Abstract
This article looks at the interplay between the loss of ensembles, the fluid (Flemish) repertoire and increased internationalization at the end of the 2010’s in Flemish city-theaters. These concepts are ubiquitous in other geographic regions, but have changed in Flanders since the '80s, meaning most theory on internationalization cannot be easily applied. The question is whether a specific international institutional dramaturgy can be identified in the different city-theaters, what motivated these positions and what this means for their status as city-theaters and/or as national theaters. Through an analysis of each city-theater's international-institutional dramaturgy and artistic direction, against a theoretical background of globalization, cosmopolitanism, national theaters and the history and state of the Flemish performing arts, different evolutions and shifts can be identified. Furthermore, the particularity of the Flemish region will prove crucial for contextualizing the perceived iconoclasm of the three Flemish city-theaters, with their lack of rigid repertoire and fixed ensembles. Rather than being revolutionary, these city-theaters and their international-institutional strategies can be seen as a logical evolution within the field, with crucial differences tied to the style of the artistic director(s) in a given moment and their artistic and/or social-political treatment of the city they are situated in.
Published Version
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