As part of SENA 2026 OISTAT’s Southern European and Northern African Forum and Festival, CYCSTAT invites performing arts practitioners, researchers, educators, artists, designers, architects, performers and thinkers to propose flash talks, workshops, performative presentations, and collective gatherings (walks, skill sharing sessions, and more) responding to this editions themes of survival, urgency and resilience.
Drawing from Ursula K. Le Guin's Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction, we welcome contributions that consider what cultural, artistic, ecological, social or personal resources we chose to carry forward in times of uncertainty.
What practices help communities endure?
How do we become hosts of said practices?
What do we want rid from the old worlds and how do we build new ones?
How do we preserve, share and expand skill and knowledge?
How do softer, sustainable practices help push industries into more viable paradigms?
How and why do we gather?
Click here for more on this year's edition of SENA and exhibition Open Call.
We welcome critical, speculative, practical, performative poetic and interdisciplinary responses focusing on scenography, performance design, architecture, ecology, technology, memory, heritage, community building, pedagogy and collective futures.
We encourage formats that invite participation, exchange and dialogue.
Selected contributors will be invited to present their work in November 2026 in Nicosia, Cyprus.
[ Application Form ]
TIMELINE
31 AUGUST
Deadline for proposals.
04 SEPTEMBER
Selected participants to be notified.
18 NOVEMBER
Exhibition opening.
18-30 NOVEMBER 2026
Parallel programme.
For any queries, please contact:
[email protected]
ABOUT SENA
SENA is a platform that fosters exchange across the regions of Southern Europe and Northern Africa, bringing together diverse practices in scenography and performance design. Through exhibition, discourse and collective gathering, SENA creates a space for dialogue, collaboration and critical reflection on contemporary scenographic practices. Previous editions of SENA were held in Egypt (2022), Morocco (2022) and Serbia (2024).
SENA 2026, is co-organised between CYCSTAT (the Cyprus Centre of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians), OISTAT (International Organisation of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians) and the Deputy Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus.
ABOUT CYCSTAT
The Cyprus Centre of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians (CYCSTAT) is the official professional body representing scenographers, theatre architects, technicians in the performing arts, and researchers in Cyprus. As a member of OISTAT, CYCSTAT serves as a vital link between the local and international performance design communities.
Dedicated to advancing performance design as a cultural, artistic, and research-driven discipline, CYCSTAT has put forward initiatives fostering professional exchange, education, and international collaboration. Its activities include exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and symposia, notably Performance Design Futures Symposia (2022, 2025), an internationally established platform for dialogue regarding the future of scenography and performance design.
Through its international partnerships and advocacy, CYCSTAT aims to promote the visibility of Cypriot performance design worldwide and to create opportunities for practitioners, and researchers to engage with contemporary developments in the field.
ABOUT OISTAT
OISTAT was founded in Prague in 1968. It stands for “Organisation Internationale des Scénographes, Techniciens et Architectes de Théâtre” in French, and “International Organisation of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians” in English. OISTAT is a global network for theatre practitioners celebrating design, technology and architecture in live performances.
The Mission of OISTAT is:
-To stimulate the exchange of ideas and innovations, and to promote international collaboration in professions which support live performance;
-To serve the art form of performance, and the people who design and create live performance;
-To promote the formation of OISTAT Centres, and the participation of individuals, alliances, and institutions in all regions of the world to achieve these aims;
-To encourage life-long learning among live performance practitioners;
-To respect the integrity of all cultures and celebrate the diversity as well as the similarities of those who work in support of live performance (continued on next page)
SENA 2026 is organised by CYCSTAT with the support of the Deputy Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus and OISTAT.
