In my initial description of the journey that the seven female international students and myself would embark on during the Zukunftskonferenz at Theaterakademie ­August Everding, I wrote:

A future located in the present: a lexicon for a theatre academy

In our time of generalised crisis, we urgently need a discussion about how we imagine our future. This is a task we need to approach seriously, taking into account the multiple manifestations of our contemporary anxiety. Nevertheless, at the same time, in the here and now, we must counter the noises of our present condition, if only to protect a space within ourselves dedicated to the forces of our desire for life; a space for the as-yet undescribed and indescribable future. This dialectical pendulum is worth our time and energy.

Even more so, this pendulum can be the guide we need for today’s task of describing an ideal future theatre academy. We know that this is a demanding endeavour, as we must find the courage to imagine nothing less than a beacon of hope. Hope seems scarce these days, or at least that’s the way many of us feel. But despite our gloomy mood, we are not helpless; we have powerful...