Open Call – Shifting the Stage, deadline Sep 1st

International Creative Laboratory for Disabled Artists Interested in Performing Arts for Young Audiences

Where: Tramway, Glasgow, Scotland

When: 18–24 January 2026

(Note: Travel days are 18 and 24 January; working days are 19–23 January 2026)

To whom: The Lab is intended for experienced disabled, D/deaf, and/or neurodivergent artists.

What

A five-day Lab in January will bring together two disabled artists from four different countries (Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Scotland), and will be led by experienced professionals — disabled artists from Scotland.

In the Lab artists will learn from each other, share creative ideas about developing their practice and to develop performance ideas for children and youth.

Artists taking part in the Lab will receive high quality skills development with space for peer-to-peer learning, group work and individual time. The artistic labs will encourage artists to develop their own creative research for making work for children and youth.

The Lab will launch Shifting the Stage, a Nordic collaboration between four partners who all produce a national performing arts festival for children: bibu Festival in Helsingborg, Sweden (Lead Partner), Showbox Festival/Scenekunstbruket in Oslo, Norway, Bravo! Festival in Helsinki, Finland and Edinburgh International Children’s Festival/Imaginate in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Shifting the Stage will offer professional, international artist development opportunities and exchanges for disabled, D/deaf and/or neurodivergent artists to support the development of new disabled-led production ideas for children. In the future we hope to be able to organise more residencies, international festivals visits and networking events with open calls in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Scotland.

More details:

The Lab covers accommodation, travel, and per diem expenses, and also offers a daily fee for participants.

The working language is English, but you may also apply in Finnish.

How to apply:

Send a short text to info@assitej.fi telling us about yourself and why you would like to join the Lab. You may attach samples of your previous work to the email. Please also briefly describe your access needs. (If selected, you will be asked to complete a more detailed accessibility rider.)

Application deadline

1st September 2025

For further details or questions, please contact:

Tanja Turpeinen, Festival Director of Bravo! Festival — tanja.turpeinen@assitej.fi / +358 44 086 6355