we are committed to finding the most suitable location based on each artist specific needs.
Paulilatino
TdS implements its actions and agency in different spaces and in accordance with the peculiarities of the territories it inhabits. Paulilatino is the ideal venue for artistic residencies: its fully equipped theatre is completed by a guest house, but the most significant peculiarity is the potential relationship with the local community as well as the unique rural surroundings and archeological remains of Nuragic era.
Address: Teatro Grazia Deledda, Via Roma, 19, 09070 Paulilatino OR
Theatre’s dimensions:
Stage: 16,60 x 12,30 metres
Orchestra pit: 16,60 x 5,00 meters Grid: 12,20 meters
Lower stage: 16,60 x 9,30 metres
10 dressing rooms
Accommodation and comforts:
4 rooms (from 4 to 10 people) with private bathroom
1 common space / living room
1 kitchen
Free Wi-Fi (theatre and guesthouse)
Transports to / from airport or port
Cagliari & Nuoro
Other venues are located in Cagliari (the Capital City of the Island), where TdS has its headquarter in the spaces of a former Tobacco Factory and in Nuoro, where TEN – Teatro Eliseo Nuoro – cultura action is deeply connected with the most interesting and vibrant cultural and social institutions of the District.
Cagliari’s address: Sa Manifattura, Viale Regina Margherita 33, interno 103, 09124, Cagliari CA.
Nuoro’s address: TEN – Teatro Eliseo Nuoro, Via Roma, 73, 08100 Nuoro NU
Accommodation: TBD
Free Wi-Fi (our offices and guesthouse)
Transports to / from airport or port
In Cagliari, we offer the opportunity to accommodate artists’ children between 0 and 6 years old in our nursery.
Our online presence
@sardegnateatro
https://instagram.com/sardegnateatro
Sardegna Teatro
https://www.facebook.com/sardegnateatro/
@TEATROSARDEGNA
https://twitter.com/TEATROSARDEGNA
Youtube
Tss Channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/TssChannel
Website
Théâtre Alibi (Corsica, France)
Catherine Graziani and François Bergoin made the choice to come and settle in Corsica in November 1982 after initially performing theatre shows on the island from 1978 to 1981 while continuing their theatre training with many great European masters. They created their professional company in 1984. Following advice provided by the Ministère de la Culture, the company settled in Bastia in 1991 and rented premises (500m2) in the town centre. A warehouse thus became La Fabrique de Théâtre, a venue for the theatrical production and promotion of a repertoire of living theatre authors and young choreographers.
The Company
Since 1990 and thanks to its artistic decisions and the originality of its theatrical proposals (creation of unpublished European texts, unusual performance venues), the company has confirmed its reputation and has become well-known and recognised nationally and internationally. Over the last 40 years, its participations in festivals, in prestigious events taking place in symbolic places on the contemporary theatre scene have contributed in securing the interest of many theatre professionals in Europe.
The collaborative work of a producer, recognised by his peers, and that of a popular actress, acclaimed by both the media and public since the theatre show “CREDO” written by Enzo Cormann in 1990, is at the core of this strong, theatrical venture; a family of artists who gather and mix with and are
attentive to people who live in villages, in deprived areas, on council estates, in all parts of Corsica, advocates for better living together. A faithful political and poetical commitment linked to their respect for the intelligence of the audience.
The company strongly believes in the important democratic role of strong and creative artistic teams (thus becoming a social laboratory) in the heart of a city, which lies in a neglected region, itself in a troubled world in search of new reference points when it comes to living together. The company wants
to offer an innovative theatre in which modern writing and a contemporary repertoire can develop, as well as openness to other cultures (within and outside Europe), a poetic confrontation between daily reality and artistic concern. This theatrical work addresses the widest possible audience firstly in
Corsica but also in other French regions and abroad. The diversity of the target audience is reflected through their age range, social background or their place of residence.
