Program Description:

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The program Curating in the Performing Arts offers, for the first time in Europe, a part-time academic course that (1) introduces the fundamentals of theory, methodology, and practice of curating in the performing arts, (2) deepens this knowledge, and (3) enables participants to apply what they have learned through a practice-based group project. Upon completion, participants receive a University Certificate.

The university program Curating in the Performing Arts has been offered at Paris Lodron University of Salzburg since 2017. It is organized in cooperation with the Free University of Berlin, Ruhr University Bochum, and the Berlin-based cultural venue Vierte Welt.

With the global growth of the festival circuit and the founding boom of international theatre production centers and dance houses since the 1980s, professional demands around the conceptualization and development of artistic programs in the performing arts have risen sharply.

Public theatres, alongside their traditional repertoire and ensemble structures, now regularly develop thematic program focuses and recurring festivals. However, there is currently a shortage of specialized professionals in the theatre sector trained to conceptualize and realize these new formats and forms of events.

Unlike in the United States, where the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance was established at Wesleyan University in 2011, there has until now been no opportunity in Europe to acquire curatorial qualifications for the professional analysis, conception, planning, and implementation of event programs and formats in the fields of dance, theatre, and music theatre.

This university program is the first of its kind in Europe to introduce, deepen, and practically apply the fundamentals of theory, methodology, and practice of curating in the performing arts.

As a part-time training program, it is conducted over two semesters by the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, with modules held abroad in Berlin and Bochum.

Leading figures from the international presenting and producing scene teach up-to-date methods and competencies for programming festivals and working in cultural and theatre institutions. They prepare participants—future festival directors, curators, and organizers—for the complex conditions of an increasingly networked and globalized job market.

The next program cycle runs from March 2026 to January 2027 and takes place over nine weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) in Salzburg, Berlin, and Bochum. In six modules, the program imparts and deepens curatorial foundations in programming and event organizing within the performing arts.

Applications open: June 1, 2025
Application deadline: September 1, 2025

Application Form

Non-binding registration and subscription to the newsletter is possible at any time via:
kuratieren@plus.ac.at / kuratieren@sbg.ac.at

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