03 / The Festival, Strategy & Principles

Four strands, one body.

The Festival

The architecture of the seed festival.

01 The Academy Physical theatre, movement, voice, and martial arts. The athlete–artist–citizen pathway.
02 The Agora A symposium of scholars and practitioners. Practice-based, not paper-based — workshops, not lectures.
03 The Commons Shared meals, ritual, youth participation, public life. Hospitality as artistic practice.
04 The Climax Immersive community co-creation directed by David Glass, across the Marathon landscape.
The Fifth Strand · Year-Round
International Digital Storytelling
A global project inviting young filmmakers, writers, illustrators, and performers to chart the world of 2072. A fictional online resistance emerges in coded messages and story fragments — the boundary between fiction, warning, and activism becomes porous. Audiences enter the mythology long before the live event begins.
Short FilmsDigital Interventions Graphic NovelsSound Works & Podcasts Performance DocumentationSpeculative Histories

Workshops and practice-based intergenerational learning run through all strands — the connective tissue of the whole programme.

Strategy

A two-year launch plan.

2026
Seeding · Proof of Concept
Seed Festival — 19–31 July 2026
An eight-day pilot at the Marathon Olympic Centre. Every element of the full festival in pilot form — performance, symposium, workshops, Agora, Commons. Local, national, and international.
'26–'27
Reflection & Strategic Planning
Building on what was learnt
Planning, management, fundraising, and governance put in place, building directly on the lessons of the seed festival.
2027
Founding Annual Festival
The festival is established — July 2027
Establishing Apocalyptica as the annual international festival of embodied democracy in the landscape of Marathon.
Principles

Six commitments.

01 A decade of research as foundation Pedagogy, not improvisation.
02 Embodiment as intelligence The body as a living system of perception, ethics, and civic capacity.
03 Practice-based intergenerational learning Workshops woven throughout the programme.
04 Democracy as daily practice A rehearsal of attention, responsibility, and care.
05 Accessibility and participation for all All bodies, all abilities, all ages at the centre.
06 Transparency and rigour Legal clarity, financial openness, professional scaffolding.
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