At the beginning of this season, we are launching OPEN– the first medium and long term collaboration platform of a state theater with artists, artists, associations and other independent entities in Romania. OPEN reaffirms our institution’s intention to become a long-distance supporter of independent artists and producers, a nursery of innovation, inventiveness and nonconformism – under the umbrella and stability of a state institution.
The OPEN 2025 program introduces a form through which independent artists and/or producers can propose their projects for collaboration with Masca. We provide a direct and accessible channel of communication and project-pitching throughout the year for all those who identify with the organizational values and artistic direction of the theatre.
for whom is it OPEN?
The OPEN Platform intends to become a platform of support and co-production based on public-private partnership and to crystallize around it a community of interdisciplinary artists interested in ecology, community activations, participatory approaches, alternative artistic formulas, theatre in unconventional spaces and topical themes.
In this sense, the theme of the 2024-2025 season is centered on the theatrical and humanitarian debate on the concepts of hero and anti-hero, but also on their topicality in a society where the boundaries between good and evil are becoming increasingly blurred and questionable. We are interested not only in grand gestures, but also in the small acts of courage and betrayal that shape our reality. Do we still have heroes today, or is it a clichéd and two-dimensional concept? Under the motto “Here we dream of change”, Masca Theatre aims to focus on the diversity of points of view, inviting the audience to a critical reflection on how individual and collective dreams can contribute to building a world that wants to change.
So, if you are an independent artist and if you care about the same things, this platform is dedicated to you, with no deadline for submission. Projects are also proposed and selected on the basis of compatibility. At a later stage, representatives of the selected teams will be invited to present their projects to the Masca Artistic Council.
what kind of collaborations is #open Masca Theater?
Co-productions – In this case, the theater co-finances the project, providing logistical, financial and technical support throughout the collaboration. Until now, Masca Theatre is co-producer in relation with the Ecosistem International Festival of Performing Arts (open call for an independent performance), 3rd edition, and with Art Revolution Association, which is preparing a pre-show at Masca this fall.
Partnerships – The theater does not contribute financially to the realization of the project but provides the rehearsal and performance spaces and/or the technical team, as well as the entire promotional apparatus of the theater. At the moment, Masca Theater is a partner of Teatrul Azi, Vanner Collective, F-Sides Cineclub, Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest, Contempora-ry Creative Dreamers, and Reconectat.ro.
#MascaAdopts is a 2-3 year collaboration in which we try to offer support and stability, as well as the artistic freedom necessary for a creative team to develop in a concrete artistic direction. The first creators adopted by Masca Theater are those from the IOTA Association, with whom we propose, among others, two premieres in co-production at the beginning of this season (“on the back of the corner photo, bottom left, is everything I can’t forget about my mother” and “Death and life of Bulă”).