Training and Capacity-Building Programme in the Performing Arts: Practices, Politics and Ecologies of Making

Matéria Viva is Materiais Diversos’ new programme, developed in partnership with Alkantara (Lisbon) and O Espaço do Tempo (Montemor-o-Novo), with the support of Fundação GDA.

Matéria Viva is a training, mentoring and capacity-building programme aimed at performer-creators and emerging cultural practitioners working in contemporary performing arts and their more hybrid expansions. Conceived as a space of care, exchange and critical thinking, the programme seeks to strengthen the autonomy of those at the beginning of their professional journeys, providing practical tools to help make their artistic practices more sustainable, structured and resilient over time.

The programme addresses key stages of artistic creation and production: from the conception of a project to its implementation, funding, dissemination, mediation, communication, programming and public presentation. Supported by Fundação GDA, Matéria Viva is developed and coordinated by Materiais Diversos in partnership with Alkantara and O Espaço do Tempo, and led by experienced professionals from these three leading organisations in the Portuguese performing arts landscape. Each organisation operates within a distinct territorial ecosystem — Minde & Alcanena, Montemor-o-Novo and Lisbon — enabling participants to engage with different operational models, cultural networks and approaches to creation, circulation and programming.

Matéria Viva positions itself as both an affective and critical space, encouraging more conscious approaches to artistic creation and production while fostering solidarity and cooperation among peers. The programme seeks to support sustainable career paths, strengthening the emerging artistic community and contributing to a more equitable, responsible and diverse cultural ecosystem.

The programme unfolds across eight sessions, combining five online meetings and three in-person gatherings. The online sessions take place once a month, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Each session is structured in two parts: an initial, more expository section dedicated to the sharing of knowledge, tools and experiences, followed by a second part focused on dialogue, discussion and questions, creating space for participants and tutors to exchange concerns, practical issues and ideas.

The in-person sessions take place in Montemor-o-Novo — with a two-day intensive gathering at O Espaço do Tempo — in Minde and Alcanena, within the framework of Materiais Adversos Weekend, and in Lisbon, during Alkantara Festival.

Topics addressed throughout the programme include:

• Applications, funding and partnerships (different funding models and project frameworks);
• Communication (understanding and developing a communication plan tailored to each project);
• Distribution and partnership building (the importance of dissemination and strategic planning);
• Artistic Direction and Performing Arts Curatorship (distinguishing roles and programming across different territorial and temporal contexts);
• Financial Management and Administration (from budget planning to implementation, including administrative procedures, tools and strategies for balanced financial management);
• Production (from the early stages of an idea through project structuring, strategy definition, development and implementation of production plans);
• Technical Production (essential concepts for working effectively with technical teams).

In addition, throughout the year, each participant may schedule up to two individual online consultancy sessions with members of the Materiais Diversos team, allowing for personalised guidance tailored to the specific needs of each artistic project in development.

Participants in the 2026 edition: Andresa Olímpio, Ângelo Castro, Dinis Duarte, Duarte Valadares, Helena Darwin, Leo Perene, Leo Shamah, Luís Coelho Graça, Maria Inês Roque, Natacha Campos, Renan Capivara, Vasco Paixão

For more informations: info@materiaisdiversos.com