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PRESS RELEASE
Performing Space Symposium 2026 brings international research, performance and artistic practice to Nafplio
Nafplio, Greece | 2–5 September 2026
From 2 to 5 September 2026, Nafplio will host Performing Space Symposium 2026, an international gathering exploring the relationships between performance and space through academic research, artistic practice and situated experience.
Organised by the Performing Space Association in collaboration with the Department of Theatre Studies (MA “Creative Writing, Theatre and Cultural Industries: Artistic, Research and Pedagogical Applications” and MA “Theatre, Education, Society”) and the Department of Performing and Digital Arts at the University of the Peloponnese, the symposium brings together researchers, artists and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines and countries.
Since its first edition in 2022, Performing Space has developed into an international platform for dialogue across performance studies, architecture, theatre, choreography, scenography, archaeology, anthropology, urban studies, landscape and digital arts. Rather than separating theoretical research from artistic practice, it creates a shared environment in which papers, performances, workshops and site-based activities investigate how spaces are experienced, performed and transformed.
The 2026 edition features 58 presentations across 15 sessions, alongside keynote and special sessions, invited contributions, performances and workshops. Topics range from spatial performativity, embodied and situated experience, ritual and archaeology to urban space, scenography, digital environments, collective practices and site-specific performance.
Among this year's keynote speakers and invited contributors are Jon McKenzie, Director of StudioLab at Cornell University; anthropologist C. Nadia Seremetakis; communication scholar and anthropologist Yves Winkin; archaeologist Joseph Maran of Heidelberg University; performance designer, architect and scenographer Dorita Hannah; artistic director and curator Mateo Feijóo; and choreographer and artistic director Apostolia Papadamaki.
The programme also extends beyond the conference room and into Nafplio itself. Yves Winkin will lead A Walk around the City; Apostolia Papadamaki and Dorita Hannah will collaborate on Sunset Ritual, bringing together body, landscape and collective experience; and Andrés Garcés and Floro Zúñiga will present Phalène, a site-specific collective spatial-poetic action developed through the city of Nafplio, drawing on a practice originating at Ciudad Abierta (Open City), Chile.
The symposium will conclude with a research visit to the archaeological site of Tiryns on Sunday, 6 September, offering participants an opportunity to explore architecture, spatial organisation, movement and social practice at one of the most significant archaeological sites of the Mycenaean world.
The public is invited to participate
Performing Space welcomes non-presenting participants who would like to attend the symposium and join its international community of exchange. Registration provides access to all symposium sessions, performances, workshops and special events, as well as a Certificate of Participation.
Advance registration: €70 until 23 August 2026.
On-site registration: €80.
To register, contact info@performingspace.org.
Practical information
Performing Space Symposium 2026
2–5 September 2026
Ergatiko Kentro Nafplio
25is Martiou 6, Nafplio, Greece
Research Visit to Tiryns: 6 September 2026
Full programme and further information: performingspace.org
Press and general enquiries: info@performingspace.org
With the support of:
National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum, Nafplion Annex
Press Images
High-resolution images are available for editorial use in connection with Performing Space Symposium 2026.
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Image 1—Mediterranean Spacing Workshop
Mediterranean Spacing Workshop, led by Dorita Hannah during Performing Space Symposium 2024, Nafplio, Greece.
Photo: Giorgos Tramagioulis / Performing Space
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Image 2 — Performing Space Conference 2025
A symposium session during Performing Space Conference 2025, Nafplio, Greece.
Photo: Spyros Kousouris / Performing Space
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Image 3 — The Preferences of the Gods. Spatial Performativity Revealed
Workshop led by Pablo Berzal Cruz and Alba Balmaseda Domínguez during Performing Space Symposium 2025, Nafplio, Greece.
Photo: Spyros Kousouris / Performing Space
About Performing Space
Performing Space is an international platform dedicated to academic and artistic research on the relationship between performance and space. Since 2022, it has brought together participants from more than 20 countries, fostering an interdisciplinary network connecting research, artistic practice and situated experimentation.