Open call – Mittelyoung

Open call for Theatre, Music, Dance and Multidisciplinary/Circus projects of UNDER-30 artists, companies and collectives from Central Europe and the Balkans.

9 projects for Mittelyoung (12-15 May 2022)

the 3 best projects for Mittelfest (22 July-31 July 2022)

At its second edition, Mittelyoung is an event by and for young people under 30, a window for a generation immersed in a century, the 21st, yet to be invented and written. The festival is based on an open call for projects from Italy, Central-Europe and the Balkans, examined by a group of under-30 curators (curatores) appointed by Mittelfest in cooperation with some institutions and training bodies in Friuli Venezia Giulia region, the Carinthischer Sommer Music Festival (Austria) and SNG Drama Nova Gorica (Slovenia); the curatores will also include the winners of the theatre, music and dance sectors of Mittelyoung 2021. Among the applications submitted, under the coordination of Mittelfest artistic direction, the group of curatores will select 9 projects (3 theatre, 3 music and 3 dance) to be showcased from 12 to 14 May in Cividale del Friuli and on 15 May 2022 in Gorizia. Afterwards, among those 9 projects scheduled in mid-May, the same group of curatores together with the artistic direction will further select up to 3 shows (1 theatre, 1 music, 1 dance) to be re-scheduled during Mittelfest Imprevisti (The Unexpected) (22 – 31 July 2022). News 2022 Multidisciplinary/circus: performances, if selected, will then be included, depending on the nature of the performance, either among the theatre or music or dance projects, and always in the total of 9 projects.

Eligibility criteria

The call is open to: • ensembles/companies of artists under the age of 30 • individual artists under the age of 30

Ensembles/companies may count up to a maximum of 6 members and must be based in one of the following countries: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine. All members of the artistic staff must be aged between 18 and 30 at the time of submitting the application. Any technical staff is not subject to age limits. Individual artists under-30 must be nationals of or permanent residents in one of the above-mentioned countries. The works submitted must be unreleased in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Works unreleased in Italy will be taken in special consideration. The projects submitted must be relatively quick to set up and dismantle in order to allow the programming of several shows in one day as is customary in a Festival. The projects submitted must be in line with the theme Imprevisti (The Unexpected) of Mittelfest 2022 edition. “Here is the unexpected, which prepares where our eyes do not notice, even if they see, where our ears do not listen, even if they hear, where our body pretends nothing happens, even if it is in the middle of events. Like playing cards that, face down, hide their secret, the unexpected is such only for us, surprised at its occurrence: yet, once it has arrived, it is possible to unravel the thread of its causes, to reconstruct its slow preparation over time. In the meantime, however, we are already grappling with its effects, with what new, for better or worse, it has left us. Narrating the unexpected is, thus, a game, that is useful for refining the senses, for looking more carefully at what is happening around each and every one of us: partly to learn to give value to what is often neglected, and partly to size in the best way possible what can never be expected. Because the playing card, still face down, is like Schrödinger’s cat in the box: only when it appears you know its real value. Before that it is all possibility.” Giacomo Pedini

The staging/production of the submitted projects must be in compliance with anti-COVID 19 guidelines, in particular as regards live performances. Given the persistence of the epidemiological situation, it is advisable to plan also a digital format of the project.

Dates and locations

• Stage 1: Mittelyoung from 12 to 14 May 2022 in Cividale del Friuli (UD), on 15 May 2022 in Gorizia, Italy
• Stage 2: Mittelfest Imprevisti (The Unexpected) from 22 to 31 July 2022 in Cividale del Friuli (UD), Italy
• Stage 3: Mittelyoung Music at the Carinthischer Sommer Music Festival, the 13th August 2022 in Villach and Ossiach (Carinthia), Austria (more information about stage 3 in Article 6 of this call).

Conditions Associazione Mittelfest will grant to each selected project (stage 1) an economic support (co-production contribution or cachet) up to EUR 4,000.00, which will be calculated on the basis of the number of people involved and the type of performance, including all social security and tax charges by law, as well as return travel and accommodation expenses. The estimated costs proposed by the artist or the company will be subject to evaluation by Associazione Mittelfest (and possible negotiations).

Application process

The application form can be downloaded from the website and must be accompanied, under penalty of exclusion, by:

• 1. Short biography of the artist or company in English and/or Italian
• 2. Personal data (date of birth, tax residence, nationality, role) of all members of the ensemble (artistic and technical staff):  Download personal data form
• 3. Project description of the show in English and/or Italian
• 4. Technical data sheet of the show in English and/or Italian (itinerant performances that do not require a fixed location will also be taken into consideration). Download the TECHNICAL DATA SHEET and the photos of Mittelyoung LOCATIONS (Church of Santa Maria dei Battuti and Belvedere, Teatro Verdi in Gorizia)
• 5. Project summary or script (in Italian or English)
• 6. Photos and/or videos (links, if available) of the show and/or anything else relevant to the selection
• 7. For non-unreleased projects, list of repeats performed up to the date of the application submission
• 8. List of repeats scheduled until the end of August 2022

More details here

Applications must be submitted by 16 February 2022 at 3pm to the following e-mail address: selezione@mittelfest.org