Viewing the theatre landscape in Denmark today wefind roughly three types of theatre: institutional theatre, group theatreand project theatre. This differentiation refers only to ways of organizingtheatres, and does not indicate that each type characterized by a particulartype of aesthetic. There seems are differences in ways of expression; theinstitutional theatres more often produce more traditional performancesusing a realistic stage and stage language and written plays with a lineardramaturgy, where as the group theatres more often use a more theatrical,expressive stage language partly inspired by other theatre cultures suchas the Asian theatre and produce performances which does not originatefor a written play. The performances can be characterized by a more simultaneousdramaturgy. The project theatre often submit to the of performancetheatre (2) genrewhich is characterized by a mixing of traditions, non-acting and fragmentation,the use of other media's such as tv, film projectors, audio equipment,computer graphics and so on. The boundaries are of course often blurred,which is why the labelling and differentiation of the aesthetics of thesethree different types of theatre is a complex matter(3).

The institutional theatres include large theatres,such as the Royal Theatre (Det kongelige Teater)(4)and the provincial theatres(5) of the largercities: Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg (landsdels-scenerne). These theatresare characterized by having their own facilities (buildings) and a staffof permanently employed actors, directors, scenographers and so on. Thewritten dramatic text plays a central role in the aesthetic expressionof the institutional theatres, and some of these theatres have as theirobligation Danish drama and the preservation of Danish culture. Smallerinstitutional theatres, like Dr. Dante and ØstreGasværk in Copenhagen, on the other hand tend to experimentand renew the theatre art from a more avant garde perspective. These theatreshave a tendency to renew their ensembles and to "borrow" actors, directorsand dramatists from each other.

The group theatres (6)is a theatre form originated in the seventies, largely in reaction to theconservative traditionalism of the institutional theatres. Group theatresoften focus on the actor and the actor's work as well as the actor's bios,following the teachings of theatre pedagogues suchas Jerzy Grotowski. Theyoften consist of a permanent group of actors, though new members can beincluded, often after a training period at the theatre, often as an apprenticeto one of the elder members. The group theatres are often characterizedby their interest in theatre culture in other parts of the world, and maytravel with a view to exchange ideas and methods with other cultures. Themost well known group theatre in Denmark today is the Odin Theatre(7)(Odin Teatret), which was formed in 1964 in Oslo by the Italian directorEugenio Barba. Being a student of Jerzy Grotowski, Barba established histheatre developing the principles of Grotowski’s acting-pedagogy. He recruitedactors from young people who had been rejected by the national theatreschool. The Odin Theatre produced a couple of performances in Oslo, butwas not recognized and did not get funding, at which point Barba decidedto move to Denmark and Holstebro, where the theatre is still situated withsome of it’s original members and Barba still as the leader of the theatreand of the network of practical and theoretical theatre researchers, ISTA(International School of Theatre Anthropology) formed in the early seventies.

Project theatre is a way of organizing theatres whichemerged in the eighties and is characterized by the lack of facilitiesand permanent staff. It often consists of only a director and a producer,although project theatres in the nineties have tended to work with thesame actors/performers from production to production. This theatre is ofteninternational, not only in using performers with different national backgrounds,but also as to production and funding. In Denmark the oldest and most knownproject theatre is Hotel Pro Forma(8),which was formed in 1985 by visual artist Kirsten Dehlholm. Hotel Proformahas produced several performances over the years, all using new performersand new theatrical spaces, from traditional spaces as the Royal Theatreand the Concert Hall of Aarhus to less traditional rooms as Tycho Braheplanetarium in Copenhagen and the Town Hall of Aarhus. Other establishedproject theatres in Denmark are fx Tin Box and Metropole,both situated in Aarhus(9).
 
 
 
 

Theatre legislation

These three different ways of organizing theatrereflect the model for financial support for theatres in Denmark. The waythe State supports the theatre explains the existance of large institutionaltheatres and also the assembly of several smaller institutional theatresin the Danish capitol. The movement towards decentralization in the seventiesexplains the emergence of group theatres all over the country and led toa system of regional support. The free funds of the Theatre Council andother ministerial bodies of support, like the Ministry of Culture’s DevelopmentFoundation (the former Culture Foundation) can be partly credited for theemerging of project theatre in the eighties (and nineties).

