Regulations
on the Residency of the “Neural Theatre: Rehearsal for the Future” laboratory
1. General Provisions
1.1. These Regulations (hereinafter — the “Regulations”) set out the terms and procedure for individuals' participation in the Residency — one of the stages of the theatre laboratory “Neural Theatre: Rehearsal for the Future” (hereinafter — the “Project”), carried out in 2026–2027 by the Yevgeny Mironov Charitable Foundation “Theatrical Initiatives,” with the participation of the State Theatre of Nations and PJSC Sberbank.
1.2. The Project is a comprehensive theatre laboratory comprising: the in-person and remote stages of the Residency; a Foresight Session for theatre directors from across the country; the final showcase of stage experiments with artificial intelligence, Neural Night; and two open calls for participants — for the Residency and for Neural Night.
1.3. These Regulations govern the rules and terms of participation in the Residency. The selection procedure for participants in Neural Night is governed by a separate set of regulations.
1.4. The Project and the Residency do not pursue commercial goals. Participation in the Residency, and the development, presentation, and other use of ideas within the Project, are carried out on a gratuitous basis and do not constitute the rendering of services or the performance of work under a paid contract.
1.5. By submitting an application to participate in the Residency (hereinafter — the “Application”) in the manner set out in Section 6 of the Regulations, a Residency participant (hereinafter — the “Participant”) confirms that they have read and agree to all the terms of these Regulations in full, have reached the age of eighteen, and are a resident of the Russian Federation.
2. Terms and Definitions
2.1. Residency — an educational and creative program of the Project in which 30 selected participants form creative teams and develop ideas for future productions exploring the interaction between theatre and artificial intelligence (hereinafter — the “Idea”). During the Residency, Participants attend lectures, get to know various neural networks, meet experts from different fields of science, take part in themed events, and develop an idea for a future production.
2.2. Curator — a director, playwright, or other expert invited by the Organizers to lead the teams' creative work within the Residency.
2.3. Idea — the concept of a future production developed by a Participant independently or as part of a team within the Residency, including accompanying text, visual, video, and other materials. The concept is presented at the Pitching in a form chosen by the authors and curators.
2.4. Pitching — the presentation of Ideas by the teams to representatives of the Organizers and to directors of theatres of the Russian Federation as part of Neural Night.
2.5. “Neural Night” — the final public event of the Project, a showcase of stage experiments with AI.
2.6. Site — the Project's official web page (address to be confirmed), where information about the Residency, the Application form, and the selection results are published.
3. Timeline and Stages
3.1. The Residency runs from September 7, 2026 to January 30, 2027 and comprises the acceptance and selection of Applications, an in-person stage in Moscow, a remote period of work on the Ideas, and a concluding block of events — the Pitching and participation in Neural Night.
3.2. Schedule:
Application period for the Residency — September 7 – October 11, 2026
Publication of the list of Residency participants — October 16, 2026
Arrival of participants for the Residency — November 15, 2026
In-person stage of the Residency — November 16–25, 2026, Moscow, New Space of the Theatre of Nations
Departure of participants from the Residency — November 26, 2026
Remote period of work on the Ideas — November 26, 2026 – January 24, 2027
Arrival of participants in the Neural Night showcase — January 25, 2027
Concluding block: preparation and pitching of Ideas as part of Neural Night — January 26–30, 2027, Moscow, Theatre of Nations
Departure of participants in the Neural Night showcase — January 31, 2027
3.3. In the event of any discrepancy between clause 3.2 of the Regulations and information communicated to Participants by the Project coordinator, the information communicated by the Project coordinator shall prevail.
4. Residency Participants
4.1. Participation in the Residency is open to legally capable adult individuals who are residents of the Russian Federation: directors and choreographers, playwrights, media and interdisciplinary artists, and composers.
4.2. Experience in theatre and in using neural networks and other new technologies is an advantage in the selection process, but not a mandatory condition of participation.
4.3. Following selection, 30 people are invited to take part in the in-person stage of the Residency; they form no fewer than 10 creative teams.
4.4. By submitting an application, the participant confirms their readiness to attend the in-person and remote stages of the Residency in accordance with the schedule in clause 3.2. Failure to meet these conditions is grounds for the Organizers to exclude the Participant from the residents.
