Shock therapy
This #ACT17 we have a proposal, a schock therapy to take care of senses and recover the sensibility, to create new meanings. This XIV edition pretends to be an escape, not as an evasion from reality but as a door to other(s) werld(s), other perspectives that allow us to try alternative situations. We want this as an ACT of resistance and we believe that this philosophy meets the main characteristics of our festival: short escenes and shocking and risky proposals, that seek to challenge and give new points of view to rebuild the horizon.
In June, 7-10, we prescribe a shock treatment: ACT Festival, performing arts to recover senses. We’ll explore aesthetics of gender, join a trip following Victor Erice’s footsteps, we’ll challenge Shakespeare, play with artificial intelligence, feel vertigo, return to adolescence, dance in Poland streets, explore the elements, motion and transformation processes.
ACT International Short pieces Festival starts on Wednesday the 7th of June, proposing four days full of scene experience. Fourteen editions now launching emerging creators, that have an ocassion to meet programmers from many parts of the World. Twelve short pieces on contest, and four more on exhibition, this year ACT suggests a shock treatment. It will be an ACT Festival of scene subversión and defiance, moving us to other realities. We will see risky and agitator pieces in spoken theater, dance, performances … King Lear revisited in an approach to his daughters´ point of view. An investigation on gender and femininity. An story that explores body in teenage years, or a reflection on a distopic world ruled by technology, all mixed with therapy doses of sense of humour.
Bilbao and the nearby town of Barakaldo will co- over 70 artists from all around the World, with proposals from edginess and risk, that reflect the international scene right now.
The festival, organized by BAI Performing Arts School, is completed by high level masterclasses and workshops with international characteristics, where exchange work methodologies and experiences.
ACT is organized in collaboration with Diputación foral de Bizkaia, Bilbao Council and Barakaldo Council. Besides, Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) support us through the Internationalization Program of Spanish Culture (PICE) in the modality of Visitors. Thanks to this aid, the programmers (Sara Serrano López, Charles Meillat, Kaya Stanley-Money, Aurelie Pousset Urruti, Barbara Balen, Daniela Perez, Sarah-Jane Watkinson, Ira Brand and Kevin Jamieson) will be in the festival and see all productions. Finally, Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa will host a documentary projection and a masterclass in the framework of TopARTE program.
Fourteen years on scene
For fourteen years, ACT has been beting on new creation on scene, in all its different forms. Fourteen editions bringing proposals full of talent, exchange and synergy, and moreover willing to renew international stage scene.
ACT becomes a pleasant and dynamic space for all audiencies. Sessions are composed of two or three short pieces, lasting 30´max. each.
The festival locations are : Guggenheim Bilbao auditórium, BAI Theater School, or Barakaldo Antzokia theater (afternoon sessions at 19:00 pm) and Kafe Antzokia theater (night sessions at 22:00 pm). Opening and closing sessions will also present outstanding exhibition short pieces.
At the Opening in KafeAntzokia theater on 07.06.17, we will enjoy GIVE ME A MOMENT, by Giselda Ranieri, first award in 2016 edition.
ACT will end in KafeAntzokia theater on 10.06.17 with the 2017 awards. German Oliver Zhan and the Hauptaktion company will perform SITUATION WITH OUTSTRETCHED ARM, ACT award at BE Festival 2016 in Birmingham. We will also enjoy 2016 ACT Festival award, LAS COSAS SE MUEVEN PERO NO DICEN NADA, by brazilian Poliana Lima.
XIV edition
The XIV edition of ACT International Short Pieces Festival is beginning to take shape. We’ve received this year almost 300 proposals with very different topics and types that will allow us to prepare a complete and quality program. Like other years, the participants are from diverse places like Switzerland, Albania, Iran, Portugal, United Kingdom, South Africa… besides, we’ve received many proposals from Latin America, so we want to thank to American partners their implication in the contest and the opportunity that it gives to us to growth.
We invite you to follow our treatment.
Hello!
We are GESTUS THEATER and we are from Bulgaria. We are a non-governmental organization for theater and art. We focused on creating and affirming a cultural policy on the territory of Bulgaria and outside of it, geared toward different groups of people, which acknowledges the cultural significance of theatre and art. GESTUS is our chosen name, as a socially-coded gesture toward theatre and art.
GESTUS aims to help the development of culture and art in smaller towns and villages in Bulgaria; to enable an international cultural exchange and popularise the contemporary work of Bulgarian and foreign playwrights and writers. We also aim to work in support of freelance artists and other private associations in the country and outside of it; to create educational and other plays and performances with the purpose of developing the creative abilities of children and adolescents.
We would love to participate in the festival in 2017. We will be glad if we get the opportunity for cultural exchange. One of the great positives is the realization of international cultural exchange through which we can further build future opportunities for cooperation with other artistic groups.
Our latest theatrical project is “Here … at the End of the World”. The play is the contemporary Russian playwright Alex Bjorklund. The text finds its realization for the first time in Bulgaria. We have focused on contemporary dramaturgy and an author, who has won awards and contests but is relatively unknown in Bulgaria and Europe. We believe it is very beneficial to spread and popularize the work of young authors and artists and in this way, stimulate other creative groups to do the same. One of the main goals of our organisation is to revitalise interest in theatre and art in all its forms and to inspire young people to develop their talents. The experience we will receive, will give us new directions and ideas to further these goals.We will expect a response from you.
Greetings from Bulgaria.