OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS

Please ASK! journey is an exceptional chance for artists to join forces with scientists in the field of Quantum Physics to craft captivating live performances. This open call is great for artists who seek to embrace a new understanding of science, the people of science and the scientific method. Thus, opens a new field of innovative artistic practices devoted to the connection between human existence and the world of science.

Please ASK! Project

Please ASK! – Art Science Kick is a European project that will produce and showcase nationally and internationally three science theater productions. Please ASK! brings together three innovative cultural organizations: Arte Urbana Collectif from Sofia, Pro Progressione from Budapest and Dafa Puppet Theatre from Prague. The project is an important milestone in establishing a European network of science theater practitioners. Please ASK! also aims to make artists more responsible towards filtering knowledge attained through the use of scientific method from assumptions that may seem appealing but that are not rooted in scientific evidence.

In the initial stage of Please ASK!, the focus will be on sharing artistic know-how and practices and creating a laboratory for different approaches to performing art – science collaborations. The developed methodology will then be implemented in creating science theater performances. Each of these performances will explore different scientific topics and will target diverse audiences. Arte Urbana Collectif will work on Astrobiology for a general audience, Pro Progressione – on ​​Evolutionary Biology for a family audience and Dafa Puppet Theatre – on Quantum Physics towards young audiences.

Please ASK! is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. Important partners of the project are the Astronomy Department of Sofia University, Municipal Centre for Extracurricular Activities – Baykal village, Association of Hungarian Women in Science and QWorld – QCzech.

Who are we?

Arte Urbana Collectif is an artistic collective based in Sofia, Bulgaria. The collective was created in 2016 by Ralitsa Assenova and Dimitar Uzunov who later were joined by other artists and cultural managers. The collective organizes various cultural events such as festivals, theater productions, workshops, master classes and other educational forums in Bulgaria. It aims to create an international artistic and cultural dynamic in the country.

Pro Progressione is a Budapest-based artistic hub that connects people, professions, and ambitions by designing international collaborations in the field of culture. From this combination, creative ideas emerge – artists, cultural activists, scientists, and experts of various fields meet and give cutting-edge answers for the questions of our age.

Dafa Puppet Theatre is a Czech-based multi-awarded puppet theater company based in Prague, Czech Republic. It was co-founded in 2015 and is co-run by Husam Abed, a director, puppeteer, and musician, and Reka Deak, a puppeteer and stage designer, both of whom are graduates of the Academy of Performing Arts (DAMU)/Czechia. Since its establishment Dafa has created many performances for children and adults and is invited on a regular basis to take part at international festivals in Europe, South East Asia, and across the Arab world. In their performances, Dafa combines principles of puppetry, devised, “alternative” theater, physical theater, music, and multimedia design to build new and exciting productions based on both fiction and documented history. The company regularly collaborates with multidisciplinary artists in the Czech Republic and abroad.

What type of artists are we looking for?

Active in the field of performing arts, preferably puppeteers. 

We welcome you to participate in the creation of an immersive performance and its performance in the Czech Republic and internationally.

What are we sure about?

We will create an intimate immersive performance inspired by Quantum Physics, and we expect children and young people to be among the audience. Any previous performing experiences will be an advantage. We seek to collaborate with curious and committed artists who are open to explore the inspiring fusion of science and the arts and so how our future will look like.

What we expect from the selected artists:

● To be professionally practicing.

● To have a very good level of spoken English language.

● To be based in Czech.

● To be available from 6th to 12th of September for an Artistic Residency in Bulgaria.

● To be involved in the communication of the project as informal ambassadors of art- science collaborations.

● To be curious.

● Previous experience in art-science collaboration practices is a plus, but it is not a must.

The evaluation of the candidates will be based upon these criteria.

What will you get?

● National and international visibility and networking through Please ASK!’s dissemination and engagement activities, such as announcements, events, social media, video and photo documentation, and general promotion of Please ASK!’s work through its large partner network.

● A cross-border and cross-disciplinary opportunity for exchange and artistic enrichment with fellow artists across Europe, including a 7-day artistic residency in  Bulgaria facilitated by internationally renowned practitioners.

● In-depth knowledge of Please ASK!’s core topics, provided by scientific experts. Becoming a part of fastly growing network of art-science practitioners with many professional opportunities.

● The production of the science theater performance will take up to 50 days in the period September 2024 – April 2025. The national premieres will be held in April/

May 2025. The International showcase will take place at the Theatre of Wonder 

festival in Sofia in Oct./Nov. 2025. Selected artists will receive fair payment. Travel  

and board expenses are fully covered by the project. According to the rules of the  

Creative Europe programme, the maintaining of a gender balance among artistic 

teams should be taken into account.

Join our team: 

Dr. Aurél Gábris, who is a researcher, a faculty member and deputy head at the Department of Physics at Czech Technical University in Prague and a founder of QCzech. 

https://people.fjfi.cvut.cz/gabriaur/

Reka Deak: Director, Socially Engaged Artist and Puppeteer, her main focus on socially engaged theatre, . 

https://deakreka.wixsite.com/reka

Husam Abed: Director, puppeteer and musician and co-founder of Dafa Puppet Theatre. 

https://husamabed.com/

Open Call calendar:

● Opening of the Call for Artists: March 12, 2024

● Deadline: April 12, 23:59 CET

● Reviewing the applications: Apr 13 – 21, 2024

● Interviews with the shortlisted applicants: Apr 22 – Apr 28, 2024

● Final selection and notifying the selected applicants: Apr 30, 2024

For further questions, please write at info@dafatheater.com

Are you ready to take part in the full artistic journey?
Immerse yourself in performing arts – science collaboration creative process!