About the Open Call

Furthering our commitment to provide conditions for new works to emerge and meet their audiences, we are continuing our partnership with Kunstencentrum BUDA and NEXT Festival in Belgium to offer a three-week residency for a performing artist from the Arab world. Using BUDA’s facilities and artistic support, the artist would finalize a new production and premiere their work at NEXT Festival at the conclusion of the residency. Kunstencentrum BUDA in Kortrijk is a space for performing arts, an art house cinema, and one of the largest workspaces for performing arts in Belgium. Founded in 2006, BUDA constructs an artistic context in which the artist’s desire to create and learn is central. It offers time and space, customized support (logistic, technical, feedback), a network of artistic and professional contacts, and the possibility of an informal presentation for a test audience. BUDA co-organizes NEXT Festival. NEXT Festival is a yearly, international cross-border dance, theatre, and performance festival founded in 2008 featuring works by renowned and young artists in more than 20 locations in and around Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai-Valenciennes cities. It is co-organized by five French and Belgian artistic houses and 18 associated partners. It brings together disciplines, communities, and cultures, encourages and facilitates intercultural dialogue amongst programmers, artists, festival organizers, students, and the broad public. SPECIFIC ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: In addition to complying with the general eligibility criteria, applicants must have developed and presented previous works, be working on a new and original project, and be working with contemporary forms of performance (classical theatre, community theatre, and classical western dance such as ballet are not eligible). Unconventional projects dealing with experimental forms and/or concerned with progressive discourses are encouraged to apply. Unsuccessful applicants to previous editions are eligible to re-apply. Applicants must have advanced and be in the final development phase of their projects by September 2026 and have confirmed co-producers and/or a financing plan, as this residency only partially contributes to the production costs. Proposals for concerts are not eligible for this call. PROCESS: Applications will be assessed by Mophradat, with final selection in collaboration with BUDA and NEXT. Preselected applicants will be contacted for a conversation in February 2026. All applicants receive a response by March 1, 2026. Only one application can be selected. Mophradat cannot provide individual feedback. Upon selection, the resident will sign separate agreements. The partners will support visa applications; if artists are unable to travel due to visa refusals, the project will be compensated. The partner covers travel and visa costs, residency per diems, coproduction costs, and a presentation fee for the performance at NEXT Festival for an overall amount of 10,000 euros, all included. A short-written report must be submitted within two weeks of the residency’s end.

What is Offered

Three-week residency, artistic support, time and space, customized support (logistic, technical, feedback), network of artistic and professional contacts, possibility of informal presentation, travel costs, visa costs, per diem, contribution to project’s production costs, presentation fee for the performance (overall amount of 10,000 euros).

Requirements

Applicants must be a performing artist from the Arab world, have developed and presented previous works, be working on a new and original project, and use contemporary forms of performance (classical theatre, community theatre, and classical western dance are not eligible). Unconventional, experimental, or progressively discoursed projects are encouraged. Applicants must be in the final development phase of projects by September 2026 with confirmed co-producers and/or a financing plan. Proposals for concerts are not eligible.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should fill out the online application form found at https://mophradat.org/en/program/new-agents/apply/. The form cannot be saved or revisited and must be submitted at once. Material sent by email will not be considered.