How to Write a Brief for an International Theatre Collaboration

A brief for an international theatre collaboration is a concise working document that aligns partners on artistic intention, roles, language, process, schedule, money, rights and documentation. It is not the script, the contract or the funding application, though it may feed all three. Write it early, keep it modular, date every version, and distinguish clearly between what is agreed, what is proposed and what remains open.

International work makes that discipline more necessary. A domestic brief can rely on shared assumptions about rehearsal culture, contractual norms, translation, visas and who pays for what. A cross-border brief cannot. It must make those assumptions visible before they become disputes.

What an international theatre brief is for

A brief may be read by artistic partners, a lead producer, a local host venue, a translator, a dramaturg, technical staff, a funder or a legal adviser. These readers need different levels of detail. A short core brief of a few pages, supported by annexes for budget, schedule, translation and rights, is often more usable than one long document that tries to serve every reader at once.

Funder-facing guidance offers a useful starting checklist. The Goethe-Institut project-description guideline asks applicants to explain the background and initial idea, why the work requires international cooperation, the proposed intercultural working method, the performing arts involved, the artistic value, objectives, partner roles and the relevance and impact of the topic (Goethe-Institut project-description guidance). That is not the same as a partner-facing brief, but it helps identify the artistic arguments the document must be able to support.

The core sections of the brief

Artistic purpose and context

Begin with the work rather than the logistics. State the working title, form, intended audience, language or languages, duration, stage of development and the artistic question driving the collaboration. Explain why the partners are working together and what each brings that the others cannot supply alone. Avoid treating a country or culture as a single theatrical tradition; identify the specific practitioners, communities, languages, places and periods involved.

If the project is an adaptation, note the source material and the status of rights and permissions. Do not imply that permission has been granted unless it has been documented. If the piece is still developing, say which elements are fixed and which are open for rehearsal or workshop discovery. A brief that pretends to certainty too early becomes a constraint rather than a tool.

Partners, roles and decision rights

List the participating organisations and individuals with their legal or working names, countries and roles. Distinguish the artistic lead, lead producer, local partner, dramaturg, translator, designer, technical director and venue representative. Then state who decides what: who approves the script, casting, translation choices, budget changes, credits, tour routing and public communication. Decision rights can be summarised in a simple table or a decision log. Consensus is valuable, but it is not a substitute for naming a final decision-maker when time or money is at stake.

International co-production guides treat the work as a relationship to be sustained as well as a set of transactions to be agreed (IETM International Co-Production Manual). The brief should reflect that relationship: it should say how partners will communicate, how disagreements will be handled and how changes will be recorded. It should also avoid contradicting signed contracts; where a matter is contractual, the brief should point to the contract rather than paraphrase it loosely.

Language, translation and access

Name the working language or languages of the collaboration, the rehearsal language, the language of technical cues and the language of safety instructions. Then describe the translation chain. Who translates the script or working text? Is the translation literal, literary or adaptive? Who approves it? Are surtitles, interpreted rehearsals, bilingual readings or multilingual dramaturgy required? Surtitles are translated text projected above or beside the stage; they are a production element with their own timing, editing and staffing needs, not an afterthought.

Access belongs here too. An access rider is a document setting out a practitioner’s or participant’s access requirements. A brief should state who is responsible for access provision, how costs are budgeted and how access needs will be reviewed as the project develops. If English is used as a convenience language, say so explicitly and explain how non-English speakers will be included in decisions rather than only in rehearsals.

Process and rehearsal

Describe the proposed working method: research and development, workshops, devising, table work, staging, technical rehearsal and presentation. Say where each period takes place, who is expected to attend and what materials are needed. If the collaboration uses remote preparation, specify platforms, time zones, recording arrangements and who chairs meetings. The Goethe-Institut guideline’s request for a proposed intercultural working method is a prompt to make this concrete rather than decorative (Goethe-Institut project-description guidance).

Include cultural and institutional protocols that affect the room: scheduling norms, holiday periods, consent for documentation, safeguarding expectations and any agreed limits on what may be recorded or shared. A brief cannot anticipate every misunderstanding, but it can prevent the most predictable ones from being discovered only in the first week.