4.5. Persons included in the register of foreign agents under Federal Law No. 255-FZ “On Control over the Activities of Persons Under Foreign Influence,” dated July 14, 2022, are not eligible to participate in the Residency.
5. Application Procedure and Deadlines
5.1. To take part in the selection process, the Participant completes the Application on the Site within the period specified in clause 3.2 of the Regulations.
5.2. In the Application, the Participant provides: last name, first name, and patronymic (if any); stage or creative name (if any); date of birth; contact details (phone, e-mail, links to professional pages and social media); city and country of residence; a description of their experience in theatre and in working with artificial intelligence, or of their interest in the subject; a description of the Idea for a future production; and, if desired, photo and video materials in jpg, pdf, or mp4 format illustrating the Idea.
5.3. The Application is submitted by the Participant in respect of themselves only. Including third parties' personal data in the Application without lawful grounds is not permitted.
5.4. An individual may submit no more than one Application in the selection process for the Residency.
6. Selection Procedure
6.1. Applications are selected by a selection committee (hereinafter — the “Committee”), comprising representatives of the Organizers and the Curators of the Residency.
6.2. The following Applications will not be considered: those containing incomplete or inaccurate information about the Participant; those submitted in violation of the procedure or deadlines set out in Sections 3 and 5 of the Regulations; and those containing materials that violate the legislation of the Russian Federation — including requirements on countering extremist activity and on protecting minors from information harmful to their health and development — or that otherwise violate the rights and legitimate interests of third parties.
6.3. New, previously unpublished ideas for productions, described in free form, are eligible for review. No restrictions apply as to the artificial intelligence tools the Participant uses in preparing the Idea.
6.4. The Committee selects Applications based on the artistic value and originality of the Idea, its relevance to the subject of artificial intelligence, and the completeness of the description.
6.5. Following preliminary review of an Application, a curator of the Residency may arrange a remote (online) meeting with individual candidates to clarify details of the Idea.
6.6. Selection results are published on the Site on October 16, 2026. Participants who have been selected are additionally notified by the Project coordinator at the e-mail address provided in the Application.
6.7. The Committee's decision is final; no justification is provided for decisions on individual Applications, and no correspondence is conducted regarding the selection process with applicants who were not selected.
6.8. The Organizers reserve the right to postpone the announcement of results, having given notice of this on the Site.
7. Financial Terms. Non-Commercial Nature of the Residency
7.1. Participation in the selection process and in the Residency is free of charge for Participants. The Organizers do not charge Participants any entry, registration, or other fees.
7.2. During the in-person stages of the Project, the Foundation covers the following for Participants from outside Moscow: round-trip travel to Moscow; accommodation; transfers within the city.
7.3. The Organizers and the Foundation do not pay Participants any fee for taking part in the Residency, developing Ideas, or taking part in the Neural Night pitching. These Regulations do not constitute a public promise of reward within the meaning of Chapter 56 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.
7.4. The Residency does not constitute a public competition within the meaning of Chapter 57 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation and does not create any legal and/or financial obligations for the Organizers toward Participants, other than those expressly provided for in these Regulations.
8. Rights to Ideas Created within the Residency
8.1. Ideas for productions created by Participants independently or as part of creative teams during the Residency belong to their authors.
8.2. The Author (or the team's collective of authors) decides independently and at their own discretion on the further creative life of the Idea, including the choice of a theatre or other venue for staging the production.
8.3. Following the pitching, the State Theatre of Nations may, but is not obliged to, offer one of the Ideas presented a production on its stage in the 2027/2028 season. The terms of such a production, including the procedure for using the Idea and the payment of remuneration to the author, are to be determined by a separate agreement between the State Theatre of Nations and the author (or collective of authors) of the chosen Idea and are not governed by these Regulations.
9. License to Use Application Materials and Ideas
9.1. By submitting an Application and taking part in the Residency, the Participant grants the Organizers, for the duration of the Project, a simple (non-exclusive), irrevocable, royalty-free license to use the text descriptions, photo, video, and other materials submitted as part of the Application, as well as materials prepared during the Residency for the pitching and Neural Night (hereinafter in this Section — “Materials”), in the following ways: reproduction, storage, and recording in the memory of the Organizers' computers; publication on the Site and in other informational and presentation materials of the Project; communicating the Materials to the public and publicly displaying them, including as part of the pitching, the Foresight Session, and Neural Night; and using the Materials in announcements, reports, and promotional materials about the Project, including publications in the media.
