Between September and October 2026, residents of the Spotlight programme will take part in three group sessions held at the Theatre Institute. Below, we present a photo gallery documenting the first meeting.
These sessions are a facilitated programme of creative exchange between participants of the residency. The invited facilitators are: Julia Asperska, Artem Manuilov, Angelika Mizińska, Katarzyna Piwońska and Michał Rogulski. During the meetups, we address questions and issues through discussions, somatic practices, and meetings with invitees. Participants from Belarus, Ukraine, the UK, and Croatia who are working in Poland will also present their artistic practices and provide peer feedback during the sessions.
In the coming weeks, on the Theatre Institute’s social media, we will also present profiles of this year’s residents: Maryia Bialkovich, Rachel Karafistan, Olesii Nezhyvei, Żenia Dawidenka, Victoria Myronyuk, Romano Dautanac, Andrei Novik, and Siarhei Rylko.
Introducing the mentors of the Spotlight programme
During the pilot edition of the programme, residents work on their creative projects and professional development in Poland alongside a group of experienced mentors. The invited mentors, who were selected to match the participants’ needs, represent various professions and possess creative and managerial competencies in the field of performative arts and theatre.
The group of 15 mentors includes (in alphabetical order): Paweł Dobrowolski, Artur Grabowski, Klaudia Hartung-Wójciak, Marta Krawczyk, Anna Lewanowicz, Anna Majewska, Dorota Ogrodzka, Anna Smolar, Sean Palmer, Zdenka Pszczołowska, Małgorzata Sikorska-Miszczuk, Justyna Sobczyk, Paweł Sztarbowski, Łukasz Twarkowski, Wojtek Ziemilski. In agreement with their mentors, the residents are undertaking study visits to theatres and art centres across Poland this autumn.
Practice-sharing
The residency aims to build relationships and partnerships, and to empower individuals who are currently linking their professional development with institutional and off-theatre scenes in Poland. We believe that the programme will introduce new perspectives, themes, aesthetics, histories and identities to our stages, reflecting the vibrant and diverse social fabric of our society.
On 13 November 2026, the Theatre Institute will host an event involving residents, mentors, and an invited audience. During this event, the residents will present their plans and achievements. This will also provide an opportunity for joint reflection on the Spotlight residency experience, as well as discussions on topics relevant to artists with a migration background.
The Spotlight multicultural residency programme team
The following team is responsible for organising the autumn part of the Spotlight programme, namely the group sessions, and for supporting the residents: Aleksandra Jakubczak and Magda Grudziecka (interpreters), Alicja Rasztawicka (production cooperation), Szymon Adamczak (programme coordinator and curator), Krystyna Mogilnicka (Head of the International Cooperation Department), and the Theatre Institute’s technical team i.e. Tomasz Grabiński and Jacek Mrożkiewicz.
Spotlight Developmental Residencies | Group sessions | Photo by Maciej Czerski
