EU Funds Theater-Journalism Collaboration Project 'Trust' with One Million Euros

The European Union has allocated one million euros to support a project titled 'Trust,' an acronym for 'TRUth on Stage,' which aims to foster collaboration between European theaters and investigative journalism platforms. Organized by Schauspiel Köln in partnership with the European Theatre Convention, the initiative will provide funding to nine theaters across Europe to stage journalistic investigations. The project specifies that these investigations must strengthen democracy, counter disinformation, and encourage critical dialogue. Participating institutions include theaters such as Schauspiel Köln, Volkstheater Wien, Nationaltheater Sofia 'Iwan Wasow' in Bulgaria, and Örkény Theater in Hungary. The project also involves training theater professionals in journalistic methods to develop a scalable model for journalistic theater that could be adopted throughout Europe. Critics have raised concerns about potential biases, questioning whether the funding might primarily support left-leaning narratives, as highlighted by Schauspiel Köln's collaboration with the journalism network Correctiv, which also receives state support from entities like the Federal Agency for Civic Education. The initiative has sparked debate about the independence of theater as an artistic space and its role in disseminating journalistic content, with some arguing it could undermine public trust in both institutions. The funding comes amid broader attacks on liberal values in some European countries, where participating theaters face political pressures.