Glej,
GLEN

Great Little European Network

Efficient Fridays

Kosovo on 15th November 2024
Estonia on 20th December 2024
Iceland on 17th January 2025
Slovenia on 21st February 2025
Latvia on 21st March 2025
Lithuania on 18th April 2025
Malta on 16th May 2025
Luxembourg on 20th June 2025

Every session will offer a quick round of news from the country's sector which are of interest for the foreign professionals (events, open calls, etc.), followed by an introduction by a guest speaker of the main stakeholders and trends in their local scene, to be concluded by a short presentation of the GLEN invited artist from the country.

#4 Efficient Friday

The Great Little European Network (GLEN) invites you to participate in a new series of webinars to gain insights into the scenes of the partner countries of the network. Join us online every third Friday of the month, from 13:00 to 14:00 CET to learn more about performing arts in:
Every session will offer a quick round of news from the country's sector which are of interest for the foreign professionals (events, open calls, etc.), followed by an introduction by a guest speaker of the main stakeholders and trends in their local scene, to be concluded by a short presentation of the GLEN invited artist from the country.

GLEN Webinar | Slovenia

Join us for the fourth part of the Efficient Fridays webinar series on Friday, February 21st, at 13:00 CET, as we explore Slovenia's performing arts scene and international festivals.
Meet the following programmes and festivals:

TRIGGER platform
A knowledge exchange platform and Showcase of independent productions open for programmers curious about Slovenia and the region.

PARL (Performance Art Research Ljubljana) a program supporting contemporary performance artists and groups to develop their projects, explore performative strategies, and receive feedback through a structured residency in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Mladi Levi Festival, Ljubljana
One of the most recognised contemporary performing arts festivals in Slovenia, featuring innovative performances, cultural exchange, and community engagement in unique urban and natural settings.

Drugajanje Festival, Maribor
Drugajanje Festival is a Slovenian contemporary art festival that brings professional and experimental theater, dance, and performance into high schools to inspire creativity and connect young audiences with the arts.

SPIDER Festival, Ljubljana
The Spider Festival is a unique Slovenian event focused on radical and experimental dance, contemporary art, and critical discourse, exploring complex cultural and social issues through innovative artistic expressions and happening in a beautiful open air park setting.

City of Women festival, Ljubljana
The City of Women Festival is an interdisciplinary event celebrating diverse art forms by women and marginalized creators, addressing social, political, and cultural issues through performances, workshops, exhibitions, and discussions.

Crossings festival, Maribor
The Crossings Festival is a biennial international event in Maribor, showcasing contemporary independent performing arts that critically engage with society while celebrating art’s potential to inspire change and community connection.

Registration (deadline 20th of February 2025) HERE.

#3 Efficient Friday

The Great Little European Network (GLEN) invite you to the next iteration of its series of webinars to gain insights into the scenes of the partner countries of the network, this time with three engaging presentations from Iceland, on 17 January 2025 at 13:00 CET. This webinar is a fantastic opportunity to connect with the GLEN network and learn more about Iceland’s dynamic performing arts community.

After a quick round of news from the partners, Friðrik Friðriksson, Director of Performing Arts Centre Iceland (PACI), will provide an overview of Iceland’s performing arts landscape, touching on theatres, creative spaces, international festivals, and opportunities for collaboration and residencies.

Then, Snæbjörn Brynjarsson, Director of Tjarnarbíó Theatre, will introduce Tjarnarbíó’s role as a home for independent performing arts in Iceland, highlighting its contributions to the local artistic community and its unique position within Iceland’s cultural ecosystem.

Finally, Snæfríður Sól Gunnarsdóttir, Artist in the GLEN Network will share insights into her artistic practice and discuss her upcoming projects.

Registration (deadline 16th of January 2025) HERE.

#2 Efficient Friday

After a quick round of news from the partners, you will be introduced to the theatre system, artistic practices, residencies, festivals, international collaborations and aims of the Estonian performing arts scene that could be of interest to foreign professionals. The presentation will be conducted by Liisi Aibel, international relations coordinator at the Estonian Theatre Agency. Liisi Aibel is responsible for different international projects, focusing on contemporary theatre and dramaturgy, and runs the annual Estonian Contemporary Performing Arts Showcase for foreign programmers and curators. Lately, she has been especially working on growing artists’ & performing arts institutions’ self-confidence in the ever-changing international performing arts field, and finding out how to maintain long-lasting meaningful connections.

Then, Annika Üprus, artistic director of elektron.art, will be present this virtual and physical art space. elektron.art creates and presents transdisciplinary artworks/performances for both physical and virtual stage, be it made with a paint brush, played by guitar, viewed through oculus or experienced as XR. As long as it speaks to us and has a twist.

Eventually, Siim Tõniste, GLEN artist from Estonia will introduce us to his artist practice and future projects.

Registration (deadline 19th of December 2024) HERE.

#1 Efficient Friday

For the first occurrence of the series, our partner from Kosovo, Florent Mehmeti from teatri ODA, will give an update about his projects and programs, including the new IN SITU Platform 2024-2028 giving opportunities for emerging artists presenting in public space.

Jeton Neziraj, playwright and director of Qendra Multimedia in Prishtina, will present a brief overview of politically and socially engaged theatre in Kosovo and its challenges for internationalization, as well as opportunities for politically and socially engaged artists from the GLEN countries in the Kosovo region and on the international scene.

Finally, Sovran Nrecaj, GLEN invited artist from Kosovo will present his projects in development.

Registration (deadline 14th of November 2024) HERE.

