THE PROJECT
At its 9th edition, Teatri Riflessi is a festival consisting of several actions aiming at promoting the performing arts. At its heart is a short performance competition focused on live works no longer than 15 minutes and without distinction of genre. Since its first edition in 2009, the festival has been promoting and encouraging a discussion on dramaturgy and contemporary art languages connecting the stage to the representation of the territory and the territory to the contemporary scene.
2024 Edition
Contemporary Visions
Teatri Riflessi 9 is organised by IterCulture, in collaboration with the Municipality of Zafferana Etnea, the support of Regione Siciliana and the patronage of CENDIC – National Centre of Italian Contemporary Dramaturgy and the University of Messina.
The theme ‘Contemporary Visions’ wants to promote a discussion on how contemporary art languages have changed to look at the future, sometimes interacting with the digital medium and unconventional spaces, sometimes exploring the creative potential of new performative dimensions hinged on the intersubjectivity of the aesthetic experience and co-creation with the beholder. The aim is to display to a wide audience works that—aware of the techniques and innovations that marked the evolution of the performing arts—can rewrite themselves as current and original, leveraging the challenge represented by the short format to avoid being vacuous virtuosity or the anticipation of still unfinished work.
THE COMPETITION
13 short performances have been selected among over 370 submissions to the international call of Teatri Riflessi 9. Selected semifinalists are performing on Thursday, the 18th, and Friday, the 19th of July in Zafferana Etnea (Sicily, Italy).
All semifinalists receive a cachet of €500 and a travel reimbursement.
The Boards of experts from the performing arts industry (Directors’, Critics’ and Special Awards) will evaluate the semifinalists, proclaiming the finalists who are performing again on Saturday, 20 July. The Boards consist of theatre and festival directors and operators, critics, and performing arts scholars.
In addition to the competition’s prizes, the Special Prizes Committee can appoint special awards, such as hosting a work within their season or festival or offering artist residencies.
Published on the 8th of January, the call closed on the 24th of March 2024.
SHORT PERFORMANCE
Teatri Riflessi wants to enhance the short performance format per se: not as a reduction of a longer work nor as a starting point for a full-evening adaptation. The strength of the format lies in the artistic immediacy and urgency it conveys.
The framework of the competition connects, in a way, the ancient Greek theatre—devised as an outdoor competition for a vast audience—to the most provocative tendencies in happenings and performance art, which leverage the innate desire of the beholder to participate.
SUBMISSIONS
STARTING
FROM
8 JANUARY
DEADLINE
FOR
SUBMISSIONS
midnight (Italian time)
24 MARCH
LIST OF
SELECTED
PARTICIPANTS
7 april
DEADLINE FOR
REGISTRATION
h. 12:30 p.m.
10 april
REPECHAGE
11-12 april
FINAL LIST OF
SEMIFINALISTS
13 april
THE SEMIFINALISTS
No hay hueco en el jardín | Elena Puchol Sola (ESP)
Discorso sopra i massimi sistemi della produzione cinematografica | Pietro Angelini (ITA)
Leftovers | Josh Martin / COMPANY 605 (CDN)
No | Annalisa Limardi (ITA)
What About Dante | Mounir Saeed (EGY)
AY PAPI | Milena Cestao & Wolfgang Peréz (DEU)
Il Macello | Mattioli / Donzelli (ITA)
Tecniche di lavoro di gruppo – Appunti per uno schiuma party | Dimore Creative (ITA)
Ritual in form of a ceremony | Vasco Pedro Mirine (MOZ)
Matomari No Nai | Catarina Casqueiro & Tiago Coelho (PRT)
El Porvenir – 1 | Caminantes Danza / Pepa Sanz (ESP)
Gloria. An easy and funny work | La Quebrá (ESP)
BIANCO – BROTE DIGITAL | G. Re (ITA)
THE AWARDS
Best Short Performance – Teatri Riflessi 9 | € 1,200
determined by the final ranking that adds together the weighted score given by the Directors”, Critics’ and Special Awards Boards (40%), the Jury of the Final (40%), and the Youth Jury (20%).
Best Dramaturgy – Teatri Riflessi 9 | € 400
collectively determined by the Technical Board.
Best Direction – Teatri Riflessi 9 | € 400
collectively determined by the Technical Board.
Best Performer – Teatri Riflessi 9 | € 400
collectively determined by the Technical Board.
Critic’s Award – Teatri Riflessi 9 | € 400
collectively determined by the Critics’ Board.
‘Valentina Nicosia’ Fund | additional budget of € 600
awarded to one or more short performances based on the collective decision of the Technical and Critics’ Boards.
Special Mention of the Youth Jury – Teatri Riflessi 9
awarded by the Youth Jury to one of the semifinalists.
Special Mention of the Audience – Teatri Riflessi 9
determined by the audience during the final.
Special Mention of the Companies – Teatri Riflessi 9
determined by all competing companies.
FAQ
Will there be a cachet?
Each selected short performance will receive a cachet of €500.00 + 10% VAT and a potential additional reimbursement of up to €250.00 (depending on the funds available, the origin, and the number of participants involved). The majority of prizes are monetary. The cachet, reimbursement, and potential prizes will be transferred after the festival if participants comply with all the articles and deadlines in the call.
Do I have to pay to submit my proposal?
No. Only if selected, you will need to send a deposit in April that will be refunded after the festival.
What if my piece is longer than 15 minutes?
