On 1 December, drama workshop with Artur Pałyga and theatre pedagogy workshop led by Maria Babicka-Janiszewska and Krystyna Mogilnicka will begin in Mexico City. Participants in the DramaFest International Festival of Contemporary Drama will have the opportunity to work intensively on the proposed topics for five days. The festival will then move to Monterrey, where workshops for the next group of participants will begin on 8 December.

DramaFest in Mexico City is a leading festival dedicated to contemporary theatre and drama. It serves as a platform for cultural exchange and collaboration between Mexican and international artists. Every two years, artists from Mexico meet their counterparts from a selected partner country, not only to explore existing works but also to create new ones together and share know-how.

This year’s edition will spotlight Poland – renowned for its contemporary theatre tradition, marked by political and social engagement that strongly resonated in Mexico in the latter half of the twentieth century. An essential element of the festival is the exchange of knowledge and experience, which this year will take place through drama workshops led by Artur Pałyga and theatre pedagogy workshops conducted by Maria Babicka-Janiszewska and Krystyna Mogilnicka. For the latter, a Spanish-language collection of texts from the publication Practising Theatre Pedagogy: Concepts, Values, Examples published by the Institute in 2024 was created and supplemented with a commentary for foreign readers. The collection is intended for anyone interested in deepening their knowledge of theatre pedagogy.

The “Polish Focus” section of the festival is co-organised by the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute, Cero Varo in Mexico and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and held in partnership with the Jan Kochanowski Theatre in Opole.

The Adam Mickiewicz Institute (AMI) brings Polish culture to people around the world. As a state institution, it fosters a lasting interest in Polish culture and art by strengthening the presence of Polish artists on the global stage. It initiates innovative projects, supports international cooperation and cultural exchanges. It promotes the work of both established and promising artists, showing the diversity and richness of our culture. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is also responsible for the Culture.pl. website, a comprehensive source of knowledge about Polish culture. More information: https://iam.pl/en.

The Polish programme during the international festival of contemporary drama, DramaFest, in Mexico is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.