About the project

GLEN (Great Little European Network) connects the smallest countries of Europe through common networking and training programmes with the objective to contribute to designing more meaningful practices and more sustainable performing arts sectors in the concerned countries, interconnecting them and taking a prominent place on the international scene. The network aims to be an incubator for those who, while benefiting from a local anchorage, ambition to develop their practice internationally.

GLEN is no small idea, but one which aims to find new connection points between some of the smallest countries in Europe. From September 2023 to June 2024 GLEN will implement three areas of activities, networking activities, critical friendships (mentorships) and open webinars that address the specificities of producing and distributing in small countries and advising on how to develop internationally from there.

GLEN was established in 2023 as an initiative of 8 organizations working in supporting the structuration and internationalization of their national performing arts field. The Founders of the network are:

Kanuti Gildi SAAL (Estonia) https://saal.ee/
New theatre Institute of Latvia / The International festival of Contemporary theatre, Homo Novus (Latvia) www.theatre.lv / www.homonovus.lv
Sirenos Festival Lithuania/ Lithuanian Theatre Information Centre https://www.sirenos.lt/en/ / www.lithuaniantheatre.com
Performing Arts Centre Iceland www.performingarts.is
Kultur | lx - Arts Council Luxembourg https://www.kulturlx.lu/en/
Gledalisce Glej (Slovenia) www.glej.si/en
Teatri ODA (Kosovo) https://www.teatrioda.com/en/home
Spazju Kreattiv (Malta) https://www.kreattivita.org/

The participants in the Critical friendships (mentorship program) were selected in 2023. The critical friendship will include 8 months of mentoring from one of the partner countries (not their own), travel to the two networking activities and a small budget.

The participants are: Katja Markič (Slovenia), Snæfriður Sól Gunnarsdóttir (Iceland), Zofia Stelmaszczyk (Malta) Reinis Boters (Latvia) Fabio Godinho (Luxembourg), Siim Tõniste (Estonia), Greta Stiormer (Lithuanian), Sovran Nrecaj (Kosovo)

Webinars

There will be a series of six webinars tackling different aspects of international production and mobility hosted by the GLEN partners. Information on these events can be found on their websites and through social media.

A Boarding Pass for a Production: A Q&A with Malcolm Galea.

The fifth webinar will be held on Wednesday, June 12th, on Zoom.

An online webinar focusing on International Production Essentials. In this 60-minute session, theatre practitioner Malcolm Galea will share his experiences and successes in taking locally produced shows abroad, offering valuable insights and strategies for international production. The webinar will feature a dynamic Q&A session, providing attendees with the opportunity to engage directly and gain valuable knowledge about navigating the complexities of international theatre production.

The first webinar will be held on Friday, October 13th, at 12pm Iceland, 1pm UK, 2pm CET.

The webinar, entitled “How to take over the world (or at least develop an international strategic plan)”, will be hosted by Victor Mayot (Luxembourg) and Bek Berger (Latvia) and will tackle the basics of creating an International Development Plan. Join us to get guidance through the mist of international development and bust myths about working over borders.

The second webinar will be held on Thursday, December 21th, at 14pm.

In this webinar titled "The Bigger Dream: Leadership and entrepreneurship strategies in performing arts", join Florent Mehmeti, Director of ODA Theatre in Pristina, and Friðrik Friðriksson, Director of Performing Arts Centre Iceland, as they explore concepts, experiences and essential tools and roles of leadership and entrepreneurship in the performing arts. Through real-life case studies from their respective countries, they will examine concepts behind establishing successful cultural entities and/or initiatives . Discover what fuels the drive of a creative leader and learn how innovative and creative thinking can influence effective leadership that can transform the performing arts landscape and engage the community. The webinar is organised by GLEN - Great little European network, supported by Nordic Culture Point.

The third webinar will be held on Thursday, April 18th, on Zoom. Throughout this webinar, we'll delve into the diverse array of tools, stakeholders, and mediums that are essential for effective communication within the realm of live performances, theater, dance, and more. Whether you're an actor, dancer, musician, or involved in any aspect of the performing arts, mastering communication is key to engaging your audience, collaborating with fellow artists, producers, curators, and programmers as well as navigating the performing arts landscape. Join us as we explore tools like networking, pitching, artist statements, presentations and portfolios and match them with stakeholders and presenting situations.

With Barbara Poček, Glej Theatre’s artistic board member and international development manager, and Kristina Savickienė, Artistic Director of the Vilnius International Theatre Festival Sirenos.

The fourth webinar will be held on Tuesday, May 7th, on Zoom. Maarja Kalmre and Siim Tõniste, both employed by Kanuti Gildi SAAL, will share their individual and collective experience on the topic of shared artistic responsibility of curating as a collective. Maarja and Siim have worked together on SAAL Biennaal festival, where they were both members of an 8 people curatorial team. Additionally, Maarja is curating the main program of Kanuti Gildi SAAL with two of her colleagues.

Maarja and Siim have different and sometimes a bit conflicting views on the collective process. Which they think is great, because there is strength in plurality of opinions. To not get lost in the process, they will both try to create a personal roadmap of curating as a collective. (The linearity of which is not completely clear for them yet.)

The webinar will cover balancing practicalities and artistic agenda, as well as maintaining agency in a process that to a certain extent is spontaneous and self-developing.

The webinar is made of two parts: Shared experience and self-reflections by Siim and Maarja, followed by discussions in smaller working groups.

The Project partners led by Kanuti Gildi SAAL have received network funding from the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture to establish GLEN - Great Little European Network.

Glej, GLEN