Want to perform?
Present a short work of up to 10 minutes.
Performers
Free to participate
Registration remains open.
Register to performCollege of the Arts · Theatre School
Life-long Learning Through the Arts
Open Stage
Short works · Shared stage · Uncurated
The College of the Arts (COTA) life-long learning opportunity for theatre performing students, researchers & artists to present short works in an uncurated, shared performance environment.
14 & 15 AUGUST 2026
19h00 · both evenings
COTA Theatre School
63 Robert Mugabe Avenue · Windhoek
Want to attend?
Two evenings. Short theatre works. A shared audience.
Audience admission
N$50 per person
14 & 15 August 2026 · 19h00
Audience information
Call for participation
Want to perform?
OPEN STAGE — CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
SHORT WORKS · SHARED STAGE · UNCURATED
Theatre performing students, researchers & artists: present a short work of up to 10 minutes.
14 & 15 AUGUST 2026 · 19h00
PERFORMERS — FREE TO PARTICIPATE
Registration remains open.
REGISTER TO PERFORM: cotadrama.art/openstage
COTA Theatre School · 63 Robert Mugabe Avenue · Windhoek
Before you register
- Maximum work length: 10 minutes.
- Registration is not an audition. Open Stage is artistically uncurated.
- Technical requests must be confirmed; slots remain subject to operational capacity.
- Participation is free. No registration or participation fee is charged. Open Stage is a voluntary, non-paid performance opportunity; no performance fee, artist fee or honorarium is provided.
- You remain responsible for permissions or rights needed to present your material.
- All participants must follow confirmed venue and safety requirements.
Performer registration
Register a work
No account is required. Required fields are marked Registration received does not mean a performance slot is confirmed.
The opportunity
What is Open Stage?
Open Stage is the College of the Arts (COTA) life-long-learning opportunity for theatre performing students, researchers & artists to present short works in an uncurated, shared performance environment.
It provides a place to put developing or existing work before a live audience, experiment with performance ideas, share performance research and learn through doing.
Shared stage
The audience encounters several short works within one common programme. Performers share the stage, audience, schedule and basic production environment.
Uncurated
Open Stage does not audition or select work according to perceived artistic quality, genre, prestige or institutional artistic taste.
Uncurated does not mean unmanaged
The programme remains professionally organised around available capacity, technical feasibility, time, safety and venue operations.
Performer information
How uncurated works
Registration is not an audition. Open Stage does not select works according to perceived artistic quality, institutional artistic taste, aesthetic or genre preference, prestige, reputation, or whether COTA agrees with the artistic position of the work.
Performance remains subject to the 10-minute maximum, available programme capacity, technical feasibility, venue operations, health and safety, lawful presentation, reasonable audience advisories, scheduling, shared backstage procedures, agreed technical limitations and facility protection.
Your artistic work remains yours. Participation does not transfer ownership of the underlying work to COTA.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
For performers
Is Open Stage an audition?
No. Registration is not an audition and works are not selected according to perceived artistic quality or institutional taste.
Who can register?
Theatre performing students, researchers & artists.
How long can my work be?
Maximum 10 minutes.
Do I pay to perform?
No. There is no registration or participation fee.
Will COTA pay me?
No. Open Stage is a voluntary, non-paid performance opportunity; no performance fee, artist fee or honorarium is provided.
Does registration guarantee a slot?
Not necessarily if operational capacity is exceeded. COTA will contact registered performers with slot or waitlist status.
Can I request sound, microphones, lighting, furniture or rostra?
Yes. State the request when registering. Technical requests are confirmed only when COTA confirms the production arrangements for the work.
Can my work contain mature or difficult material?
Artists are not selected according to artistic taste. Tell COTA if a factual audience advisory may be needed and disclose any safety-relevant action. Lawful presentation and venue safety requirements still apply.
Do I give COTA ownership of my work?
No. Participation does not transfer ownership of the underlying work.
For audiences
When is Open Stage?
Friday 14 and Saturday 15 August 2026. The show begins at 19h00 on both evenings.
Where?
COTA Theatre School, 63 Robert Mugabe Avenue, Windhoek.
How much is admission?
N$50 per person.
What will I see?
A shared programme of short theatre works. Works may differ in form, language, tone and artistic approach.
What does uncurated mean?
COTA has not selected the works according to artistic quality or taste. The event remains managed for time, safety and technical delivery.
Venue
Directions
COTA Theatre School
63 Robert Mugabe Avenue
Windhoek
Khomas Region
Namibia
Share / Media
Open Stage information
Share the performer call, audience information or press material.
Performer call poster
Audience digital flyer copy
OPEN STAGE Two evenings. Short theatre works. A shared audience. 14 & 15 August 2026 · 19h00 COTA Theatre School · 63 Robert Mugabe Avenue, Windhoek AUDIENCE ADMISSION — N$50 Information: cotadrama.art/openstage
Press release
Read the press release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COTA THEATRE SCHOOL OPENS SHARED STAGE FOR SHORT THEATRE WORKS
WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA — 6 August 2026: The College of the Arts (COTA) Theatre School will present OPEN STAGE on Friday, 14 August and Saturday, 15 August 2026, creating an opportunity for theatre performing students, researchers & artists to present short works in an uncurated, shared performance environment.
The performances begin at 19h00 on both evenings at the COTA Theatre School, 63 Robert Mugabe Avenue, Windhoek. Audience admission is N$50 per person.
Open Stage is positioned as a COTA life-long-learning opportunity in which theatre-makers can put developing or existing work before a live audience, experiment with performance ideas, share performance research and learn through doing. Each work may be up to 10 minutes.
‘Uncurated’ means works are not selected according to perceived artistic quality, genre, prestige or institutional artistic taste. The shared programme remains professionally organised around available capacity, technical feasibility, time, safety and venue operations. Registration is therefore not an audition.
Performer participation is free, and registration remains open. Performer information and registration are available at cotadrama.art/openstage.
Audiences can expect a varied evening of short theatre works presented within one shared programme. The format brings artists and audiences into direct encounter while extending learning beyond rehearsal or classroom conditions into live performance practice.
EVENT DETAILS
OPEN STAGE · 14 & 15 August 2026 · 19h00 · COTA Theatre School, 63 Robert Mugabe Avenue, Windhoek · Audience admission N$50 · Performer registration remains open · cotadrama.art/openstage
ENDS