The first Danish Theatre Law (Teaterloven) was passedin 1963, two years after the establishment of the Ministry of Culture(Kulturministeriet)(10). Prior to that the theatresin Denmark were only regulated by laws of restriction and control, fx lawsof taxation (until 1950) and censorship (until 1954) and theatre activityresided until 1961 under the Ministry of Justice. The only theatre withit’s own regulation was the Royal Theatre, whose financial support andstatus as a national institution as well as the theatre’s obligation tovariety and to Danish tradition were specifically guaranteed by law in1935. This law was not replaced until 1990 when the Royal Theatre was includedin the Theatre Law.

Throughout the fifties the need for financial supportgrew among the theatres, which is why the first Danish theatre law is alaw about financial support. It makes official a an unofficial principlepractised since the mid fifties in support of the provincial theatres inOdense, Aalborg and Aarhus; split support by the State and by the municipalityin which the theatre is situated. This principle of financial support -‘the fifty-fifty system’ - characterized the theatre legislation for thenext 35 years:

The law of 1963 marks the beginning of the publicadministration of theatre activities and the end of privately run theatresin Denmark:

With the law of 1970 the system on which it elaboratedbecame more fully entrenched. The central principle of joint venture betweenthe State, the counties and the municipalities became total in the followingyears total. The three parties involved served to push one another further.From the passing of the first Theatre Law in 1963 until today the amountof money the State spends on theatre increased from 140 million kronerto almost 600 million kroner (half of which goes to the Royal Theatre).However the increase in the State’s budget for theatres took place in theperiod between 1960 and 1975. The period 1975 after that has been characterizedby stagnation (again except for the Royal Theatre which since 1992 hasreceived a 40 million annual increase in its state grant). This stagnationhas not corresponded to an increase in the theatre support from the countiesand the municipalities; their contribution to the theatre area stabilizedaround 210 million kroner per year in 1980.

The development within Danish theatre legislation- in which seven further revisions of the Theatre Law took place in 1973,1975, 1976, 1979, 1984, 1985 and 1986, followed by a new law in 1990, whichin turn was in 1992, 1994 (twice) and 1996 - can be divided into threeperiods. First was a period of expansion and the formation of institutionsfrom 1975 to 1980, then a period of stagnation from 1990 to 1991. The lastperiod (1996) is a period of further stand still. This periodization isnot equalled by the increase or decrease in the State’s budgets for theatresupport. On the contrary; in the period of expansion the amount of moneyspent by the State on theatre decreased, while the period of stagnation(1990-91) was a period of increase in the State’s support (mainly becauseof the increase in the funding of the Royal Theatre).
 
 

Expansion and the formation of institutions -1975-80

After laying down the foundation for a danish theatrelegislation, a period of expansion took place from 1973 to 1979, the impactof which was felt from 1975-80. The expansion was generally characterizedby the inclusion of more and more different kinds of theatre in differentversions of the 50%-50%-principle, in which the State is a part supportertogether with the counties and the municipalities. This expansion thusintroduced further and further the principle for public financial supportformed in 1963 and constituted in 1970. At the same time a stabilizationof the theatre production takes place, as a direct result of more stableworking conditions for theatres. Another result was the formation of moreand more the forming of institutions, introducing a greater variety oftheatre. This expansion is also characterized by the introduction of politicalleadership within these new institutions.

The first of these steps was in a fundamentally differentdirection from the earlier support to theatre production. The revisionof 1973 saw the introduction of a national season ticket system which wentinto effect the first of april 1975. This system. for the selling of theatretickets had through a co-operation between theatres, municipalities andthe State been introduced in the season of 1971-72 at the theatres in Copenhagen.By subscribing to at least three performances the box holder would geteach ticket for half price, the State and the counties covering the otherhalf. This, now national system is the same 50%-50%-principle in a newway.

It can be argued such a system, in which performancesare chosen based on press material for something which in many cases isnot yet produced, may not be optimal for an audience’s engagements in atheatre performance, but it is without question a system that preventspublic debates of large parts of the theatre.

Reviews lose their traditional function when performancesare pre sold. The theatre submits to another and more commercialized systemof distribution. [...] It’s relationship to its audience is based on trustand/or knowledge of the actors involved. Names become the primary ticketseller. [...]

