Thank you to all the council members and others who took part in the council meeting and the seminar afternoon at Stockholm Uniarts! Many interesting thoughts, suggestions and reflections on subjects internship, master’s level and residence. Exciting how the residence form is spreading from the dance world (where it’s most common) to several art forms. For the houses that have the opportunity, it is a very rewarding process to open up rehearsal spaces and offer stage technicians and dramaturg support to artists with a production idea that can be tested. Thanks to the Swedish ITI Education Committee that organized the seminars, we aim for an even bigger salon next fall so more people can take part in the event!

In November, the IETM conference was held in Brussels, and I was able to meet with Brussels-based ILGA (International Gay and Lesbian Association) Europe about the coming international network within ITI (International Theater Institute), which we initiated. They were very positive about the idea and would like to help us gain access to their large network, in order to locate and gather performing artists in the HBTQ sphere. At the beginning of next year we will send an open call to all ITI centers around the world, hoping to get international guests to Stockholm and Gothenburg, which this summer host EuroPride.

Next week is the European Council for all European ITI centers. We will talk about how we can further enable cross-border cooperation, and how our organization can be a driving party.

The year is coming to an end, and we want to give an extra welcome all new members! Those who have become members this year are:
Big Wind, Centrum för scenisk rörelse och eget skapande, Figurteaterkompaniet, Göteborgs dans- och teaterfestival, Karavan Scenkonstkollektiv, Kompani Giraff, Kulturakademin Trappan, Operalabb, Operaimprovisatörerna, Stockholm Fringe Festival, Teater Martin Mutter, Teater Tribunalen and Teresia Björk.

We have just launched this years performing arts quiz, in which no one so far has managed to get everything right. If you understand Swedish, please give it a try!

Fall season at last!

Not a day goes by without some of our members announcing their packed, challenging, inspiring and unpredictable programs. Not to mention all the exciting courses, seminars and training opportunities that are announced. Now it’s our painful luxury problem to try to catch everything before it’s too late. My tip is to be on full speed already in September because more and more premiers are coming.

Scensverige – Swedish ITI is a member’s organization where both institutions, city theaters, national theatres, independent producers, universities, unions, festivals, alliances and employer’s organizations are members. Each member appoints its representatives to the Council, meeting in the spring for the annual meeting and the autumn of the Council meeting. At the autumn council meeting it is common for the Education Committee to arrange a seminar or panel call etc. In the autumn we will try something new. Instead of just organizing a seminar for council members, we will open the doors of everyone who is attached to any member, ie everyone in the staff, the ensembles, the students, and others after the short council meeting. The event will take place in Stockholm on November 27th, with the preliminary time 2-4 pm. We will get back with venue and program information, but be sure to book the date! The subject will be very relevant and the Education Committee represents all the artistic universities in the country. We are planning to place these council meetings in cities other than Stockholm in the future, so do not despair if it’s too far for you to go this time. Here you can see all our members.

We are very pleased that we have had Kompani Giraff, Karavan Performing Arts Collective, Culture Academy Trappan, Opera Improvisers, Theater Tribunal and Theater Martin Mutter welcome as new members!

Scensverige’s network Proud Performance, for performing arts with LGBT perspective, is currently investigating different ways of informing and mobilizing to facilitate both practitioners and bookers to find and learn from each other. There is a Facebook group that you can apply to join if you want to find shows to see or book, or look for artistic collaborators for your next project. The group was formerly known as the HBTQ Network of Riksteatern, but has now changed name to Stolt Scenkonst, and is moderated by me and Joakim Rindå of Riksteatern. Unfortunately, if you don’t read Swedish you will need to run things through a translation program.

As I mentioned in the last newsletter, Scensverige – Swedish ITI is going to be contact center for LGBT performing arts of global ITI. We will soon take the first steps in organizing the beginning of this work group/network. All ITI centers will be contacted, but please don´t hesitate to contact me if you want to.

Best wishes for a creative autumn,

Ulricha Johnson
Managing Director Scensverige – Swedish ITI

What a wonderful and important summer!
Thank you everyone who enlightened our summer with performing arts around the world. You are creating so many different experiences while defying bad weather and in some cases uncertain financing is so valuable. Not least you attract many first-time visitors to shows and make them curious about the enchanted world of performing arts. Right now there are plenty of rehearsals in all kinds of venues in preparation of the fall season.

Scensverige is the Swedish Center of ITI (International Theater Institute), which was founded by Unesco in 1948. In July, the 35th World Congress was held in the Unesco World Heritage City of Segovia, Spain. This was my first congress as new Managing Director. The theme was Act! Performing Arts Transforming the World, and present were representatives from over 62 countries attending general meetings, committee meetings, regional annual meetings, workshops, talks and performances. It was a thrilling experience to sit in the old abbey, now university auditorium, and listen to colleagues from countries with completely different conditions and realities, both better and worse than ours.

Scensverige’s former, now retired, head of operations/secretary general Ann Mari Engel (picture), who has worked with ITI since 1976, was honoured for her work in the Executive Council, and now bears the title Honorary Member. In her new role, she will, among other things, continue to be active in the Action Commitee for Artist’s Rights.

A new board was elected, consisting of members from the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Italy, China, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Germany, India, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Vietnam. More about the board members here.

A troubling development in many places around the world right now is that politicians are engaging in detail management of art. Several countries in Europe, Africa and South America gave fresh testimonies on the subject. Our colleague from Israel wanted support from ITI regarding worrying restrictions that hamper the Israeli artists. This year, the well-established theater festival in Acco was cancelled because of performances that were not accepted by the authorities.

