The “Heritage & Diversity” Forum (HD-F) is one of the Committees, Project Groups, Forums and Networks of the International Theatre Institute. It was newly founded during the 36th ITI World Congress in Fujairah (2023), upon the split of the Network “Heritage, Indigenous and Migration” (N-HIM).

Vision
It aims to bring together ITI members worldwide who are concerned with the cultural heritage of their home regions in all its diversity and are working on its relevance for the present.

Mission
The HD-F mission is to explore cultural heritage in the theatre and performing arts sector by focusing on the past and modern times, through the issues that arise in the applied context of heritage. Special emphasis is given to the practical and operational implementation of cultural heritage projects and events, especially through festivals, so that the complex relationships of cultural heritage in the field of theatre development to be explored in depth.

The HD-F focuses on the vast history of theatre, from ancient Greek drama until the 19th century, concentrating on identity and diversity.

Goals and Objectives
Specifically, the HD-F goals are to research and study:
1. the ancient theatre as a special theatrical code and as a cultural phenomenon,
2. the surviving ancient dramatic texts in terms of philological and theatrical context,
3. theatre venues and archaeological testimonies in general,
4. the reception of ancient Greek and Roman drama,
5. traditional theatre to modern and contemporary world literature, theatre, dance, cinema, and other forms of art.

To sum up, the HD-F has eight objectives:
1) to research and study the history of theatre as a history of identity and diversity;
2) to approach theatre interdisciplinary and widely, both as a literary genre as well as a complete theatrical event but also as a cultural phenomenon;
3) to promote theatre's history and define the strategic framework for preserving and managing each region's cultural heritage and diversity;
4) to recognise the contemporary forms of theatre as part of the world’s cultural heritage;
5) to explore the morphological and semantic elements that are used by modern directors to make ancient drama and theatrical tradition accessible and comprehensible by contemporary audiences; and
6) to create a field of cooperation between the professionals of the theatre and the performing arts in the approach, methodology and development of the theatre as part of the cultural heritage of each country;
7) to foster an inclusive notion of theatre that brings social, linguistic, and cultural heritage to audiences and communities;
8) to collaborate with European and international festivals and platforms that present performances ranging from ancient Greek drama through to nineteenth-century theatre.

Be an HD-F Member
Those who work or are professionally engaged in the field of classic literature (from the 5th century B.C. to the 19th century) can become members of the Committee: theatre theorists and practitioners (directors, actors etc.), festival makers etc. Being an HD-F member is not only about attending meetings but also about working with the other members of the Forum and make decisions as a collective group.

Current Collaborations & Activities
A) ANTIGONE PROJECT (2024-2025): The Project aims to create a collage of interpretations and approaches to a specific excerpt selected from Sophocles' tragedy “Antigone”. More specifically, the excerpt refers to Creon and Antigone debating the merits of their positions. Each member of the HD-F is responsible for staging/producing/playing the "Antigone" scene in a freely chosen setting (theatre, street, kitchen etc.), recording it and bringing it into a joint presentation. The concept of the Project is to invite new members to join and participate by contributing with their productions to the completion of a collage, aiming to highlight the diversity of artistic approaches and multicultural dimensions assumed by the ancient Greek drama as a universal heritage through showcasing “Antigone”.
The Project is estimated to be completed at the end of 2024 and be presented to the public, via social media, in March 2025 on the occasion of World Theatre Day.

B) A project is planned within the HD-F membership led by the Vice-President of HD-F, Matthias Gehrt: Zaza Muchemwa (Zimbabwe) will stage a production at the Krefeld-Mönchengladbach Theatre in the 2024/25 season as part of the “Non-European Theatre” series.

C) The HD-F members decided to support the “17th International Symposium on Ancient Greek Drama” which will be organised by the Deputy Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus and the Cyprus Centre of ITI on the 2nd and the 3rd of November 2024 in Nicosia. The topic of the 17th edition of the “International Symposium on Ancient Greek Drama” is: "The role of mythos in ancient tragedy: 'mythos' as ‘plot’, or ‘plot’ as 'mythological narrative'"? The “International Symposium on Ancient Greek Drama” began in 1990 as an activity of the then ITI Committee of Cultural Identity and Development and has since been organised, regularly every other year, by the Deputy Ministry of Culture and the Cyprus Centre of ITI. This year’s edition of the Symposium will be under the auspices of the Heritage and Diversity Forum.

Members
Christos GEORGIOU (Cyprus), President
Matthias GEHRT (Germany), Vice President

Lina TAL (Jordan),
Zaza MUCHEMWA (Zimbabwe),
Okbaoui CHEIKH (Algeria),
Mohamed SHASHAA (Palestine),
Ayad Kadhim AL- SALAMI (Iraq),
Emilios CHARALAMBIDES (Cyprus),
Ádám Berzsenyi BELLAAGH (Hungary)

Contact
For more information about the “Heritage & Diversity” Forum please connect with:
Christos GEORGIOU: director(at)ccoiti.org.cy
Matthias GEHRT: matthias-gehrt(at)gmx.de