Burning Issues - Performing Arts and Equity

The logo for Burning Issues - showing the word in block caps with a lightning bolt for the 'I' - against a fiery and apocalyptic backdrop.

On 7 & 8 May, the conference Burning Issues - Performing Arts and Equity will take place in Berlin, organised by Save the World in partnership with Theatertreffen and with collaboration from the Akademie der Künste and the ITI - International Theatre Institute Centre Germany. This 2022 edition will continue to advocate for more (gender) justice in the performing arts while opening up to a broader framework by asking what changes (on and off the stage) will create holistic sustainability in the sector.

  • Keynote Speech: #MeToo in the Arts - How we move together towards structural change
  • Sunday 8 May 2022 at the Akademie der Künste - Pariser Platz, Berlin
  • as part of the Burning Issues conference on Performing Arts & Equity

#MeToo became a global phenomenon in 2017, and revealed just how pervasive sexual harassment and gender-based violence are in our world. The performing arts sector is no exception. Recent allegations of power abuse in cultural organisations across Europe have made many of us ask if our ways of making and showing art are at odds with the values of gender equality and human well-being. So, how do we move from calling-out harmful behaviour to enacting meaningful change across the entire performing arts sector? This actionable talk will offer proposals that organisations and individuals can take towards creating equitable and safe professional environments for all performing arts workers.

Speaker : Katie Kheriji-Watts, Head of Research and Publications at On the Move & co-author of the SHIFT Culture report #MeToo in the Arts: From call-outs to structural change.