It is necessary even vital that in addition to classical theatre, based on transcendence and the sacred, in addition to a few formal experiments, in addition to the humanist memory of the great repertoire, a theatre in tune with contemporary society be developed. It also needs to be a defiant and critical
theatre, a theatre aware of current collective tragedies, willing to take the risk of on-the-spot commitment in an uncomfortable period of contemporary ideological interference.
This project materialises through the works created by the company, the support given to other artistic companies (residencies /artist-in residence programs at the Fabrique, co-production, performance venue), the international theatre festivals in which the company takes part, training activities and
support to amateur theatre.2- The Venue: Fabrique de Théâtre/ European site for Theatrical Creation IS:
A) “A beacon alight in a small European town”
The home of an artistic company in the heart of one of the two most important built-up areas of Corsica:
Bastia
An artistic site dedicated to the discovery of European cultural diversity.
A place for the creation of the beginning of the third millenium.
A European reference for future artistic creation…
In order to implement its 5 primary missions, la Fabrique de Théâtre must be:
An experimental and production centre.
A place of research, a comfortable open laboratory.
A place favouring present-day artistic creativity from 26 countries and one region.
A place where artists can meet and compare their work.
The place where the dramatic works of the Compagnie Théâtre Alibi can be created.
For its CREATIVE mission
A theatre for present-day authors, mostly Europeans.
An open space permitting the innovative propositions of artistic drama or choreographic
companies.
A thoroughfare for artists from all over the world.
A place of residence, for creation, for rehearsal, for experimentation, for sharing, for training.
An eminently professional place on the look out for European creators
For its PRODUCTION mission
A place for putting on stage, for co-production of contemporary works in the sphere of drama,
dance, singing, even cinema. In the19 different European languages.
For its DIFFUSION mission
A place for scheduling productions complementing those of Bastia’s municipal theatre, thus
totally different. Between 2 to 8 quality dates per season. Surprises. Companies recognised
throughout Europe but unknown in Corsica. Risks.
For its PROGRAMMING mission
A place for teaching and transmission. For amateur and professional use.
For its TRAINING mission
But above all a place for each and everyone.
For those who are well-off and those who are not.
For regular visitors but above all for those who are not.
B) A project turned towards Europe
A place turned towards all of Europe:
Resolutely modern, present- day, to offer the public a meeting with European dance and theatre, a site of immediate creation, a new concept of programming…..
A mission and a vocation for Europe:
The originality of the proposals sets out to continuously sharpen curiosity, knowledge, emotion and to initiate the public in cultural diversity and the common values of Europe.
Its aim is to create not a « theatre season », which is an old concept, but rather appointments around major theatrical and choreographic events, indoors, under a marquee, in the street or even in unusual places….
C) Description of the venue:
Situated in Bastia town centre, near the ferry port, the Fabrique de Théâtre is a 550 m2 building, of which half is devoted to the theatre.
A public reception foyer is equipped with air-conditioning.
2 toilets (including one for disabled visitors).
A kitchen measuring 12m2 fully equipped for the preparation of meals for the artists.
2 artists’ dressing rooms (15 m2) equipped with showers and independent toilet.
A foyer and a theatre library at the artists’ disposal.
The theatre is equipped with a bench-type retractable tiered area with 96 seats, permitting a diversity of stage configurations.
The stage is on one level and measures 135m2 (15m wide x 9m deep x 5m high , with air conditioning.
In 2013, the company acquired the lease of a 80m2 adjoining building which constitutes the annex of the Fabrique de Théâtre so allowing the installation of technical premises, an extra dressing room of 15m2 with direct access to the stage and office space of 40m2 for the administration of the Compagnie Alibi and the Fabrique de Théâtre.
The Fabrique de Théâtre / European Site of Creation intends to develop in the long run a permanent and regular activity.
The Fabrique de Théâtre / European Site of Creation defines its specificity by spreading its action in the afore-mentioned domains.
Its specificity has been developed over 40 years. It meets the successive needs of different audiences, is attentive to the needs expressed by different populations as well as a desire to open up the Corsican region to contemporary artistic practices.