New global network of performing arts with a LGBTQ perspective
Our American colleague Jorge Ortoll, responsible for the Network for Heritage, Indigenous Cultures & Migration, raised the question as to why there is no spotlight on LGBTQ issues in ITI. Scensverige decided to form a working group on a global network of performing arts with a LGBTQ perspective. The interest is great from many countries to be active in this group, which will cooperate with some of the committees.

“Proud Performing Arts” is getting bigger
We are thrilled to see the Scensverige investment in Proud Performing Arts spreading and generating curiosity and enthusiasm. Last year we tested the concept during Stockholm Pride, and this year we already have a national network that currently consists of Scensverige, Folkteatern Gävleborg, Regionteatern Blekinge Kronoberg, Dansstationen i Malmö, Riksteatern, Stockholms Stadsteater Skärholmen, Unga Klara, Norrlandsoperan and West Pride. During Stockholm Pride we had guest performances from DonnaDonna from Malmö (The shall find us together), Teater Martin Mutter from Örebro (Article 3), Folkteatern Gävleborg (Transaction, upper right picture) and Riksteatern / Folkteatern Gävleborg (The Land Within). We had many worthwhile collaborations over these five days; The Stadsteatern Skärholmen organized an evening of readings, panel talks and an excerpt from the upcoming performance “Getting rid of Eddy”, Unstraight Museum and Lesbisk Makt arranged an daytime party with music, poetry slam, readings and dancing, together with Lesbisk Makt we also organized “Lesbian Brunch & Queer Drama”, including readings of excerpts from five newly written, upcoming works, Nilleteatern organized the panel talk “Trans on stage”, Riksteatern “It’s here it’s queer”, RFSL/RFSU held after talks and the Norm Critical Workgroup of the Theatre Union held a dragking workshop. We also arranged a celebrated stand-up evening with, among others, British comedian Bethany Black.

Thanks to all the organizations and members involved, thank you Fri Scen and Unga Klara for letting us use your premises, and thanks to the Arts Council and Stockholm City and Malmö City for the foundation.

The following week Proud Stage Art in Malmö Pride was held, with Dansstationen as the host and Chris Schenlaer as project manager. Among the performances were “The Land Within”, as well as July Appons “Life is Hard and Then You Die – Part 3” and “Everything remains”. The performance “Gender Fuck(er)”, vogue ball with House of Ninja and a conversation with Saga Becker and Yolanda Bohm, as well as workshop with RFSL, Drag Queen Story Hour and the launch ceremony at the Blå Båten was included in this three-day program.
Now we go on to Stolt Scenkonst on Gävle Pride, here you can see the program.

Enjoy the last sun before we finally meet in the dark theaters again!

Kind regards,
Ulricha Johnson, Managing Director Scensverige

Thank you for a fantastic Swedish Biennial for Performing Arts 2017!

Norrköping welcomed us all with sunny and warm weather, and we were 1400 biennial visitors, including guests from 26 countries. This year’s program consisted of 136 activities and the number of personal performance visits amounted to almost 9000.

Congratulations to the prize winner of the year, which was announced at the biennial party – Tilde Björfors (Swedish Theatre Critics Association award for theatre), Malin Hellkvist Sellén (Swedish Theatre Critics Association award for dance as well as the Swedish Directors Association director’s prize Iris), The performance Paper by Marionetteatern (Swedish Theatre Critics Associations award for childrens theatre) and Clowns Without Borders (Swedish Assitej Prix d´ASSITEJ). We would also like to thank and congratulate Wuthering Heights from Moment:teater that now unofficially holds the biennial record with 40 performances in five days.

We at Scensverige get lots of e-mails from people who want to thank us for the quality of the exciting selected shows and seminars this year, and we are happy about that! There are also some that have questioned the selection and presented critique about how the selection was done. We welcome all views and think it’s good that there is a discussion. Let’s keep the conversation alive until the next biennial in 2019!

We would like to give special thanks to the selection committee and the program group who did a great job in designing the program this year. Thank you everyone, actors, producers and organizations that participated in performances and seminars, you make the biennial what it is – at the same time broad and sharp, fun, stubborn, loving, committed and up to date.

As for the 2019 biennial, it is not yet clear which city will host the event. We have a number of interested municipalities and institutions that have notified us of their interest, and the board of Scensverige is currently working on the issue.

We would like to thank Östgötateatern and their fantastic staff who did a great job, the Scenkonstbolaget with their amazing symphony orchestra that helped the opening ceremony become something extraordinary. Upplev Norrköping / Norrköping, Louis de Geer Konsert och Kongress, as well as the region of Östergötland.

Thank you also to the Cultural Council for the confidence to let us handle this large arrangement, and to the Swedish Institute, which made sure that many long-distance guests had the opportunity to attend. And not least the Swedish cultural councils, who contributed with both exciting perspectives and guests.

Now we are preparing to program this year’s edition of Stolt Scenkonst at Stockholm Pride, the first week of August. During Växjö Pride a few weeks ago, we started the national network Stolt Scenkonst to spread and increase the availability of performing arts with LGBT perspectives. Our present constellation consists of Scensverige and the members Riksteatern, Blekinge Kronoberg Regional Theater, Danstationen in Malmö, Unga Klara, Folkteatern in Gävleborg  and West Pride. We are welcoming additions to the network, and will have meetings in Stockholm and Malmö Pride.

In July, the International Theater Institute’s World Congress takes place in Segovia, Spain. More information about this and the Swedish participation will be available in the next newsletter.

Make good use of the rest of June – make sure that you see all the performances you missed, before the theaters close and the summer season begins.

Ulricha Johnson
Managing Director