Schedule, mobility and contingency

Provide a timeline with milestones, dates, responsible people and dependencies. International schedules need more contingency than domestic ones because travel, visas, freight, customs, insurance and currency changes can affect the whole plan. Identify critical path items such as the arrival of a translator, the delivery of set materials or the approval of a venue technical plan. State assumptions about passports, visas, accommodation, per diems and travel booking, and assign someone to verify current rules with official sources rather than relying on the brief as immigration advice.

Practical touring guides emphasise research, partnerships, finances and practicalities as connected parts of international work (Caravan Theatre, Guide to International Touring). The brief should therefore show the presentation context as well as the creative process: who hosts, who travels, what is freighted, what is made locally and what happens if a partner withdraws.

Budget and resources

Give a budget summary in one named currency, with the exchange-rate assumption and the date of that assumption. Show who pays fees, travel, accommodation, translation, access provision, insurance, freight and contingency. Distinguish cash from in-kind support. Funder guidance may also ask for budget detail, access costs, equality and diversity considerations and environmental sustainability, so the brief should be ready to feed those requirements without turning into an application form (British Council Connections Through Culture 2026 guidance).

Confidential fee rates or sensitive partner information may belong in a separate budget annex. The core brief should still make the financial logic clear enough for partners to see where risk sits.

Rights, contracts and compliance

Flag intellectual property, translation permissions, music and image rights, documentation consent, data protection and safeguarding. The brief is not a contract and should not pretend to be one. For rights, contracts, tax and immigration, identify the relevant jurisdiction and the route to qualified advice. Do not state that a permission, visa or tax arrangement has been confirmed unless the project records show that it has.

Documentation, evaluation and communication

Say what will be documented, by whom, for what purpose and with whose consent. Specify archive arrangements, credit lines, reporting obligations and the rhythm of partner updates. Keep a version number and a short change log on the first page. A brief that is updated silently is worse than an imperfect brief that is clearly dated.

A practical drafting workflow

1. Define the purpose and primary reader. Decide whether the document is for partners, funders, venues or all three, and plan annexes for the differences.
2. Gather agreed facts before writing prose: names, dates, languages, roles, budget assumptions and legal entities.
3. Draft the artistic purpose first, then the roles and decision rights. These sections explain why the logistics exist.
4. Add language, access, schedule and budget sections with assumptions marked as assumptions.
5. Ask a partner or translator who was not involved in drafting to read for clarity, idiom and hidden assumptions.
6. Freeze a dated version for the next decision point and record changes rather than overwriting old versions.
7. Review the brief whenever dates, partners, language, budget or legal requirements change.

Common problems and quality checks

• Writing a funding application instead of a working brief. Funder criteria matter, but partners also need decision rights, translation protocols and contingency plans.
• Assuming a shared language. Name the working language and the translation and access arrangements.
• Leaving roles vague. Use names, organisations and decision rights, not only job titles.
• Treating the schedule as a wish list. Mark dependencies, review dates and responsible people.
• Hiding budget assumptions. State currency, exchange-rate date, in-kind support and contingency.
• Confusing a brief with a contract. Flag legal issues and point to the proper agreement.
• Forgetting documentation and consent. Agree what may be recorded, shared or archived before rehearsals begin.

Checklist before sending

• The artistic purpose is stated in specific, non-promotional language.
• Every partner has a named role and clear decision rights.
• Working languages, translation stages and access provision are costed.
• The schedule identifies milestones, dependencies and review dates.
• Budget assumptions, currency and contingency are visible.
• Rights, consent and legal jurisdiction are flagged without being overclaimed.
• Documentation, evaluation and communication rhythms are agreed.
• The document has a version number, date and change log.

A good international theatre brief does not eliminate uncertainty. It makes uncertainty legible, assigns it to someone and creates a shared record for the next conversation. That is what allows artists and producers to spend less time reconstructing assumptions and more time making the work.