A side effect of the season ticket system, as itwas conceived in the beginning, was the suspension of the free market settingprices, which now where officially set. None commented upon the fact thatthis was both price control and -approval.

In the years to come the season ticket system graduallychanged, allowing the State to control the size of its support. In theTheatre Law of 1990 the support given by the State is limited to a fixedamount per ticket, thus removing the need for price control. The discounthas also tended to decrease over the years. It became evident that thetheatres getting most of the season ticket support were the theatres withthe most popular repertories showing that the support system is not connectedto artistic quality. It is submitted to the market laws. The support goesto the theatres which sell the most tickets, and is thus a support forthe market economy and not a supplement to it.

The revision of 1973 transformed the Theatre Councilfrom a representational body of 33 members to a panel of three experts,expanding to five in 1985. Even though the Theatre Council was establishedas an arms length body in 1973 its resort was exclusively to advice theMinister of Culture and was not until 1985 given the competence of an armslength body [that is its own budget for theatre support (2)].

The expansion of the 50%-50%-principle first tookplace in 1975 (effective April 1st 1976) with the founding of Den StorkøbenhavnskeLandsdelsscene (The Provincial Theatre of Great-Copenhagen), using theprinciples of support for the provincial theatres, but reducing the Statesshare to 40% and increasing the share of the county and municipalitiesinvolved to 60%. This was done with reference to the support for the RoyalTheatre within the capitol area. Den Storkøbenhavnske Landsdelssceneis an ubrella organization containing several theatres in Great-Copenhagen,which now are included in a permanent system of production support. Thecontrol of this umbrella is held by a solid majority of politicians fromthe county and municipalities involved.

The revision of 1976 continued in this directionwhich also on the first of January 1977 established Det Rejsende Landsteater(The touring national theatre), an umbrella organization of several touringtheatres like Det Danske Teater and Den Jyske Opera (the Opera of Jutland).The support for Det Rejsende Landsteater is divided 50-50 between the Stateand the counties. The board of this umbrella organization has a solid majorityof county politicians.

Again a continuation is the revision of 1979, putinto effect on the first of January 1980. Here a support system for regionaltheatres (egnsteatre)(3) was established inwhich 50% of the funding for regional theatres given by municipalitiesand counties are refunded by the State. At the same time Det Rejsende Børneteaterog Opsøgende Teater (The touring children’s theatre and itineranttheatre), and umbrella organisation supported by the counties, also granteda 50% refund from the State, was established. Also in this umbrella organisationthe board consists of a majority of county politicians.

As a kind of parallel to the season ticket systemthe revision of 1979 introduced a system which obliged the State to a granta 50% refund to counties’ and municipalities’ commission of performancesby children’s theatres and itinerant theatres. This was an expansion ofthe regulations in the revision of 1976, which spoke of a 25% refund ofexpenses for children’s theatre and itinerant theatres held by the municipalities.

The years 1975-80 were years of hectic revisioning,with the support principle of the provincial theatres moving further andfurther into other areas of theatre. At the beginning of the eighties the50%-50%-principle covered the provincial theatres (including that of Great-Copenhagen),touring theatres for both adults and children, regional theatres, the seasonticket system and a purchase refund in the case of children’s theatre anditinerant theatre. Denmark had witnessed a movement towards a harmonizationof the support for widely different kinds of theatre under the same principle.The price for this support system was repertory obligations of the provincialtheatres, local political control of the umbrella organizations, and forthe regional theatres merely a restriction to keep from developing intoto big theatres.

Stagnation - 1990-91

With the Theatre Law of 1990 a fundamental stagnationoccurred in several areas compared to the period of expansion. Except the50% refund system to municipalities and counties which buy performancesby children’s theatres and itinerant theatres all the 50%-50% systems wereremoved by law. [...]

The Theatre Law of 1990 also included the Royal Theatreand thus became a law for all theatre activity in Denmark.

