THE THEORY

At the core of our project lies a shared outlook on the causes and possible resolutions for social conflict, an element that shapes our investigations on how can these issues be expressed and analyzed with the artistic vocabularies of music, drama and film.

A central point of our approach in our first edition was the concept of nation as "an imagined political community", in the definition of anthropologist Benedict Anderson. The community is described as "imagined" in the sense that it provides a psychological bond among individuals that may be complete strangers, giving them a common identity, a fixed personal characteristic that takes precedence over any others.

Shared daily habits, language, culture and most significantly a historical territory bring coherence and stability to the idea of nation. These elements are the undeniable repository of human achievement and cultural richness, but all too often they are used to justify unnecessary suffering and conflict.

National identities survive in our globalized world, where the mobility of people and ideas seems to simultaneously undermine the grand narratives of nationalist ideologies. This multilateral tension frequently leads to the outbursts of violence that are a staple of our daily news.

The World Theater Project aims at exploring these subjects by involving people and institutions from countries experiencing the traumatic effects of past and present aggression and strife. By engaging our partners in a joint effort towards a goal - the production of an artistic outlook on their past - we hope to

- Provide them with an opportunity to pause and reflect on alternative solutions for enduring problems.
- Raise awareness of such political and social divisions among the global community.
- Contribute towards long term peace building and international understanding.

Simply put, to make a difference.