9.2. The license under clause 11.1 is granted for the duration of the Project and for the whole world, and does not entail payment of any additional remuneration to the Participant, since the Materials are used solely for the non-commercial purposes of the Project (clause 1.4 of the Regulations).
9.3. The license under this Section does not affect the Participant's rights to the Idea itself as a result of creative activity (Section 10) and does not constitute a transfer of the exclusive right to it.
10. Presentation of Ideas in the Neural Night Program
10.1. Ideas developed by the teams during the first stage of the Residency are included in the program of the Neural Night showcase of stage experiments with AI — the final public event of the Project.
10.2. The format in which each Idea is presented — a full performance, presentation (demonstration) materials, a video presentation, or another form — is determined jointly by the curators and the participants of the Project, based on the artistic concept of the Idea and the technical capabilities of the venue.
11. Use of Intellectual Property in Creating Ideas. Participant Warranties and Liability
11.1. The Organizers regard working with existing cultural, documentary, media, and other materials as part of the Residency's creative and research process — on par with other forms of artistic analysis and interpretation — consistent with the research-oriented nature of the Project, which is devoted to studying the interaction between theatre and artificial intelligence.
11.2. Responsibility for complying with the rights of third parties — including copyright, related rights, and other intellectual property rights — in creating an Idea and its accompanying Materials rests with the Participant who created that Idea.
11.3. By submitting an Application, the Participant warrants to the Organizers that: they use third parties' intellectual property in creating the Idea and Materials solely for the purposes of analysis, research, quotation, parody, or another form permitted under the intellectual property legislation of the Russian Federation; they do not and will not infringe third parties' rights in creating the Idea and Materials; they have provided accurate personal data relating only to themselves in the Application; and they have not included in the Application or Materials any personal data of third parties without lawful grounds and without notifying such persons in accordance with Part 3, Article 18 of Federal Law No. 152-FZ “On Personal Data,” dated July 27, 2006.
11.4. The Organizers bear no liability to third parties for a Participant's violation of the rights warranted under clause 13.3 of the Regulations. Should the Organizers face claims or lawsuits from third parties relating to infringement of their rights in a particular Participant's Idea or Materials, that Participant undertakes to settle such claims independently and to reimburse the Organizers for any documented losses incurred as a result of the infringement.
11.5. The Organizers reserve the right to refuse to publish or present an Idea or Materials, or to suspend their presentation, upon receipt of a substantiated claim from a third party alleging infringement of their rights.
12. Processing of Personal Data
12.1. In connection with the Residency, the Organizers process Participants' personal data to the minimum extent necessary and sufficient to organize and hold the Residency in accordance with these Regulations: collection, recording, systematization, accumulation, storage, clarification, use, depersonalization, blocking, deletion, and destruction of personal data, whether by automated means or otherwise.
12.2. The Organizer may transfer Participants' personal data to the Foundation and to the Curator to the extent necessary to organize the logistics and creative program of the Residency, and may disseminate Participants' personal data (last and first name or stage/creative name, city of residence, photo and video materials) on the Site, in presentation materials, and at Project venues, based on the consent provided by the Participant when submitting the Application.
12.3. Personal data is processed in accordance with Federal Law No. 152-FZ “On Personal Data,” dated July 27, 2006.
13. Final Provisions
13.1. The Organizers reserve the right to unilaterally amend these Regulations, including adjusting the timing of stages, by publishing the current version of the Regulations on the Site.
13.2. The Organizers bear no liability for technical failures of the Site, the application submission process, or other services used in connection with the Residency.
13.3. The Organizers bear no liability for losses a Participant may incur in connection with participation in the Residency, use of the Site, or the use of the Participant's Idea and Materials in the manner provided for in these Regulations.
13.4. Any matters not settled by these Regulations shall be resolved by the Organizers and, where necessary, governed by additional documents published on the Site.
13.5. All disputes and disagreements arising in connection with the Residency shall be resolved through negotiation.
13.6. These Regulations, and any relationship arising in connection with their performance, are governed by the legislation of the Russian Federation.