All laws regarding the 50%-50%-principle and therequirement of the State to refund half of the expenses held by municipalitiesand counties were replaced by statements that the State support in manygiven situations be settled annually. This included the provincial theatresof Århus, Odense and Aalborg as well as for The theatre support systemof Great-Copenhagen. It also included the touring theatres, which implythe disolving of Det Rejsende Landsteater and a direct supporting of DetDanske Teater and Den Jyske Opera. Finally this system included Det RejsendeBørne og Opsøgende Teater. The refund system was maintainedfor the regional theatre but the refund percentage was made variable anddependentupon the relation between the size of the support for this purpose statedby the annual financial law and the total amount being spent on regionaltheatre support by the municipalities and counties (see also Egnsteaterudvalget1993a og 1993b and Langsted 1996). For the season ticket system the supportfor ticket price reduction by the State is limited to a fixed amount perticket and not to a percentage. The only area where the 50%-50% supportsystem is maintained is municipalities’ and counties’ commissioning ofperformances by children’s theatres and itinerant theatres.

This change marked the end of the State’s havingincitement as a policy function. At the same time the existence of a systemin which the Ministry of Culture was unable to control increases in theState’s budget was no longer tolerated. In the 50%-50%-system the municipalitiesand counties determined the level of the State’s expences because it wasthey who approved the budgets.

With the law of 1990 several theatres had objectivesformulated or reformulated for them directly into law. The Royal Theatre"should with versatility produce performances of high quality based onnew and classical works within the fields of ballet, opera and drama, particularof Danish origin" (§2, stk.1). Furthermore the theatres should developtheatre art through experimental activities. Det Danske Teater and DenJyske Opera should "produce a versatile and quality-oriented repertorywith special consideration for works by danish dramatists and composersand so on" (§5, stk,1). These theatres should also have experimentalactivities. The province theatres in Århus, Odense and Aalborg shouldproduce "a versatile repertory consisting of both older and newer workswith particular consideration for Danish dramatists" (§11). Thesetheatres also have an obligation to experiment. The theatres within DenStorkøbenhavnske Teaterstøtteordning should "produce a versatileand quality-oriented repertory consisting of both older and newer worksof drama considering danish dramatists in particular" (§14, stk.1);also experimental activities. Note the general demand for versatility,Danishness, a mixture of old and new and for experimentation. One couldalso note en passant that among these institutional theatres none of theold provincial theatres were being presented with a demand for quality.Central to this policy is that the support is being paid for by the menu-likerepertories which are produced by the demand for versatility. Artisticoriginality is substituted by bureaucratic theatre: a little bit of thisand a little bit of that and don’t forget to experiment. Just producingnew drama won’t do, there also has to be something old in the repertory.The demand for versatility neglects the fact that theatre should be a artisticendeavour in order for there to be any reason to deal with it - or to supportit. However - these demands should not be taken too seriously. The lawdid not stipulate that there be any controlling body to determine if andwhere these demands were not met. Rather, the law’s function is to havean conscious impact on directions for theatre and boards of directors.And maybe therefor one should take the demands very seriously!

Even though several umbrella organizations whichwere funded in the years of expansion have since closed or radically changed,the political control over theatre remained. In the case of the Royal Theatrethe supervision board was removed and the theatre submitted to the jurisdictionof the Ministry of Culture, although already in the fall of 1991 a revisioncalled for a board of directors to be appointed by the ministry. The RoyalTheatre was not presented with a demand for experimentation. In Den JyskeOpera the counties and municipalities held the majority (8 out of 15 members)in the board of directors, in Det Danske Teater the counties held the majority(7 out of 15) in the board of directors, in Det Rejsende Børneteaterog Opsøgende Teater the counties held the majority in the boardof directors, and in the old provincial theatres the counties and the municipalitiesheld the majority in the boards of directors and in Det StorkøbenhavnskeTeaterfællesskab the board of directors consisted exclusively ofpoliticians for involved the counties and municipalities.

The larger institutions within danish theatre arenow directed by similar object clauses and by boards of directors consistingof (local) politicians. Even though the theatres are not part of the publicadministration but often independent institutions, the theatre directionhas similarities with water- and energy supplying and other services ofthe welfare society; supplying theatre.

Further stagnation - 1996

The problem that occupied the Ministry of Culturein the years after the law of 1990 was the regional theatres. The varyingrefund percentage made the budget for these theatres so uncertain thatthey could hardly plan a season with a reliable economical basis. Alternativepolitical majorities had on several occasions to rescue these theatresin the nick of time.

