Thank you to everyone who has submitted a production for consideration! We received no fewer than 104 proposals, and the standard is remarkably high. Selecting and not selecting from such a strong field will be a labour of love, but an extremely difficult one. Whatever the final selection looks like, and however many are chosen, the sheer volume of submissions sends a powerful signal to the Ministry of Culture that the professional performing arts sector is more than ready to take on international engagements and tours.

Scensverige represents the performing arts within the Swedish Institute’s Team Sweden initiative, through which we put forward concrete proposals on what needs to be addressed in order to increase internationalisation in our field. You can read more about Team Sweden here: https://si.se/aterstartade-team-sweden-kkb-ska-oka-exportmojligheterna-for-de-kulturella-och-kreativa-branscherna/ and you are very welcome to send us your input on trade barriers, visa issues, or any other obstacles we can raise directly with them.

We are in ongoing dialogue with several funders, and have so far secured support for the artistic director of Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh to attend. The guests at our 2024 edition showed a strong interest in experimental and innovative work something we pay close attention to. We continually take stock of the artistic currents and programming trends at the international festivals we visit, and respond with ideas about which of our members would truly shine in those contexts. What matters most is that submitted productions are genuinely available for touring, and that the companies have some experience of bringing their work to new places. We are not involved in the booking process itself, but we are responsible for the invitations.

You can read about the companies that presented their work at the last edition here: https://scensverige.se/en/swedstage/