Apply to work as a director for vulnerable groups from the Campania region (Naples)
Theatre festival ‘Quartieri di Vita’ (Naples) is looking for a director from Flanders to work during two weeks with vulnerable groups from the Campania region.
What?
The festival is looking for creators/directors from various European countries—including Flanders — to develop a project over a two-week period in co-creation with vulnerable groups in the Campania region, whose capital is Naples.
The creator/director from Flanders with a socially engaged practice is invited to work with one vulnerable group from November 16 to 30, 2025. The vulnerable groups include, for example, at-risk youth, women who are victims of violence, people with a migration background, people with different abilities, or people with mental health issues.
The group of participants will be matched based on the chosen candidate and the workshop proposal in collaboration with an Italian director. The workshop will be conducted in Italian because not all participants are proficient in English. An Italian-English interpreter will be provided. Knowledge of English is therefore necessary. The duration of the workshop varies between 4 and 6 hours per day. Small performances are planned at the end of the workshop (November 27-30).
In the second half of September 2025, the groups will be selected and the combinations between directors and groups will be made. This will be announced no later than the first week of October. The workshop will be prepared online together with the Italian director.
Context
This workshop is organised as part of ‘Quartieri di vita’, an annual festival focusing on art and society in the Campania region (capital: Naples). This is the fourth edition, in which the organisers are also involving foreign artists.
Each group will follow a two-week workshop (together with an Italian director) led by a foreign director who has experience with specific vulnerabilities. To this end, the festival is collaborating with foreign cultural institutes. This year, these are the Goethe Institut, Czech Cultural Institute, Austrian Cultural Forum, Polish Institute, Romanian Cultural Institute, and the Flemish Diplomatic Representation in Rome.
For Flanders, the Flemish Diplomatic Representation in Rome is collaborating with Kunstenpunt to select a candidate from Flanders.
How to participate?
Terms and Conditions
- You are active in and connected to the Flemish art scene, you have a socially engaged art practice and demonstrable experience with participation: working with vulnerable groups.
- You are available for the entire period, from November 16 to November 30, on site (departure no later than November 15 and return no earlier than December 1, 2025). It is not necessary to speak or understand Italian, but it is a plus.
- You are affiliated with an art organization in Flanders that works around participation, or you invite an art organization in Flanders that follows the process from a distance, has an interest in relationships with socially engaged practices in the Naples region, and in a follow-up to the project after the workshop.
The workshop starts on November 17 and ends on November 30, 2025. You agree to participate in presentations, which are currently scheduled for November 28, 29, and 30. Departure is possible from December 1, 2025.
Candidacy
- Send your motivation letter in English with a CV by Friday, September 5, at 11:59 p.m. to Julia Reist: julia.reist@kunsten.be.
- In the letter, indicate the type of vulnerability you have experience with and a methodology or idea for how to structure the workshop. In addition to the selection process, this will also help to make the right match between the group of participants and the Italian director.
- You should also indicate which languages you speak fluently.
- Include the name of the arts organization from Flanders that wants to follow this workshop remotely and is interested in follow-up. You or the arts organization itself should briefly explain in the motivation letter why they want to participate in this process.
The submissions will be read by colleagues from the Flanders Arts Institute Julia Reist, Femke Hintjes, and an external person from the performing arts sector. The candidate will be selected by September 9, 2025, at the latest.
Organisation
Cultural institutes and cultural representatives often collaborate in various capitals. This collaboration is encouraged and supported by EUNIC, European Union National Institutes for Culture — the European network of organizations involved in cultural relations from all EU member states. In Italy, they are collaborating with the theater festival this year. The Flemish Diplomatic Representation in Rome is a member of EUNIC Italy.
The organizer will cover travel and accommodation costs and provide a fee. Travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the Diplomatic Representation. A per diem of approximately €50.00 per day and an artistic fee of €1,300.00 for the two weeks will be provided.
Questions?
Please contact our colleague Julia Reist – julia@kunsten.be