2025: Eilertsen & Granados Teaterkompani (Stamsund, Lofoten, Norway)
http://www.eilertsen-granados.com/
Eilertsen & Granados Teaterkompani is a performing arts company funded by Cristina Granados and Andreas Eilertsen in 2006. The company is based in the old cinema of Stamsund, a small fishing village in the Lofoten Islands in the North of Norway.
The company bases its experience in the expressive physical theater and has extensively studied the connection between live music and theater; an intense dialog between music and theater with strong input from other fields (poetry, visual art, among others). The company members have worked for several years looking for new ways of expression combining the different disciplines.
In 2009 Eilertsen & Granados bought the old cinema in Stamsund which they have been restoring and taking care of since then. They gave a new life to the building with support from the Arts Council in Norway and other grants in the country.
In 2013 E&G started with a project called E&G Summer Program where they program young artists projects in the summer months. Since then, they have been programming, facilitating and mentoring many of the projects that have been presented also in collaboration with other organizations that work with young artists. During these ten years E&G have observed the needs of young artists when they finish their studies, the dreams of creating their own projects and the struggles that they approach on the way of becoming professional performing artists.
In the last years many young artists have been working with the organisation in different artistic projects being part of the creative process, including them in the final decisions and building trust in their ideas. E&G have been working in site-specific projects being involved with the community and making the community being engaged in their projects on many different levels.
At the moment Eilertsen & Granados are leading a Creative Europe project called Moving Matters. You can read more about it here: movingmatters.eu
2025: Baltazar Dias Municipal Theatre (Funchal, Madeira, Portugal)
The Baltazar Dias Municipal Theatre is a structure of the Funchal City Council with regular programming through the concept of artistic season, with the presentation of events in a host regime, co-production and own production. It provides a public service in access to culture and in the promotion and professionalisation of the sector. The Baltazar Dias Municipal Theatre has in its purview the Artistic Creation Grants, an annual financial support for the development of artistic projects in the areas of Visual Arts, Performing Arts and Writing. Community artistic work is prioritised.
2025: DACE - Dance Art Critical Ecology (Åland Islands, Finland)
DACE is a learning site that invites you to explore the intersections of dance, art, and more-than-human worlds. Founded in 2019 by Rickard Borgström [FI] and Rebecca Chentinell [SE], DACE focuses on how the body is entangled in and interrelates with the biosphere. This perspective influences how we choose to organize our lives, and challenges conventional ways of creating and organizing art, encouraging practices that reflect the intricate relationships between humans and the natural world.
DACE traces new sensitivities and connections between humans, technology, and nature, seeking to expand aesthetic and ethical frameworks in an era defined by human impact on the planet. Consequently, we collaborate with artists responding to rapid technological, environmental, and political shifts, and with those curious about how bodily approaches can reshape action, thinking, and artistic practice.
Artistic research cycle: Currents of kinship
Residency dates: September 15–28, 2025
In this upcoming research cycle, we turn our attention to the sea. Specifically, we examine the relationship between humans and oceans, exploring marine life and the archipelagic landscapes of the Baltic.
We approach this research through artistic exploration, engaging with the sea’s diverse elements from multiple perspectives. Employing a multitude of methodologies, we immerse ourselves in various aspects of the marine environment—not only the rhythms and movements of water, but also the textures of seaweed and kelp, the microscopic worlds of plankton, the behaviors of fish, and the geological layers of rocks and sediments that hold the memory of time.
As marine ecosystems undergo transformations due to human influences—such as pollution, eutrophication leading to algal blooms, oxygen-depleted seabeds, and shifts in biodiversity—we engage with these evolving environments. Our artistic practice becomes a space for inquiry and reflection, allowing us to explore how marine biology and geology are adapting and changing. By inhabiting questions and uncertainties around these fundamental shifts, we aim to understand the complexities of these changes through our creative work.
