AER Committee 3 on Culture and Education launches a new Working Group on interregional cooperation between theaters. The AER cooperates in this Working Group with Theater an der Ruhr (Mülheim an der Ruhr/Germany), due to its wide range of valuable experiences in this field.

THEATER AN DER RUHR GmbH (www.theater-an-der-ruhr.de) is a unique model within Germany's landscape of publicly subsidized theatres regarding artistic and economic aspects. International work is a basic element of the work of Theater an der Ruhr following the principles of continuity and equal exchange. The theatre and its principal director, Roberto Ciulli, have been invited to the major international festivals and travelled to more than 30 countries. In November 2006 the theatre celebrated its 25th anniversary with a series of international productions from the near East and Eastern Europe. In January 2007, the Theater an der Ruhr is invited with two productions to the FADJR-festival Teheran.

We both consider interregional cooperation between regional theatres as an excellent opportunity to foster inter-cultural dialogue in Europe and to support the exchange between creative artists from all over Europe.

A network of regional theatres would encompass the following actions:

1. Representations of regional theatre groups in partner regions;
2. Exchange of members to gain working experience;
3. Common projects on specific thematic issues (e.g. migration, identity)
4. Exchange of know-how as regards issues of management, funding etc.; and
5. Organisation of / participation in international festivals.

Hereby, we would like to invite all Member Regions of the AER and the theatres in the regions to contribute to this Working Group. Should you be interested in joining this initiative, please do not hesitate to contact the organisers: