Applications are open until 14 December 2026. The call is intended for a team of 2–4 independent artists or a creative arts collective. We are looking for a new original project for public space that actively involves local communities.
In 2027, Klicpera Theatre, Divadlo Drak and the cultural non-profit organisation kontrapunkt will support the creation of a new performance project through the fifth edition of the festival’s residency initiative.
Past co-productions of the International Theatre Festival REGIONY include the acclaimed K Prameni by Jakub Gottwald and his collective; the performative installation Hemžení by Berta Doubková, Josefína Holcová and Iva Ščerbáková; the meditative performance Jiné místo by Anna Klimešová and Petr Erbes; and, in 2026, the performative radio play in public space no elders in this city by Chemické divadlo and Divadlo Setkání.
For the third time, the project will be created in cooperation with Nová síť as part of the ART-IN-RES residency programme.
The theme: Neklid (Restlessness)
Today, restlessness can be seen and felt all around us, and many of us undoubtedly feel it within ourselves too. This is hardly surprising. The world is shaken by geopolitical conflicts, societies are gripped by social tensions and clashes of opinion, and the future seems increasingly uncertain. Restlessness enters public debate as well as our private lives. Yet it need not be viewed exclusively as something negative. It is also the opposite of indifference, lethargy, stagnation or resignation. Restlessness means a need to change things.
Restlessness is also one of the fundamental sources of artistic creation, including theatre. Indeed, it is a necessary condition for it. The creative act is born of doubts, questions, desires and defiance: a need to say something, challenge it or turn it upside down. To create means to refuse to remain at rest, and to refuse to leave those around us undisturbed. Creation sets things in motion, disrupts established orders and seeks new perspectives. It also requires a willingness to be moved: to be unsettled, touched, amused or angered. After all, art exists precisely to unsettle us.
A theatre festival itself is a grand celebration of this restlessness. Streets and squares come alive, and the everyday rhythm of the city changes. Genres, aesthetics and artistic approaches meet, overlap and collide. People step outside their usual routes and shells, encounter one another, share experiences, discuss, argue and refine their views. For a set time, the festival lifts its community out of everyday routine and reminds us that not every kind of restlessness needs to be quietened. Creative restlessness deserves to be nurtured, because we need it now more than ever.
Who is the call for?
The forthcoming edition aims to reflect the diversity of contemporary independent art in keeping with the festival’s long-term vision, this time with an emphasis on smaller-scale formats. The urban environment remains a central pillar of our programming, providing the setting for half of the festival programme. We are therefore seeking a new original work for public space that reaches and engages festival audiences in an inventive way.
The call is intended for a team of 2–4 independent artists or a creative arts collective.
The resulting work
Active involvement of local communities and participatory principles are central to the creative process. Dialogue and live interaction with residents should serve both to open up the festival and as a core artistic and communicative tool within the resulting work. This inclusive approach blurs the boundary between audience and stage, turning shared public space into a place of meaningful encounters.
The project should fit organically into public space and communicate directly with both the space and its audiences, drawing on its natural rhythm, movement or architecture. It should take the form of a compact open-air pop-up or theatrical flash mob: an event that appears, unfolds and disappears without requiring complex technical preparation or a dedicated theatre space. Its foundation should be a visual, artistic or scenographic concept complemented by performative elements. The installation should be mobile and easy to present in other cities and at festivals in the Czech Republic and abroad. It should also be accessible across language barriers or readily adaptable into English. Preparation should take both environmental and economic sustainability into account. The concept should relate to the theme of REGIONY 2027 described above, while remaining open to variations in different public spaces.
The residency as part of the creative process
Nová síť will support the selected project through the ART-IN-RES programme. The creative team will receive a 7–14-day residency at a venue offering facilities suited to the project’s needs.
Financial support amounts to CZK 1,500 per person per residency day. It is intended to cover travel, meals and other personal costs associated with the stay, while also contributing towards creative work.
Nová síť will also provide financial support to the host organisation, which will arrange accommodation, a creative workspace and support throughout the residency.
Any additional services or involvement of other people must be agreed with the host organisation in advance and may require a financial contribution from the creative team.
Subject to available resources, Nová síť will also support subsequent presentations of the project in the regions in 2027 through its CIRKULACE programme.
Presentation
The resulting work will premiere at the 32nd International Theatre Festival REGIONY 2027 in Hradec Králové, taking place from 18 to 25 June 2027. Further presentations in Czech regions, with financial support from Nová síť, may be possible through the CIRKULACE 2027 programme.
After its presentation at REGIONY in Hradec Králové, responsibility for the production and promotion of the work passes to the artistic team.
Schedule
- Application deadline: 14 December 2026.
- Confirmation of the residency venue: no later than 4 January 2027.
- Expected residency period: April–June 2027.
- Premiere and repeat performances: International Theatre Festival REGIONY 2027, 18–25 June 2027.
Financial support
- Festival support of up to CZK 300,000, covering artistic fees, services related to producing and creating the work, materials, travel, the premiere and repeat performances at the festival.
- Accommodation during the festival and during preparations in Hradec Králové, approximately 2–3 weeks before the festival.
- Residency costs through Nová síť’s ART-IN-RES programme of up to CZK 140,000, covering support for both the residents and the host venue as described above.
- Production support during preparations and presentations in Hradec Králové, and promotion within the International Theatre Festival REGIONY.
Co-financing from other sources is welcome.
How to apply
- Complete the application form.
- Email an artistic portfolio of your previous work and projects, together with a more detailed artistic proposal for the planned project, to barbora@kontrapunkt.cz.
Submit both the application and the supporting documents by 14 December 2026.