Your piece should not exceed 15 minutes. However, as the work is performed live, a certain flexibility is allowed, but it will not be possible to stay on stage longer than 20 minutes (within that time lapse the performance must be presented, prepared, set up, performed, removed, and people eventually thanked).
Where do I find the digital form?
The link is in the call, see Art. 5. Please, read the call in all its parts before submitting the form.
What shall I upload where a dramaturgy/script is asked?
If the piece does not have a script, upload a text detailing the dramaturgical research behind the work.
I don’t have a video recording of the play. Do I need one?
We need a recording of the entire performance to assess your application. Excerpts or trailers are not sufficient, and in case you send a read-through try to be as specific and detailed as possible in writing your director’s notes.
My work contains spoken parts in a foreign language. Can I still apply?
Yes. If needed, you can perform at Teatri Riflessi using overtitles.
Can I submit more than one performance?
Yes, fill out a form for each performance. You can submit diverse works devised for different locations of the festival (the stage within the outdoor theatre, the central square, or an unconventional space in the public park). If you think your work can be performed in more than one location, tick all three and explain how you need to adapt it in the director’s notes.
What if I change something in the work I perform at the festival, compared to the materials I submitted?
No major changes are allowed. Only if previously communicated and authorised, minor changes will be tolerated.
Who will evaluate the competing performances?
Artistic directors of Italian theatres and festivals, critics and journalists from all over Italy, and performing arts scholars. Many are members of the Teatri Riflessi Network or the Anticorpi XL Network. The complete list will be published in May 2024.
Can I skip the rehearsals?
No, rehearsals are essential. The days of rehearsals will be communicated in April.
When do I need to be in Zafferana?
As you will be rehearsing either on the 16th or on the 17th of July, you need to be in Zafferana from the day we schedule your rehearsals until Sunday, 21 July, at 1:00 p.m. (the final networking event with the national operators takes place on Sunday morning).
Will I have spare time?
Yes, rehearsals take place in the afternoon, so do all other activities. The only event in the morning is the final networking roundtable on Sunday 21 July.
For inquiries WRITE to
teatri.riflessi.festival@gmail.com
or CALL us
+39 345 3148306
Concept, Planning and Artistic Direction: Dario D’Agata and Valerio Verzin
Communication manager: Ilaria Mirenna
Social media: Simona Trovato e Beatrice Missiato
Translation and interpreting: Valerio Verzin and Sofia Fasone
Artists and competition coordination: Robertavenera Gambino
Cultural activities coordinator: Emanuela Di Grigoli
Stuzzicamente and Welcoming: Giuliana Trovato
Logistics and backstage: Orazio Morace
Boards and Jury coordinators: Ilaria Mirenna and Claudia Migliori
Mini Participatory Performances and Facilitator: Erin B. Mee
Curatorship TestiRiflessi per giovani sguardi and TestiRiflessi Lines and Paragraphs: Grazia Calanna
Technical direction: Valerio Santi
Visual: Babak Safari
Host: Dario D’Agata
European volunteers (Lunaria WorkCamp): Blandine Duchemin (coordinator), Ada Baran, Aleksandra Garbiak, Laura Nyman Alli, Enric Ballesta, Maria Duñó Puig, Maria Wilhelm, Muhammed Enes Karaçizmeli, Sidar Babaoğlu, Sofia Sundfors Alli and Veronika Vovchanska
Contemporary Visions performers: Agnese Canicattì, Chiara Garozzo, Gaia Gulizia, Alessandro Pennisi and Rachele Sciacca
Interns from the University of Catania: Giovanni Torre, Matteo Castrogiovanni and Gabriella Marino
Volunteers from the Università of Messina: Andrea Castiglia and Laura Pellizzeri
Sostieni Teatri Riflessi Staff: Matteo Pappalardo and Giorgia Teniglia
Administration: IterCulture (Dario D’Agata, Orazio Morace, Valerio Verzin, Ilaria Mirenna)
Consultive committee: Emanuela Di Grigoli, Claudia Migliori, Orazio Morace, Ilenia Romano, Rosalba Ruggeri, Valerio Santi, Simona Scattina and Valentina Sineri
Backstage assistance: Claudia Regio
Photos during the festival: Valeria Buta
Videomaking during the festival: Dario Grasso
Media partners: Dance ICONS, Campadidanza, Rei TV, Gruppo RMB
Technical support and setting-up: Disco Express di Nino Manuli
Supporters: Ni.Vi Ceramiche, European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists – EFFEA, European Festivals Association, Viagrande Studios, This Is Not a Theatre Company, Data Punch, Coorpi, Centro Nazionale di Drammaturgia Italiana Contemporanea – CENDIC, Circolo Didattico di Zafferana Etnea, Università degli Studi di Messina, Lunaria, European Solidarity Corps; Lottery partners: Ekipe Sport & Family Club, Officina del Viaggio, Sayonara Beach Naxos, Sicily Adventure, SPA Suite Sicilia, Relais San Giuliano; partner accommodation: Aria dell’Etna, Casa Farlazzo, Fermata Spuligni, Etna Sunrise, Sicilia in Miniatura, Villa Hirschen.
MEDIA PARTNERS
Teatri Riflessi has received the EFFE Label, Europe’s quality stamp for remarkable arts festivals showing their engagement in the field of the arts, community involvement and international openness.
EFFE is an initiative of the European Association of Festivals supported by the European Commission and Parliament.
