In this episode of the #Theory&Practice collection, we talk with Tiago Rodrigues about his artistic vision and the relationship between theory and practice. From his early experience as an actor to his work as a writer, director and performer, we explore how moving across countries, languages and theatrical traditions has shaped his approach to theatre.

The conversation turns to By Heart, and to the relationships between literature, memory, acting and the audience, while also exploring the role of family and personal inheritance in his creative work. We discuss the body, the actors and the temporary communities created by each performance, and the relationship between artistic freedom and political responsibility. Join us in listening to this insightful conversation about theatre as a space of encounter, memory and transmission, and about the possibilities of a European theatre.

Hosted by Stefania Lodi Rizzini, produced by Grethe Melby, edited by Lara van der Schaaf, managed by Pieter Verstraete

Recorded on 2 September 2026, at Piccolo Teatro Strehler

Logo art work by Miryam Molinari, music by Cem Dinler

(c) 2026 EASTAP — European Association for the Study ofTheatre and Performance

Visit us at https://eastap.com

In this episode, we talk with French artist Phia Ménard (Cie Non Nova) about her artistic vision and the relationship between theory and practice. From her training in circus to her work in performance, we explore how her practice has evolved through a radical engagement with the body, materials and the forces of nature, and how these elements can become a language of their own on stage.

The conversation moves from the relationship between artist and spectator to the political dimension of theatre, asking how art can create spaces for doubt, dialogue and resistance. We also discuss her understanding of matter and transformation, and her desire to move beyond a theatre centred only on the human, towards what she calls “the theatre of life”. Join us by listening to this inspiring conversation about matter, transformation and resistance, and about theatre as a space for imagining other ways of being in the world.

Hosted by Stefania Lodi Rizzini, produced by Grethe Melby, edited by Lara van der Schaaf, managed by Pieter Verstraete

Recorded on 2 September 2026, at Piccolo Teatro Strehler

Logo art work by Miryam Molinari, music by Cem Dinler

(c) 2026 EASTAP — European Association for the Study of Theatre and Performance

Visit us at https://eastap.com

EASTAP Studio #Academy is a miniseries within EASTAP Studio, brought to you by Y3 students of University College Groningen, supervised by Marlieke Wilders, focusing on the central themes of the 2026 EASTAP Annual Conference, Waiting for the Barbarians (23-26 Sept. 2026 at de Kunstwerf in Groningen, the Netherlands). This event is a collaboration between the Arts Faculty of the University of Groningen (ICOG, the PraXis theme group, and the Theatre section of the Arts, Culture, and Media program), NITE / Club Guy & Roni, and many more cultural partners in the city of Groningen.

In this third episode, students Mafleury Sumirat, Annika Astengo, Anais Tchakmakchian, and Aryaman Bordolio talk with Eleftheria Ioannidou, an Associate Professor of Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Her research explores the 20th-century reception of Greek theatre and drama, with a particular emphasis on national identity, politics, and ideology. She is co-managing editor of the European Journal of Theatre and Performance of EASTAP and has published extensively on the uses of the classical past under fascist regimes during the interwar period and the contemporary far right. Recently, she co-edited two special issues on fascism and classical antiquity. 

Hosted by Pieter Verstraete, edited by Lara van der Schaaf, with music by Cem Dinler (c) EASTAP, 2026

EASTAP Studio #Academy is a miniseries within EASTAP Studio, brought to you by Y3 students of University College Groningen, supervised by Marlieke Wilders, focusing on the central themes of the 2026 EASTAP Annual Conference, Waiting for the Barbarians (23-26 Sept. 2026 at de Kunstwerf in Groningen, the Netherlands). This event is a collaboration between the Arts Faculty of the University of Groningen (including ICOG and the Theatre section of the Arts, Culture, and Media program), NITE / Club Guy & Roni, and many more cultural partners in the city of Groningen.

In this second episode, students Mafleury Sumirat, Annika Astengo, Anais Tchakmakchian, and Aryaman Bordolio talk with Klaus Bertisch, dramaturge behind the opera production, Waiting for the Barbarians by de Nederlandse Reisopera. They discuss what a dramaturge does in the process of putting an opera together, the role of Philip Glass' music, the ambiguities of character in the libretto and changes in the score, as well the relation to the audience by reflecting on the connections of the opera with our present-day realities and ideals.

Hosted by Pieter Verstraete, edited by Lara van der Schaaf, with music by Cem Dinler (c) EASTAP, 2026

EASTAP Studio is designed for students, educators, artists, and anyone curious about the living, intangible heritage of European stage practices. It aims to strengthen connections between professional theatre and university-level study, while celebrating the richness, experimentation, and critical thinking that define today’s European performance scene.

EASTAP Studio Academy is a miniseries project by Y3 students of University College Groningen, supervised by Marlieke Wilders, focusing on the central themes of the 2026 EASTAP Conference, Waiting for the Barbarians (23-26 Sept. 2026 at de Kunstwerf, organised by the University of Groningen in collaboration with NITE and many more cultural partners). In this very first episode, students Mafleury Sumirat, Annika Astengo, Anais Tchakmakchian, and Aryaman Bordolio talk with Prof. Maria Boletsi (University of Leiden and Amsterdam). The theme of this first edition is Barbarism in Crisis. Together they explore the construction of the ‘barbarian’ through categorisation, othering, fear, violence and the limits of imperial knowledge systems in Coetzee’s novel, Waiting for the Barbarians, Cavafy's same-titled poem and many more cultural expressions in mainstream and social media.

Hosted by Pieter Verstraete, edited by Lara van der Schaaf, with music by Cem Dinler (c) EASTAP, 2026