The Call is available also in written Italian / Italian Sign Language, written Croatian / Croatian Sign Language and written Portuguese/Portuguese Sign Language.

 

The Beyond Signs project has been developed to empower and promote the art of Deaf / native signers and to improve the visibility of Sign Languages in performing arts throughout Europe and beyond. The project also aims to break down career access barriers faced by Deaf artists. (Find out more about Beyond Signs).

This call is an invitation to interested artists to get involved in the Beyond Signs project. If you would like to be a part of our project and perform at the Festival del Silenzio 2022 in Milan (IT) and at the Fringe Festival 2022 in Edinburgh (UK), send us your application, following these instructions.

Art. 1. Who can apply

The call is open to signing performing artists over the age of 18. Applications are welcome from any geographical region.

Art. 2. How to apply

To participate, you are required to fill in the application form and to send it by email to art@beyondsigns.eu together with a video application no longer than 4 minutes comprising a maximum of one minute self-introduction answering the following questions:
• how did you learn sign language?
• how did you get into performing arts?
• what is your favourite style of performing?

The other 3 minutes serve to demonstrate your performance skills.

You can choose the topic of your short performance but make sure to let us know in the introduction, and please film in HD if you can.

Deadline to submit application form and video is March 1st, 2021. Any updates on postponements to the deadline will be available on this website and on Facebook, Youtube and Instagram

Art. 3. Selection process

The applicants will be invited to take part in a Zoom conference with the Art Directors of the project, for the selection of 10 artists. The short list of the 10 artists will be communicated by March 15, 2021.

The 10 shortlisted artists will take part in a 5-days Selection Workshop held in Milan (IT) in May 2021 which will allow us to select the final group of 5 deaf/signer artists who will collaborate on the BEYOND SIGNS performance & creative activities.

Art. 4. Implementation of the artistic production

The final selected artists will be involved in 3 periods of artistic residency:
– 5 days in May in Milan (IT), during the Festival del Silenzio, immediately after the selection workshop;
– 10 days in July in Soudos – Espaço Rural de Artes (Tomar) (PT);
– 10 days in October Zagreb (HR) during the Festival of Inclusive Theater.

An open rehearsal is held at the end of each residency.

The artists will also participate to a 10-day technical and artistic residency in Milan (IT) in April/May 2022. The final step of the BEYOND SIGNS theatre production consists in its debut during the Festival del Silenzio in Milan (IT) in April/May 2022 and its staging in Edinburgh (UK) during the Fringe Festival in August 2022.

Art. 5. Fee and conditions

All selected artists must commit full availability in all of the phases of work indicated in articles 3 and 4. The dates may be susceptible to change as a result of the shifting pandemic situations in each host country.

Travel, board and accomodation expenses will be provided for all the above periods. Artists will also receive an artistic fee of 2,000€ (before national taxes applicable in host countries). An international agreement, with full respect of national laws, will be discussed and signed by one of the partners and each artist. Payment will be made by bank transfer.

Art. 6. General Terms and Personal Data Protections

Submission of an application constitutes agreement to the terms of this call.
Selection is fully at the discretion of Artistic Directors.

In accordance with the European Regulation 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons, applicants agree to authorise the processing of personal data and the use of materials submitted solely to the ends of project promotion.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICANTS
In order to successfully upload your video application, please follow the steps below:
STEP 1:
• Download the “Beyond Signs” application form PDF document
• fill in the requested information and sign the document

STEP 2:
• Record your video presentation on your smartphone or with your video camera.
• Try to position the camera to a fixed position or ask someone to help you keep the camera steady.
• The video must NOT be longer than FOUR minutes. One minute of self-introduction and three minutes to show your sign language performing skills.

STEP 3:
• Put the signed PDF application form and recorded video in the same folder and rename the folder to your full name. After that, compress the folder to a .ZIP directory
• Go to www.WeTransfer.com and send the .ZIP file via WeTransfer to art@beyondsigns.eu (NB: the .ZIP directory must not be larger than 2GB in size or WeTransfer will not be able to send it)

STEP 4:
• You will receive a confirmation email to the sender email address used for the WeTransfer.
• You will be notified of the result of the selection via email

For technical information about the application process, please send an email to
art@beyondsigns.eu or org@beyondsigns.eu.

If you have any questions or doubts about the “BEYOND SIGNS CALL FOR DEAF AND NATIVE SIGNER ARTISTS”, please send an email to art@beyondsigns.eu or video call one of the Art Directors on the Whatsapp numbers available below:

Rita Mazza (IT) +39 339 8530009 (languages: Italian, German Sign Language, French and British Sign Language, International Sign)
Angel Naumovski (HR) +385 91 4923109 (Croatian Sign Language, International Sign)
Tony Weaver (PT) +351 932 438651 (Portuguese Sign Language, International Sign)

Attached documents: