L|A|L.2 - Access to Diverse Cultural Expressions in Theatre
12 January 2026 at Under the Radar - New York City, USA
The second edition of Live|Arts|Lab will use principle #2 of UNESCO Germany’s Fair Culture Charter as our starting place: we will be exploring ways to promote access to diverse cultural expressions and resources across global culture markets. Specifically, we will work to identify and evaluate strategies which
engage theater projects in initiatives that promote artists and cultural rights, and engage consumers with fairer practices in the global theater sector,
promote the capacities of the theater sectors of the Global South and other disadvantaged communities*,
implement international law that promotes fairer North / South cultural exchange.
* Here we are using the terms “Global North,” “Global South,” and “Disadvantaged” adopted by applicable UNESCO instruments, but acknowledge that these terms carry problematic assumptions and histories that deserve interrogation. An alternate term is “Global Majority”, which we also use in this Lab.
Fellows L|A|L.2
The L|A|L.2 Fellows are currently being invited. A full list of participants will be added in the coming months.
Hosts, Advisors, Collaborators
The second edition of Live|Arts|Lab is being developed in collaboration with Under The Radar and HowlRound Theatre Commons, with the support of Sepehr Sharifzadeh (Iran / France) and Boo Froebel (USA).
Curator, producer, festival maker, and cultural intermediary based in France, Sepehr Sharifzadeh works at the intersection of performing arts, policy, and international collaboration, connecting artists and institutions across geographies.
Producer, curator, and creative consultant based in New York, Boo Froebel is currently Director of the Democracy Cycle at PAC NY. Prior to that role, Froebel worked as General Manager of Tamizdat.
UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL
For over two decades, the Under the Radar Festival has brought bold, risk-taking work to New York City, celebrating groundbreaking theater and performance from around the world and just down the street. Produced in collaboration with dozens of venues at a selection of historic and emerging theaters across New York City, the festival showcases innovative multidisciplinary artists whose work speaks powerfully to the present moment. Under the Radar’s influence sets a cultural standard that resonates through the artistic landscape far further and beyond its January schedule. In coordination with Festival founder and Director Mark Russell, Producers Thomas O. Kriegsmann and Sami Pyne of ArKtype, and with the addition of this year’s highly-esteemed Co-Creative Directors Meropi Peponides and Kaneza Schaal, UTR is positioned to continue to capitalize on the Festival’s rich history and expand on a tradition of trailblazing new direction. The 21st edition of UTR will run from January 7-25, 2026 presenting over 32 productions at various partner organizations across the city.
HOWLROUND THEATRE COMMONS
HowlRound Theatre Commons is a free and open platform for theatremakers worldwide that amplifies progressive, disruptive ideas about the art form and facilitates connection between diverse practitioners. Using a commons-based approach, HowlRound invites open participation around shared values and envisions a theatre field where resources and power are shared equitably in all directions, contributing to a more just and sustainable world. For more information visit howlround.com.
THE Fair Culture Charter’S Principle NUmber 2
During L|A|L.2, we look into Principle #2 of the Fair Culture Charter: “Access to Diverse Cultural Expressions and Resources.” Here is the text reproduced from the Charter itself:
Everyone has the right to enjoy access to diverse cultural expressions and resources. In the digital environment, accessibility extends beyond mere availability and affordability; it requires discoverability of diverse content in different languages. It also entails bridging the digital divide and ensuring equal access to cultural resources that enable engagement in content creation, production, dissemination and distribution.
Accessibility requires a special emphasis on culture and arts education, as well as cultural awareness from the earliest age. They should be integrated at all levels of learning, should be made available to young people regardless of their socio-economic status, and encourage the availability and creation of cultural and artistic spaces specifically designed for children and young individuals.
These are responsibilities of all stakeholders, including public authorities, and multinational enterprises that need to apply a due diligence standard. It requires a commitment from public and private organisations to identify and address inequalities and obstacles that may prevent access and participation.
Accessing diverse contents should be done in a respectful way, particularly in cases where content concerns under-represented, minority or marginalized communities. Indigenous peoples require particular attention, as do afro-descendant communities. Such respect involves refraining from usage of others’ cultural expressions – in ways that may constitute cultural appropriation – without prior informed consent and just compensation, while recognising the need for balanced cultural exchange.
Click here for the full text of the Fair Culture Charter