The curtain has fallen for the successful Theatre in Palm programme for rising artists, led by Turku University of Applied Sciences in Finland, in which the Cyprus Theatre Organisation has participated for the last three years with partners from across Europe. Its final event, hosted by Thoc in Nicosia, was an international theatre festival for emerging talent, bringing together new creative voices from 12 European countries.

The festival, the largest ever organised by Thoc, was held from 11 to 13 April 2025 and showcased the energy and creativity of a new generation of theatre practitioners through a diverse schedule of performances, presentations and discussions.

It was attended by artists from Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden, who brought with them a mosaic of creative approaches, cultural narratives and contemporary views on the topic of identity.

The performances, each of which lasted up to 40 minutes, explored identity, touching on issues of gender, sexuality, and the historical and social impact of events on individuals, as well as loneliness, isolation and mental health. The festival’s innovative format originated in a single performance space designed by up-and-coming award-winning set designer Petros Kourtellaris.

Opening the festival, Thoc’s Vice-president, Anthi Antoniadou, emphasised the importance that its board attaches to fostering international openness and artistic collaborations with other European countries, so that there is a constant dialogue and exchange of ideas aiming at the development and evolution of the theatre. The programme coordinator and head of the festival's organisational team, Marina Maleni, noted that Theatre in Palm has given large numbers of emerging professionals an opportunity to produce creative work in the performing arts, to take part in residency programmes and exchanges and to form relationships with foreign-based groups. They have attended performances, workshops, seminars and academies, and interacted both with one another and with practitioners from abroad, joining forces and engaging with subjects of mutual concern. It has also been a wonderful bridge between the participating organisations, not all of which were theatrical, enabling them to share knowledge and ideas. She added that it was a great honour that the programme was culminating in Cyprus and an indication of the partners’ trust in Thoc and its people, for which she expressed her warm appreciation.

The festival was attended by the ambassadors of Portugal and Ireland, as well as academics, stage professionals, students, and theatre-goers.

In addition to the performances that took place during the three days of the festival, participants and the general public were also able to attend events on topics of interest to the new generation of artists, such as the highly insightful workshop run by the academic Dr. George Rodosthenous, Professor of Theatre Directing in the School of Performance and Cultural Industries of the University of Leeds, entitled “Breaking through: networking and resilience in the arts”, and the presentation by Mervi Rankila-Källström, head of the programme and senior lecturer at the Academy of Arts, Performing Arts and Music at the University of Turku.

Finally, young Cypriot theatre-makers involved in the Roadshow announced by Thoc as part of the programme were able to present their experiences from exchanges in Barcelona, ​​Reggio Emilia, Amsterdam and Stockholm.

With a large turnout from members of the public and positive impressions from theatre professionals, the festival confirmed that Cyprus is a reference point for contemporary theatrical creation in Europe and gave emerging artists the impetus to network, meet their peers, and share experiences and opinions within the spirit of empowerment promoted by Theatre in Palm.

A special touch was added by the support of the 273rd Air Scouts Group in Aglantzia, who joined forces with the young European artists to assist in the event.

Photographs: Antonis Antoniou