‘Quartieri di Vita’ theatre festival (Naples) is looking for a creator/director

What?

The festival is seeking 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, of which Naples is the capital.

The creator/director from Flanders with a socially engaged practice is invited to work with one vulnerable group from 19 to 29 November 2026. Examples of vulnerable groups include young people at risk, women who are victims of violence, people from migrant backgrounds, people with different abilities, or people with mental health vulnerabilities.

The group of participants will be selected based on the chosen candidate and the workshop proposal, in collaboration with an Italian director. The workshop will be conducted in Italian as not all participants speak English. An Italian–English interpreter will be provided. Knowledge of English is therefore essential. The workshop will last between 4 and 6 hours per day. Short performance sessions are planned at the end of the workshop (27–30 November).

In the second half of September 2025, the groups will be selected and the pairings between directors and groups finalised. This will be announced by the first week of October at the latest. The workshop will be prepared online in collaboration with the Italian director.

Context

This workshop is being 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 international artists.

Each group will (always in collaboration with an Italian director) take part in a two-week workshop led by an international director with experience of specific vulnerabilities. To this end, the festival is collaborating with international cultural institutes. This year, these are the Goethe-Institut, the Institut Français and the Flemish Diplomatic Representation in Rome.

On behalf of Flanders, the Flemish Diplomatic Representation in Rome is working with Flanders Arts Institute 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 of participatory work: working with vulnerable groups.
• You must be available for the entire period, from 19 to 29 November, on site (departure no later than 18 November and return no earlier than 30 November 2026). It is not essential to speak or understand Italian, but it is an advantage.
• You are affiliated with an arts organisation in Flanders that works in the field of participation, or you invite an arts organisation in Flanders to follow the process remotely, which has an interest in building relationships with socially engaged practices in the Naples region and in following up on the project after the workshop.

Candidacy

• Please submit your cover letter in English, together with a CV, by Friday 2 October at 23:59 at the latest to Sofie Joye.
• In your cover letter, please indicate which type of vulnerability you have experience with, and suggest a methodology or idea for how to structure the workshop. In addition to the selection process, this will also help to ensure a good match between the group of participants and the Italian director.
• Please also state which languages you speak fluently.
• Please include the name of the arts organisation from Flanders that wishes to follow this workshop remotely and is interested in a follow-up. Either you or the arts organisation itself should briefly explain in the cover letter why they are joining this programme.

Entries will be assessed by colleagues from Flanders Arts Institute – Sofie Joye, Julia Reist – and an external expert from the performing arts sector. The candidate will be selected by 8 October 2026 at the latest.

Organisation

Cultural institutes and cultural representatives often collaborate in the various capital cities. This collaboration is encouraged and supported by EUNIC, European Union National Institutes for Culture – the European network of organisations involved in cultural relations from all EU Member States. In Italy, they are collaborating with the theatre festival this year. The Flemish Diplomatic Representation in Rome is a member of EUNIC Italy.

Reimbursement

The organiser will cover travel and accommodation costs and pay a fee. Travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the Diplomatic Mission. 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?

Contact our colleague Sofie Joye.