In the spring of 2025, the New Theatre Institute of Latvia launched a three-part laboratory cycle for performing artists across three regions of the country – Vidzeme, Zemgale, and Kurzeme. The laboratories invited artists to deepen their understanding of how to create work in dialogue with communities, emphasizing the ethical, creative, and practical dimensions of such collaborations.
The motivation behind the laboratory cycle was to equip artists with knowledge, skills, and methods for working with communities, while also creating a space to share experiences, raise questions, and engage in dialogue about community-based practices. It functioned as a hub for artists who are curious about this field – a place to exchange ideas, concerns, and methods, and to support each other in developing their own artistic approaches further.
Bringing together directors, dramaturgs, scenographers, choreographers, actors, and other practitioners, the laboratories became a shared ground for both theoretical exploration and hands-on experimentation. Participants – including director Antra Austriņa, director Roberts Dauburs, youth worker Džeina Feldberga, choreographer Laura Gorodko, artist Kaiva Kumerova, artist Daina Šteinerte, producer Ivonda Vilsone, actor Ēriks Vilsons, and scenographer Līga Zepa – engaged in a collective journey that highlighted art-making not only as an aesthetic pursuit, but also as a social and artistic practice rooted in responsibility, trust, and care.
The programme was enriched by the contributions of artists from previous Magic Carpets residencies – among them Līga Ūbele (Latvia), Arnis Aleinikovas (Lithuania), Elza Marta Ruža (Latvia), Vita Malahova (Latvia/Switzerland), Katrīna Dūka (Latvia), and Jacopo Natoli (Italy) – as well as experts in community theatre in Latvia: Krista Burāne, Jānis Balodis, and Ieva Niedra. Mentors Laura Stašāne (Latvia) and Gildas Aleksa (Lithuania) provided continuous guidance, helping participants to refine their ideas and artistic approaches.
Alongside the collective learning process, each participant also developed an individual idea for working with a community of their choice. These projects evolved in diverse ways: some participants initiated activities directly within their communities, others shaped their concepts further, while some reached an early stage of exploration. This multiplicity of approaches reflected the very essence of the laboratory – embracing different rhythms, methods, and stages of development, while supporting each artist in carving out their own path.
Each laboratory unfolded with a distinct focus:
- In Vidzeme’s Kārļi Manor (9–11 May), discussions centred on ethics and accountability in community-based work.
- In Zemgale’s Kārklu Manor (23–25 May), artists explored concrete methods – from physical and somatic practices to strategies of working with vulnerable groups and multilingual contexts.
- Finally, in Kurzeme’s Laidi Manor (6–8 June), participants shared their own project sketches, received feedback, and engaged in collaborative reflection. The laboratory cycle concluded with a collective visit to the contemporary dance festival Horos in Aizpute – reinforcing connections across disciplines and communities.
The laboratories served as a fertile platform for exchange, where individual voices resonated within a wider chorus of artistic responsibility and social imagination. The cycle reaffirmed that community-based art can be both aesthetically powerful and socially meaningful – opening space for new forms, roles, and responsibilities within the performing arts.
Curatorial text by Linda Krumina