Union of the Theatres of Europe

The Union of the Theatres of Europe was founded in 1991, through the initiative of Giorgio Strehler and with the support of the then Culture Minister of France, Jack Lang. Among its founding members were Ingmar Bergman, Heiner Müller and Jacques Lecoq. One of the most important figures of the European Theatre of the 20th century, Giorgio Strehler, assumed the presidency of the Union and dreamt of it as a vehicle for prompting the European Culture.

Aim of the Union of the Theatres of Europe is to contribute to the European integration through civilization and more specifically through the art of theatre, to develop a common European policy for the theatre, surpassing the language barriers, promoting the cultural exchanges and supporting the idea of an “art” theatre as a meeting and understanding place between people.
 
The Union of the Theatres of Europe supports effectively the co-productions, the co-operations and the artistic exchanges among its theatre-members showing an absolute respect for the various cultural identities and traditions. The Union was founded at first by 7 big public European Theatres, while today comprises 17 of the most important theatre organizations of Europe.

The UTE is an association that does intensive transnational theatre work with more than 10.000 performances and 3.000.000 spectators per season; offering festivals, exhibitions, workshops, collaborations with drama schools, colloquiums and co-productions throughout Europe. The UTE is a “multinational house”, an idea which corresponds to the so called “Mehrspartenhaus” in German theatre – that is, one major theatre with different departments, and in our case ONE theatre that consists of seventeen national theatres but still remains ONE at the same time. This “multinational house” intensively discusses the questions of a European identity and the role of culture in its formation. Its goal is to promote cultural activities across national borders that respect the principles of the particular identities, a thing that requires common and continuous research. Its current programme focuses on projects that put new working methods to the test and connects experienced theatre creators with enthusiastic newcomers, projects which are close to the citizens of the different European cities, and all this on a long-term scale.

The National Theatre of Northern Greece is a member of the Union of the Theatres of Europe since 1996. It has participated in many activities of the Union, as well as in European co-productions, while it has organized in Thessaloniki two U.T.E. festivals, in 1997 and in 2001. The N.T.N.G. has participated with its performances in four festivals of the Union of the Theatres of Europe, in multinational projects such as the Festival NOMADEUROPE, LIQUID FRONTIERS, Wake Up – Mediterranean Uprising etc.), while and, in the context of its European orientation, has presented to the Greek public more than 30 foreign productions, created by some of the most important theatre artists of Europe. Represented by its artistic director, the NTNG is member of the Board of Directors of the UTE, since April 2011, taking part in planning and organizing new orientations of the important institution.


The UTE Board of Directors

President: Gabor Tompa (Cluj, Teatrul Maghiar de Stat Cluj, Romania)
President of Honour: Lev Dodin (Maly Drama Theatre, Saint Petersburg, Russia)
Vice President: Nuno Cardoso (Teatro Nacional São João do Porto, Portugal)
Treasurer: Francisca Carneiro Fernandes (Teatro Nacional São João do Porto, Portugal)
Secretary: Florian Hirsch (Theatre National du Luxembourg, Luxembourg)

Other members of the board of directors: Csaba Antal  (Budapest, Hungary), Amalia Kondoyanni  (Thessaloniki, Greece)

The theatre-members
Belgrade, Jugoslovensko Dramsko Pozorište (Serbia)
Thessaloniki, National Theatre of Northern Greece (Greece)
Cluj, Teatrul Maghiar de Stat Cluj (Romania)
Krakow, Helena Modrzejewska National Stary Theatre (Poland)
Luxembourg, Theatre National du Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
Milan, Piccolo Teatro di Milano  (Italy)
Moscow, Maly Teatr (Russia)
Moscow, Stanislavsky Electrotheatre (Russia)
Prague, Městská divadla pražská – Prague City Theaters (Czech Republic)
Porto, Teatro Nacional São João (Portugal)
Rome, Teatro di Roma (Italy)
Sofia, Sfumato Theatre Laboratory (Bulgaria)


Other members: Lev Dodin, Tamás Ascher, Andrzej Wajda (1926-2016), Anatolij Vassiliev, Georges Lavaudant, Jack Lang, Krystian Lupa, Patrice Chéreau (1944 – 2013), Robert Sturua, Ilan Ronen, Georges Banu, Csaba Antal, Silviu Purcărete, Anna Bandora, Francisca Carneiro Fernandes, Stathis Livathinos