Teatramat – Factual Backstage of Amateur Theatre The Fundacja Graj!’s initiative was to establish an amateur theatre platform as a response to real needs of the Polish theatre community. The project „Teatramat – Factual Backstage of Amateur Theatre” was created as a lasting service center to facilitate participation in the local, nationwide and international theatre life, by providing substantive, organizational and financial support. As part of the project, Fundacja Graj! established a stable, but constantly updated, network of theatres and artists to complete the picture of Polish theatre life. The idea of the network was to include, among others, provincial theatres, alternative and experimental theatres, amateur theatres (at schools, universities, culture centers, etc.), companies without their own stage, stand-alone artists – that is all those, who seek possibilities of development and who want their work to reach a wider audience. An innovative and digital database will include every theatre artist willing to join the project: instructors, directors, actors, and above all theatre groups. An absolute priority in all our ventures is the preservation of the participants’ autonomy and the greatest possible variety and colorfulness of theatre life. International partners, such as Bund Deutscher Amateurtheater e.V., Fédération Nationale des Compagnies de Théâtre Amateur et d'Animation and Danish Amateur Theatre Association, are the biggest and the most successful organizations of amateur theatre in Europe. Their experience and knowledge acquired during the last several decades supported our project. Thanks to BDAT, FNCTA and DATS the quality of the project has risen significantly and we could get in touch with the European structures of AITA/IATA. Polish Theatre Institute, an experienced ministerial organization, helped us to put in practice the innovative solutions for Polish amateur theatre. Positive Changes Association, which is highly experienced in managing international projects, supported us in all logistical aspects. After the fifteen-month financing by the Erasmus+ programme, the initiative will be continued for an indefinite period in cooperation with the worldwide organization Association International du Théâtre Amateur, with Instytut Teatralny (the Theatre Institute, organization subsidized out of the state budget) and with large number of Polish theatres. Fundacja Graj! receives from several already operating theatre networks invitations to workshops, scientific trainings and festivals held in over a hundred countries all over the world. Such information, along with the news about Polish trainings, conferences, state of education, scholarships, grants, etc., is already available to the project’s participants. The project’s team helps the participants contact instructors, dramatists, translators, potential festival jurors, owners of space suitable for rehearsals and performances, etc. We have started to support the promotion of participants’ productions, festivals, and other events. It will provide access to international structures. The following intellectual outputs of Teatramat were achieved: - internet site with constantly updated information and a possibility of contacting the project’s team, with the idea to provide any assistance, for example in contacting the organizers of an international festival; - multimedia web portal, popularizing by means of films and texts examples of good theatre education practice and new ways of conducting theatre lessons for children and teenagers; - translation (into Polish or from Polish) and popularization of books and articles about theatre education published in partner countries and in Poland; - archiving examples of good theatre education practice by theatre amateurs and making them available to the general public. The initiative supports amateurs as well as professionals. Such a diverse target group will hopefully enable the people of different backgrounds to cooperate and to draw inspiration from one another. Such a cooperation may take a shape of amateur theatre clubs at the institutional theatres or possibilities of voluntary work at theatre centers. Supporting such initiatives is one of our long-term goals. Theatre is a diverse phenomenon, but it has always the potential of involving people in collaborative creation, mutual education and growing. We consider this to be of huge value to the Polish society. We want to bring to light the works of theatre enthusiasts. They are all welcome to the project Teatramat.