1.0 ATTENDANCE
This meeting was held on-line via Zoom.
The following participated:
OISTAT Head Quarters:
Hsi-Lun Tai Taiwan
Yi Shan Lai Taiwan
Members and Guests:
Janne Auvinen Finland
Kate Burnett UK
Tim Foster UK (retiring vice-chair)
Peter Ruthven Hall UK (vice-chair)
Gabriele Högg Germany
Louis Janssen Netherlands
Wes Jenkins Canada
Jerome Maeckelbergh Belgium
Peter McKinnon Canada
Torsten Nobling Sweden (retiring vice-chair)
Marcus Resinger Austria
Maaike Westinga Netherlands (chair)
Selma Goker Wilson USA (vice-chair)
Marcello Zagaria Italy
Gloria G Guest Speaker (Bergamo)
Apologies:
Nil
1.0 Introduction
Maaike introduced the meeting and the topics for discussion.
2.0 Sharjah World Stage Design
Maaike presented a review of the week of activities at the event programmed by Sharjah Performing Arts Academy.
TAC exhibition and report – ideas competition for a temporary theatre within the courtyard of a merchant in old Sharjah. Three top prixes and two honorary mentions, 17 entries were selected for exhibition each with a video presentation.
Maaike thought it would be good to have future exhibitions in the same location as this was slightly isolated from other activities and transport between the locations was unreliable and time-consuming.
Architecture Tour – 30+ participants. Water was a unintended theme of the two days visit including the installation ‘Rain Room’, the adaptable Dubai Opera House shaped like a dhow on a lake, Dragone’s water show ‘La Perle’ in its bespoke auditorium also in Dubai, the dry(!) Flying Saucer Building programmed by Sharjah Art Foundation, the modern Khor Fakkan open air theatre with integral cooling and an artificial waterfall on its outer rock formation with a restaurant on to, and finally Kalba Ice Factory also programmed by the Sharjah Arts Foundation with a simple external performance space. We were fortunate to have Brad Kisicki from Apeiro with us at La Perle. Brad had previously presented proposals for the building to a session earlier in 2025.
Interdisciplinary Workshop supervised by UK artist Jenny Hall. With around 30 participants - architects, actors, costume, set and lighting designers, student, non-specialists – workshopped ideas and presented our proposal to each other.
Also, Opening Ceremony and performance, other workshops and performances, OISTAT World Congress, Closing Ceremony and Awards. We also attended Transcendent Renaissance performance, an immersive audio environment performance in the dessert to the east of Sharjah at Mleiha Archaeological Centre which Brad Ward had presented to the Commission earlier in 2025.
We felt the event was well organised and helped to draw international attention to this pioneering new performing arts academy in Sharjah – SPAA. The report will be placed on Basecamp.
World Stage Design 2029 is being contested by Germany and Romania OISTAT Centres.
A plea was made to include a bookshop at the next WSD.
3.0 Turkey – Antique Theatres, Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 September 2026 (travel before/after)
26 have confirmed with tour operator OASIS. There are only 4 places available but a larger tour bus may be possible if there is a surge in uptake.
Selma introduced advanced proposals for the tour which she has planned with Tim Foster. She is working with travel agent Oasis Travel to coordinate the trip which will start with a dinner on Wednesday and conclude with a performance in Aspendos on Sunday. Arrive Izmir airport (Wednesday) and depart Antalya airport (Monday). The hope is to include diverse examples of Roman and Hellenistic theatres across Turkey including:
Izmir
Ephesus
Priene
Hierapolis / Pamukkale
Phaselis
(stop at Tim Foster’s House)
Perge
Antalya
Aspendos including a performance of Aida at the festival
See the map, outline costs and details on OISTAT AC Basecamp. Participants would fund their own travel to and from Turkey with a charge made for guide, coach, hotels and entry tickets. Cost for tour operator around $1,000-$1,150 depending on single/double rooms with dinner and performances extra.
Deposits need to be paid at registration.
4.0 Presentation by Marcello Sagaria on Napoli Strit Festival
Town event in Napoli Strit Festival 1999-2007 during 6,7,8 August
Concept by Luciani Damiani in Roma adopted by Marcello in Napoli, with street performers, musicians, clown, fire eaters, dancers, decorations, greening of the piazza.
5.0 Presentation by Gloria on #tuoCarmine international project for theatre, art, architecture and life in Bergamo
Monasterio del Carmine in the upper town of Bergamo is reborn thanks to culture. Artists had previously adopted other abandoned spaces but this monastery has become the new focus for Teatro Tascabile since 2018. Together with Fonadazione Fitzcaraldo they launched ‘# tuo Carmine’.
The monastery has 2959sqm of space on five levels: aches, halls, cloisters, porticoes and loggias. In Italy the Public Private Special Partnerships was initiated 2017. ‘#tuoCarmine’ is one of 33 cases using underused historic buildings (there are 215,000 similar underused assets in Italy). There is a 20 year programme of restoration, providing public theatre spaces and working and living spaces for artists. Tascabile forges relationships around projects, performances, and visions in accessible environments.
Also art weeks hosting guest performers, conferences, meetings, exhibitions.
Winter Luna Park
More information:
Progetto Architettonico – Teatro Tascabile
www.teatrotascabile.org
6.0 Prague Quadrennial Open Call
Kate Burnett advised that the call is still open until 31 January for applicants. Some of these presentations would be eligible.
Jerome already sent his proposal for Hands-On Masterclass “Back to the Future of Heritage Theatre Technology”. He’s busy organising it and is searching for funding.
7.0 Martien van Goor
Was remembered fondly by Tim and Maaike as a longstanding member of the Architecture Commission and respected architect.
https://oistat.org/news_detail.php?id=1336&mode=&Page=1
8.0 Future Meetings and Activities
Zoom Meeting Friday 6 March 2026 15.00-17.00 Central European Time.
Zoom Meeting Friday 12 June 2026 15.00-17.00 Central European Time.
Thursday 10-13 September 2026 Turkey Visit.
Zoom Meeting Friday 11 December 2026 15.00-17.00 Central European Time.
• 2027 Finland
Janne hopes to offer a meeting in Finland.
• 2027 Bergamo
Marcello hopes to offer a meeting in Bergamo.
• 2028 Dutch Tour
Maaike would like to reorganize this tour postponed from 2020.
Suggestions to increase participation are always welcomed so please assist by raising the profile of the AC in your own country. AC activities are open to anyone with an interest in theatre buildings.
Presentations
Sharing our work and knowledge is an important part of the activities from AC. If you have anything to show, share or discuss don’t hesitate to let us know. The size of the project is not an issue at all.
Finding new AC members
Please continue to spread the word and invite colleagues and other interested individuals to participate in the online meetings and AC activities. Also, when joining a theatre visit, please invite younger colleagues to join you. Proposed theatre visits should be popular with a wider community.
All members are requested individually to fill in the form.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfwnh0KWShYn0VJUfVArgqnMjV7z0MTalrT8n539tOXfFIyog/viewform
Notes compiled by Maaike Westinga with Peter Ruthven Hall
For questions, suggestions or to schedule a presentation:
ruthvenh@gmail.com / maaike@tenbraswestinga.nl
Reference
WSD 2025 Catalogue
