From March 28 to April 1, 2023, the 33rd edition of the International Festival of Theatre Schools SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER took place
In the main program, a total of eleven universities from Poland, Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Georgia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, and the Czech Republic presented their theatrical work.
In addition to theatrical performances, festival visitors had the opportunity to participate in creative workshops or a discussion on the topic "Are we safe and do we want to be?" from the perspective of the Visegrad Group countries, which addressed not only the issue of sexual violence at universities. The organizers also focused on a musical program, which took place in Brno clubs První Patro and ArtBar Druhý Pád.
During the festival week, discussions about the performances also took place. During ENC: TALK, each of the judges presented a topic related to their professional field that resonates with today's audience. The viewers had the opportunity to gain insight into their practice. The professional jury this year consisted of Sonia Murcia Molina (Spain), director of Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático de Murcia from 2014-2022, Aminata Keita (Czech Republic), a director whose production the Feminista is currently playing at the National Theatre Brno, Bálint Antal (Hungary), a theatre director, and Sascha Kühne (Germany), a set and lighting designer.
The closing ceremony took place at the Husa na provázku Theatre, where, according to tradition, the festival director and the jury presented the Marta Awards.
The Marta Award in category Direction to Kateřina Volánková (Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Czech Republic) for the skillfull adaptation and staging of a difficult classic play, recreating its political validity and unleashing the creative potential of the team in the performance The Beggar's Opera.
The Marta Award in category Physical Theatre to Nino Nozadze (Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgia State University, Georgia) for the ability to capture the audience's attention through emotion of movement, within a choral performance in Lysistrata.
The Marta Award in category Authorial Acting to Aleksandra Gosławska (The Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw, Poland) for courageous interpretation of a personal story by using a large scale of imagination that grows beyond theatrical categories in the performance STAND UP: Monodrama by Aleksandra Gosławska.
The Marta Award in category Outstanding Acting to Maurice Läbe (Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts, Germany) for spending a whole afternoon in the library. And in order to that a remarkable teamwork of the whole crew and an impressive sense of interaction in the performance Cannibals.
The Award of the Festival Director to George Berry (London College of Music, The United Kingdom) for being an engine of the play in the performance Miss Brexit.
The project is co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.
Furthermore, this festival is created with the financial support of the City of Brno, the Municipal District od Central Brno, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the State Fund for Culture of the Czech Republic. The festival is also under the auspices of the Mayor of Brno, the City District Brno-Middle, the Czech Commission for UNESCO, the Governor of the South Moravian Region, the Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic, the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, the ENCATC and EFFE. The main media partner is Czech Television. We thank all partners for their support.