“Currents” are at the heart of this inquiry—not only as natural phenomena but as forces that shape societies, ecosystems, and cultural processes. We draw upon mythological narratives, Anthropocene discourse, and scientific knowledge to deepen our understanding of the ocean’s role in historical and contemporary contexts. In doing so, we reflect on societal structures and power dynamics, including the ways patriarchal systems affect ecological relationships.
This residency fosters dialogue and collaboration. It’s an opportunity to engage with local artists, curators, scientists, and residents, grounding your work in diverse perspectives and lived experiences. Together, we explore connections between artistic practice and ecological systems, framing the sea as both subject and collaborator.
Why Join?
If these themes resonate with you, whether you work in performing arts, visual arts, or other creative disciplines, we warmly invite you to apply. This residency is a chance to collaboratively shape the structure of your stay, aligning with your practice while contributing to a shared investigation of marine ecologies.
During the residency, we host a two-day gathering with international and local scientists, artists, curators and activists, centering on the ecological challenges of the Åland Sea and its archipelago. This symposium, developed in collaboration with NIPÅ – Nordic Institute on Åland, offers a space to share preliminary findings, exchange research questions, and expand connections across disciplines.
Practical Details
The residency provides a 14-day immersive experience on a small island in the Åland archipelago. Nestled close to the sea, the island offers a inspiring environment for research and creative work.
Accommodation:
Artists are housed in simple yet comfortable apartments with single rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms—just meters from the water. A sauna is also available.
This residency is about more than a place to stay; it’s about building connections—with the sea, with peers, and with the broader questions that drive your practice. We look forward to the possibility of sharing this experience with you.
For more information about DACE please visit www.dace.nu
Instagram @dace_danceartcriticalecology/
Facebook @dace2019
2025: Nordic Culture Point (Suomenlinna, Finland)
Info coming soon
Application Process
MANDATORY:
Fill out the online form
– a description of the artistic research that will be developed: general description, stages of construction of the project, sketches etc (1 pages max.),
– a detailed CV or biography per person (1 page max.)
– a motivation letter in written (500 words max.) or video form (3 minutes max. – unlisted youtube link or similar) that describes the proposed project and the relevance of its proposal to the objectives of the residency programme Island Connect
OPTIONAL:
– a portfolio of selected past projects that are relevant to the proposed project (up to 5 max. links or 5 files shared via Google Drive/ Dropbox/ provided within the Application form)
Each Open Call may also have unique application requirements as laid out above.
SELECTION PROCESS:
– A shortlist will be made by each hosting country. You may be contacted to verify eligibility.
– A selection of the top candidates will be interviewed over Zoom.
– Each Open Call may also have a unique selection process as laid out above.
Interested artists/companies must submit an application via online form in English, by the official deadline below.
Application Requirements
- Be a performing artist based in Denmark, Croatia, Ireland, the Balearic Islands, Corsica or France, Sardinia or Italy, or the Canary Islands. For 2025 you can also be from Madeira or Finland.
- Each call has different requirements that must be met.
- The country that you are based in will determine which residencies you can apply for, based on the schedule.
OBLIGATIONS FOR ALL CALLS:
Artist(s) / Company(s):
- Must be available for the whole duration of both residencies (local and international)
- Must send one member of their company to the SpringLab / Capacity Building Workshop.
- Shall hold a presentation of their work developed at the end of each residency (not necessarily a performance).
- Shall be encouraged to participate in the life of the specific site/locality, and must take photos and videos of their residency to be shared publicly.
- Shall be available for potential requests for interviews by the press regarding this programme.
- Island Connect aims to be an inclusive project, open to participants of all ages, abilities, genders, sexualities, and national origins. Not all of our venues are completely accessible, but we will endeavour to meet peoples’ needs wherever we can.
- Must be able and willing to communicate in English throughout the project.
Note: All fees listed are gross amounts with all taxes included in that payment.
DEADLINE: 14th January 2025 – midnight in any European timezone.
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