A solution to the problem occurred with the revisionin 1996. Hereafter the regional theatres were desegrated regional theatrein big cities (t.i. the minicipalities of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Odense,Århus and Aalborg). These were termed small big city theatres. Theremainder mere termed regional theatres. For the regional theatres - thetheatres outside the big cities - the 50%-50% refund system (as it wasbefore 1990) was re-instated. Furthermore the counties and municipalitieswere obliged to make three year arrangements with their regional theatres,and a minimum level for a state refund was instated, stating that therehas to be at least a 1,9 million kroner funding for the theatre, beforethe counties/municipalities receive a state refund. The maximum level forthe size of the regional theatre was raised to 6 million kroner from 4million.

The system concerning the small big city theatreswas somewhat different. Here the state funding was settled by the annualfinancial laws. The State was to make 4-year arrangement with the fivemunicipalities concerning the level of state funding meant for their smallbig city theatres. There was not designated any minimum funding level forthe size of these but a maximum level was set at 6 million kroner. Besidethe theatres in Aalborg most of these theatres were not to experience anyimpact from this revision, because their municipalities participated inso the called Regional Cultural Experiments (Regional Kulturforsøg)(4)which meant that articles in the Theatre Law dealing with small big citytheatres were suspended.

With this revision the Theatre Council was obligedto supervise the regional theatres and the small big city theatres.

The refund system concerning the commissioning ofperformances by children’s theatres and itinerant theatres was changedso the refunding was no longer automatically granted but decided upon onthe basis of quality. Only performances judged to be of an acceptable qualitycould be eligible for refund.

The revision of 1996 marked a differentiation inaccount to the present regional theatre landscape. The legislation tookinto account the fact that the theatre situation was not the same for thedifferent parts of the country. On one side there was regional theatreas the only theatre for miles around, on the other the small big city theatreswhich take part in the theatre environment of the big cities. Further morethe revision marked the beginning of a change toward the Theatre Law becominga law for public trade. With the quality determined refund system the lawas a vehicle for support of the best art slowly comes into being. A naturalconsequence of this change of direction would be that it have an impacton other parts of theatre legislation, fx the season ticket system, whichis a general system of supporting the selling of theatre.

On the other hand the quality control concerningthe refund system can be seen as a further stagnation within the legislation.The concept of quality is now being used as a means to limit the State’sexpences. Further stagnation will be apparent when the legislation forsmall big city theatres begins to be implicated in all five municipalities.While with this revision the State still played a role in producing anincentive in establishing regional theatres outside the big cities (a geographicdecentralization of the theatre) it has been common knowledge that theMinistry of Culture’s position throughout the nineties has been that theState should limit its support to big theatres, provincial theatres andso on. One would not have to be a fortune-teller to predict that the endof the regional cultural experiments with their extra annual financialbudgets would result in a problem for the municipalities involved, becausethe ministry in the years to come would not be likely to grant enough moneyto meet the needs of the big cities.

Speculation in the ministry of Culture since therevision of 1996 has arisen concerning a withdrawal from the national seasonticket system and a transformation of Den Storkøbenhavnske Teaterstøtteordningwhich would mean moving away from general support to support determinedby quality judgement. Thus stagnation in this period continued and theissue of quality seems to be the focus of control.

Progress conclusions

The development within the legislation throughoutthe last 25 years as described above (and about which one can read differentpoints of view in Lansted 1980-82, Fazarkley og Sylvest 1994 and Jarl 1998)consisted of a period of expansion followed by a period of stagnation andcontraction; the State gradually ended its engagement in different partsof danish decentralized theatre life, but paradoxical maintained decentralizationas a goal in regional theatre. The development can be viewed as a shiftto progressive thinking on the part of the authorities, the success ofwhich caused it to lose its feasibility. This point of view is most evidentin the discussion concerning regional theatres and small big city theatres,where there was a shift to ministerial anger concerning the fact that thebig cities had (mis-)used the general regional theatre legislation.

The period of expansion was characterized by effortsto include various aesthetics into what was covered by the Theatre Law,whereas the concept of quality in recent years has been used in Danishtheatre policy primarily to exclude.

This progression coincides with the fact that thetheatre in the seventies played a central role in danish public life. Thetheatre participated in setting the agenda both artistically, culturallyand politically. Today the theatre does not have such a role. It is inmany ways not contemporary. From being a artistic centre the theatre hasmoved to an artistic province. [...]

