Applications are now being accepted from artists and companies to pitch their projects (either in development or recently premiered and not toured outside their region of origin) at a biannual congress of the International Society for Performing Arts (ISPA), which will be held in Guadalajara at the end of May.
Developed from a program which originated at the Banff Film and Television Festival in Canada, Pitch New Works is a forum for creators and arts professionals to share and discover new performing arts projects. Twice a year, ISPA holds a public call for applications from which ten submissions are selected to be presented at its following congress.
ISPA is a non-profit membership organization established in 1949 for the purpose of creating a network for professionals in the performing arts field from some 50 countries.
By “keeping a watch on the performing arts environment from a broad perspective, employing international networking and training leaders,” the society says it seeks to “establish an important role for the performing arts.” Present membership totals about 600 individuals and organizations representing theaters/halls, arts companies, artist managers, government agencies and producers from around the globe.
Applications to pitch works at the Guadalajara congress will be reviewed and selected by a committee consisting of ISPA members and staff. A non-refundable $US50 application fee is payable to ISPA upon submission of each application. ISPA members and residents of Latin America receive a fee waiver for one application. For full details of the application process – which ends March 1 – go to ispa.org and click on “Pitch New Works” in the “Programs” menu.
Each ISPA congress has a different theme and includes panel discussions, debates and roundtable conversations led by a range of industry leaders and experts. Regional updates examine the changing environments of various global regions. Delegates have the opportunity to join in live and continue the conversations during the numerous networking opportunities. The congress attendees include presenters, festivals, producing companies, artist managers, consultants and government cultural leaders. See ispa.org for full details.