Dear friends and colleagues,

We all exist in these days between shock and extreme activity. Our hearts are with those who are fighting like lions for their freedom and with those who are losing everything but their souls.
AKT-ZENT was born as a child of curiosity; in the nineties, we were in the luck to be able to lift the iron curtains in our heads: Russian theatre tradition and culture combined with the different western schools… We went to Odessa, worked with American students in Moscow, brought European colleagues to the festivals in Kazan, produced The Gambler as a German-Russian co-production in Berlin and so much more.

I am not writing this out of selfish nostalgia. There are truly other problems today. I am writing this so that, above the rage and despair at the barbarity and abuse of power of a Russian dictator, we do not fall into the trap of hatred. Theatre artists have always been about taking a stand. Our strongest organ is the belly and the heart, that makes us / all of you strong! And – we can fly, cooling our heads and looking carefully at what is happening.

And of course we ask ourselves, can we just keep going? With theatre courses? Yes, we even have to. Many themes take on a different sign. The question of “what is my theatre” has to be asked anew. But we / you have a great task: to foster clarity of thought and to send hope into the world!

I wish everyone much, much strength and courage to do so! With the greatest respect for all those who risk their existence when they open their mouths.

Christine Schmalor
programme director World Theatre Training Institute AKT-ZENT/ITI

Here is our monthly programme. We hope for good and strengthening encounters.

		Dialogue N° 6 Friends, our course takes place in challenging times. And the topic of our next meeting is “Conflict”. Thank goodness Stanislavsky didn’t see the horrors of World War II and doesn’t see the beginning of World War III.  He can’t help us in any way. We are left alone to decide for ourselves what conflict is and how to prevent it and how to live with it and how to destroy it.  This is the topic of our meeting … Jurij Alschitz register here for 21 March, 15-18:00 (UTC+1) online
		Dionysus and The Bacchae Art and ritual, from the depths of antiquity, are inextricably linked. In contemporary theatre we observe a re-approach of the ritual through performances that seek a more substantial connection with the Other and the Unknown, focusing on the transformative and transcendental character of the artistic experience. Dimitris Tsiamis A course for actors, performers, directors, teachers with 4 meetings on 4 + 7 + 11 + 14 April always at 16:00 – 19:00 UTC+2
		Mastery of professional directing with Jurij Alschitz Directors ask actors to trust them. As artists we should not be afraid to take risks, but as directors we have an enormous responsibility – towards art and towards our actors. This course invites emerging and experienced directors to explore the 5 essential themes of their art during 5 meetings. You can attend one or all of them: 20/21 April:  Energy – a matter of life 27/28 April:  Composition – the road of life 04/05 May:  The space of events 11/12 May:  The director’s text analysis 18/19 May:  The director’s work with actors more
		Invitation to drama teachers Training as Method European cooperation project with the Greek Academy of Dramatic Art Notos We meet again for training on stage in Berlin from 26 April to 1 May 2022. A laboratory directed by Christine Schmalor with an impulse lecture and concluding colloquium with the author of this method, Dr. Jurij Alschitz