The report brings together the main learning points we have drawn from the Perform Europe process, since its start in December 2020. The Perform Europe process so far highlights the urgency to rethink the current system of touring and distribution support in Europe, in order to make it more balanced, sustainable and inclusive. The report calls attention to the current issues and imbalances in the European system of cross-border touring and presentations of the performing arts, and articulates a vision on how to bring change.

Read the full report here.

Perform Europe Insights: Sustainability through innovation is the first publication of Perform Europe, an EU-funded project aiming to rethink cross-border distribution of the performing arts. The paper brings together the main learning points of the first six months of the project. 

During the research part of Perform Europe, the Perform Europe Consortium explored and mapped the context in which performing art works have been presented across borders in the past few years. They identified and analysed the current gaps in the European system of performing arts presentations and touring, taking account of the COVID-19 effects. This helped them to unfold the status quo of the European landscape of the performing arts distribution and to picture a better future for the performing arts ecosystem. 

The Perform Europe process so far highlights the urgency to rethink the current system of touring and distribution support in Europe, in order to make it more balanced, sustainable and inclusive. The report calls attention to the current geographic imbalances in the European system of cross-border touring and presentation of the performing arts. It also maps multiple issues related to artistic, human, economic, social and environmental sustainability of the European cross-border distribution system. 

Finally, the report articulates a vision on how a structured and continuous cross-border support scheme can help address the existing gaps and bring a long-lasting impact.  

If you have any questions, please write to info@performeurope.eu.

Consortium partners

Perform Europe is co-initiated by a Consortium of 5 organisations: IETM - International network for contemporary performing arts, the European Festivals Association (EFA), Circostrada, EDN - European Dancehouse Network and IDEA Consult.

Perform Europe is funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.