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In cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the International Visitors Programme of NRW KULTURsekretariat brings together curators, festival directors, cultural journalists, arts outreach specialists, politicians and other key influencers from around the world with the arts and culture scene in NRW.

Under the motto "NRWho? NRWhere? NRWhat?", around 100 international guests from more than 40 countries have visited North Rhine-Westphalia for cultural exchange and networking opportunities per year since 2009. Apart from attending performances, exhibitions or concerts, the participants also gain insight into cultural life on the Rhine, Ruhr and Lippe.

Through personal encounters and NRW KULTURsekretariat?s intense outreach efforts, the programme consistently leads to collaborations between artists, companies and cultural institutions from NRW . In 2018, seven theatre-makers will visit the festival WESTWIND.

jolita balandyte

Jolita is a Lithuanian performing arts manager and head of ARTS PRINTING HOUSE, a vibrant performing arts venue for national and international residencies, festivals and performances. Every January, she organises the annual international festival for young audiences KITOKS, which features contemporary and unconventional performances for children and teens in addition to educational formats for both visitors and professionals and exchange opportunities for foreign theatre-makers.

olivia furber

Olivia is a theatre director and producer experienced in creating cross-disciplinary work in collaborative environments. She received a collaborative MA in international performance research from the universities of Helsinki, Warwick and Amsterdam and went on to take up a movement director traineeship at Opera North in 2015. She is a research associate at the Academy of Live & Recorded Arts (ALRA), currently investigating the ethics of international collaboration. She has directed and assistant directed work for York Theatre Royal, Ensemble52 and Theatre Hullabaloo. As a producer she has developed projects with London International Festival of Theatre, TakeOff Festival and the University of Hertfordshire.

micaela gramajo

Micaela is an actress, director, producer and writer. She studied theatre and dramatic literature at UNAM, the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She has worked as an actress with numerous directors and participated in many national and international festivals dedicated to children and teens. She also works as an actress, director, producer and writer in her own theatre companies: Proyecto Perla, specialised in theatre for young audiences, and Teatro bola de carne, dedicated to dramatic research. In 2008/2009 and 2015, she was a fellow in the scenic creators? programme of the National Fund for Culture and the Arts (FONCA), and received a FONCA production grant in 2011/2012.

layla rana kanacri

Layla is an actress, theatre teacher and director in Santiago, Chile. In 2010, she founded and directed Companía Aranwa, a pioneering theatre company in Chile specialised in drama for very young audiences. She participated in the ASSITEJ Next Generations Programme for young directors in South Africa.

She is a member of the board of Teveo/ASSITEJ Chile. Additionally, she is a member of the International Organisation of Nice Theatre Directors as well as Red Latinoamericana de Creación Escénica para los Primeros Años.

 

lovro krsnik

Born in 1986, Lovro earned his master ´s degree in theatre directing and radio broadcasting from the Academy of Dramatic Art (ADU) in Zagreb, Croatia. For his graduate production in 2016, he staged "The State of Siege" by Albert Camus as a site-specific performance at seven locations with 17 performers under the supervision of Professor Branko Brezovec. He has worked as an assistant to many prominent theatre directors in Croatia and directed plays in the fields of drama, dance and theatre for children.

jaume nieto

Jaume has a master `s degree in cultural management from University of Barcelona and a master ´s degree in street art from FiraTàrrega - University of Lleida. Dedicated to the performing arts, he started off in performance and development before specialising in producing, distributing and international markets.

He collaborates with public institutions as well as private companies in the performing arts sector in Catalonia, Spain and Portugal, including the Catalan Institute for Cultural Companies (ICEC) in London, TNT Festival, Harinera Company, Teatro do Mar, D `Jade Company and Imaginart.

aislinn o heocha

Aislinn joined Baboró International Arts Festival for Children as executive artistic director in 2015. Her passion for children ´s work began in 2001, when she briefly worked with Baboró. She built up a wealth of programming, management and marketing experience as artistic director and manager of several Irish regional theatres.

Aislinn holds a Bachelor of Arts (economics and Italian) from NUI Galway and an MSc in European policy, law and management from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.