TakeCare, TakeHeart and DACH

#TakeCare and #TakeHeart Residencies
As a member of Alliance of International Production Houses (Bündnis internationaler Produktionshäuser), HAU Hebbel am Ufer was among the theatres that were able to support the granting and implementation of numerous #TakeCare and #TakeHeart residencies from October 2020 to May 2023. As part of NEUSTART KULTUR – the rescue and future package for the cultural and media sector financed by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media – the Performing Arts Fund created the funding programmes #TakeCare and #TakeHeart to help mitigate the effects of the Corona pandemic for many independent artists and groups. Despite repeated theatre closures, difficult touring conditions, cancellations of performances due to illness, etc., the funding programmes made it possible for artistic work to continue even during this crisis.

As part of the residencies, HAU has supported two-month artistic research projects, most of which have taken place remotely. During the residencies, the artists were able to spend time on aspects of their work which are more research- and process-oriented and tend to fall short in work and funding structures focusing on the end-result: researching content and history for the conception of new works, archiving and documenting earlier performances, building artistic networks for community-based and participatory projects, reflecting on power structures in their own modes of working, learning or further developing artistic techniques and methods ranging from coding to voguing.

From April to December 2022, additional #TakeHeart residencies were implemented to support university graduates. At HAU, the residencies were awarded in cooperation with various Berlin study programmes and universities, such as the inter-university Center for Dance Berlin (HZT), the stage design class at the Berlin University of the Arts, the MA Play and Object (Spiel & Objekt) at the Ernst Busch University of Performing Arts and the MA Spatial Strategies at the Weißensee School of Art and Design. The Alliance of International Production Houses organised an extensive range of workshops and networking opportunities to support the graduates in starting their career within the field of the independent performing arts scene during the pandemic.

DACH
Under the banner of “DACH” – the word for “roof” in both German and Ukrainian – the Performing Arts Fund (Fonds Darstellende Künste) launched a residency programme for Ukrainian artists in Germany with funding from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, which was implemented in cooperation with three national networks: Bündnis internationaler Produktionshäuser, Bundesnetzwerk flausen+ and the Netzwerk Freier Theater. Given the war on the European continent, these partners are sending a strong message of solidarity and transnational cooperation in the field of the independent performing arts.

From October to December 2022, the artists supported by HAU were able to work on their residency projects and continue their artistic practice in Berlin. In addition to supporting the artistic projects, the Alliance of International Production Houses offered workshops and consultations to prepare artists for freelance work in Germany's independent performing arts landscape.

Project management: Antonia Rohwetter