we areurope
WE AREurope – Women Empowering, Allying and Reinventing Europe on Stage
WE AREurope is a European project led by Théâtre & Réconciliation (Belgium) in partnership with Smashing Times (Ireland), which brings together migrant women and European citizens for participatory theatre workshops. Over 12 months (December 2025 – November 2026), the project explores identities, life paths, and the relationship to European values through artistic creation.
The goal: to foster inclusion, strengthen social cohesion, and give a voice to women who would not otherwise meet. Through workshops open to all, with no prior artistic experience required, participants create scenes inspired by their lived experiences. These creations lead to public performances followed by discussions with the audience, making often-invisible stories visible and fostering collective reflection on Europe, gender, and diversity. The project pursues several ambitions: to encourage the individual and collective empowerment of women; to develop innovative artistic methods to support diverse groups; to promote mutual learning between artists and European partners; and to offer alternative forms of civic participation through culture.
Resources for scaling up
WE AREurope will produce: a bilingual podcast chronicling the project and giving a voice to the participants and artists; a best practices booklet (FR/EN) for professionals wishing to support diverse groups through the arts; and widespread dissemination on European platforms to share methods, recommendations, and tools. Supported by Erasmus+, WE AREurope affirms the conviction that creativity, theatre, and encounter can contribute to reinventing a more inclusive, pluralistic, and united Europe.
The exchange of experiences between the two companies began even before the first meetings. Throughout the project, Théâtre et Réconciliation (Brussels) and Smashing Times (Dublin) organized online meetings dedicated to methodology and dramaturgy. The first of these was symbolically held on December 18, 2025—on the occasion of International Migrants Day, celebrated at the initiative of UNESCO. Artists from both countries exchanged their approaches to working with different groups of women, shared theatrical improvisation techniques, and collaboratively developed the artistic language of the project.
The first creative workshop took place in Belgium in February–March 2026. For five days, a group of 15 to 20 women—Belgian citizens, migrants from other EU countries, and third countries—worked together to create a theatrical piece about European values. The Smashing Times team traveled to Brussels specifically to observe the process and lead a workshop—this was the first in-person meeting between the two companies for the project.
The trip to Ireland took place in May 2026. This time, the roles were reversed: Smashing Times hosted a similar five-day workshop with a group of women in Dublin, while the director of Theatre and Reconciliation came to share several days of work with the Irish team. This exchange allowed both companies to compare the results of two experiences conducted in different cultural contexts.
The participation of the two companies in the festival
Arts & Human Rights in Dublin is expected in October 2026. The project will culminate in a grand finale with a public panel discussion bringing together the two directors — to talk about methodology, creative process and what it means to be a European woman today.
