Application Deadline Extended: Right to Perform, Right to Resist – Performing Arts Shaping Crisis

The Faculty of Dramatic Arts, University of Belgrade, is pleased to inform you that the application deadline for the conference Right to Perform, Right to Resist: Performing Arts Shaping Crisis has been extended!

The Faculty invite researchers and practitioners in the field of theatre and performing arts, cultural and media theorists, students and artists to take part in an online scientific conference and submit their proposals for individual papers/presentations and panel discussions no later than 20 September 2025 (Saturday).

You can submit your application and abstract (up to 300 words) by filling out the form.

About the conference:

The conference, taking place on 20-21 October 2025, is a call to rethink the political force of the performing arts in times of crisis. The student protests in Serbia have made visible the strength of artistic and civic resistance, proving that culture can confront corruption and institutional collapse. In this context, theatre cannot remain neutral. It must decide: will it reproduce the mechanisms of power, or will it become a space of dissent, or solidarity, and collective imagination?

It asks: can art transform crisis—redirect it, reshape it, and spark new forms of communal life, rather than merely reflect what already exists? These questions are at the heart of the gathering, and the Faculty invites you to join the them in exploring it. 

Important dates:

Deadline for submissions: 20 September 2025 

Notification of acceptance: 1 October 2025

Working language: English

Further details about the conference theme and specific thematic areas can be found here. The Faculty warmly welcome you to join them in critically exploring the role of performing arts in shaping political imagination and social reality, and to share this open call with colleagues or networks who may be interested!

For any questions, feel free to contact right2performconf@gmail.com.