The first  "         is Theatre" project is a collaboration with Alicante's creative restaurant Open.  

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We humans are born with an "OPEN" character. We open with curiosity and enthusiasm to all new people and things, until we meet with frustration. Then we remember this "lesson" and make a mark deep in our consciousness to remind us that "this doesn't work". As you get older and make more marks, you gradually become less and less "OPEN" until you close off a large part of yourself even before the epidemic. Because for most adults, "OPEN"-or being open-means being insecure.

2020 illustrates the absurdity of the contemporary - lockdown also means locking up the body. Because it is impossible to get to the theatre, a lot of creation happens online. This has led us to rethink about theatre; how and where it can actually happen. In  "           is Theatre," a long-term experimental art project initiated by JAA, we want to explore what happens if people "open" themselves up in this tense world.

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In early 2020, we discovered a restaurant called Open in Alicante. It seems like the restaurant has its own life with the soft colors; the open kitchen has a minimalist style and is always very clean, with all the neat rags in their places; the food is never bland but very creative; luckily, the owners are also very "open" - open and love art.

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 I thought, why not fill in OPEN in the title of "         is Theatre" as the first theme? After the common human catastrophe, why don't we ask ourselves now: Am I still alive, do I want to be OPEN, can I be OPEN, and how can I be OPEN?

This is where the inspiration "OPEN is Theatre" International Festival 2021 comes from.

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The Festival consists of four non-traditional and high quality performances during July 18 to October 10.

The three experimental stage pieces that will take place at the OPEN Restaurant are: Trance, a group piece directed by theater artist Xiomara Wanden and performed by her 5 students, on July 18; Out At Sea by German contemporary theater artist Martin Engler in collaboration with an actress and actor from Alicante, on August 8; and Impossible Object, by artists Regina Crowley, Bernadette Cronin, Mick O'Shea and John Halpin of the Gaitkrash Theatre Company of Ireland, on August 22. After each performance, the artists will share with the audience the process of creating the work.

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In addition, on August 9 and 10, at the Aula de Cultura de Alicante, the master clown mime artist Gardi Hutter, "national treasure" of Switzerland, will present her most emblematic work, The Brave Jane, a comedy play suitable for ages 7 and older, with no language barrier. It has been performed in 33 countries. We previously invited Gardi to tour China and almost everyone loved it. Regardless of age or race, everyone can enjoy and be strengthened by Gardi's performance. After living through a disaster, we deserve a good laugh in the theater.

"OPEN is Theatre" International Festival 2021, the first action of Just Art Association in Spain. I would like to thank everyone who helped us! Take care and see you at the theatre!