Decentralization

Decentralization has been a code word in theatrepolicy throughout the years, similar to its use in cultural policy in general.The first danish minister of culture, Julius Bomholt, put it like thiswithout using the word decentralization:

Kawashimas point is that political decentralizationis often mixed with cultural and economical decentralization. And furtherthat it is an illusion that political decentralization is a preconditionfor cultural decentralization. This is not at all the case. One can verywell imagine a cultural decentralization, fx geographically, which is carriedout without a political decentralization.

Danish theatre legislation can be regarded as a culturaldecentralizing legislation with a purpose of making the access to art andculture geographically easier. Therefore different kinds of theatre throughoutthe country have been included in the legislation, and therefore touringtheatres have been supported. Through the season ticket system the Statehas intended a socio-economical decentralization, even though researchshows that it is well-educated and well paid people that make use of thissystem.

The danish theatre legislation is also a politicallydecentralizing legislation. Through the 50%-50% principle it has been possibleto get the counties and municipalities involved in the theatre policy.

In recent years Denmark has witnessed a mixing ofpolitical and cultural decentralization - partly because of the regionalcultural experiments but also through the budget model of the small bigcity theatres. The political decentralization was made the preconditionfor the cultural decentralization by the central policy makers.

While an important value of the geographical decentralizationis that people no matter where they live should have fairly good accessto art and cultural experiences of high quality, an important value ofthe political decentralization is that decisions are being made as closeto those infected by them as possible. These two set of values are notnecessarily related. It is not the case that having the decision makingbody geographically close results in quality art.

Beside the mixing of political and geographical decentralizationan ongoing debate takes place in the theatre as to whether the purposeof decentralization is best achieved through short runs of touring theatrethroughout the country or through the establishment of permanent, producingtheatres in smaller towns remote from the big cities. The policy concerningregional theatre as stated in the latest Theatre Law revision points towardsthe latter possibility; the support for touring theatres points towardsthe first. But this does not end the discussion. The problem arises againand again by the Theatre Council's obligation concerning "the spreadingof activities" (§18, stk.2). Is this goal reached by dispersing thecouncil funding all over the country or by supporting capitol based theatreswhich also tour?

The idea has been suggested (Egnsteaterudvalget 1993a)to substitute a decentralized theatre with a multi-centred one. The conceptof decentralization necessarily rests on the a centre (which can be decentralized),while the concept of multi-centered presupposes that art and culture existin many places (in which quality may or may not emerge). These are actuallythe conditions for cultural life in the nineties and should be looked toalso regarding theatre policy. In a multi-centered theatre things may flourishin one place and then die after some years while the important things happensomewhere else.

The concept of a multi-centered cultural life hasthe advantage of being less open to interpretations as the concept of decentralization,yet there is no reason to believe that this concept will replace the conceptof decentralization. It is important to bear in mind the multiplicity ofthe concept to avoid that different levels of decentralization get mixedand harm the analysis.

The concept of decentralization is a concept of onlypositive value, but it is also a politically coloured concept. In the confusionbetween political decentralization and cultural decentralization politicalagendas can easily be hidden.

Arms length

In 1962 the minister of culture Julius Bomholt formulatedthe principle for the State’s support in the area of culture. It said "supportbut not control" (Bomholt 1962, p.13), and he continued to sketch out thethoughts behind what later was termed the arms length principle:

The arms length principle was developed in Englandafter WWII. Based on the the experience of how culture had been involvedin Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Soviet Union, the idea was to establishdistance between the arts and the politicians and the bureaucracy. TheArt Council of Great Britain was conceived as a semi-independent body ofsupport which got its money from the ministry of finance and was responsibleto the parliament and which consisted of members who were appointed bythe government on the basis of their expert knowledge rather than theirpolitical convictions. The economist John Maynard Keynes became the firstchairman of the Arts Council (Hillman-Chartrand and McCaughey 1985, p.16).Hilman-Chartrand and McCaughey regard the arms length principle as partof a larger policy of the division of power in modern western democracies.In the area of art support they connect the arms length principle to thatmodel of support which has been termed the maecenian model (see Langsted1992, p.19). According to the maecenian model the State supports the artsthrough arms length councils. These councils build their decisions uponjudgements made by experts. The model for this way of organizing culturalpolicy is in fact England.

In relation to the english model the largest partof the danish culture- and art support is built upon a system where thedecisions are made by politicians and civil servants. This model is termedthe architect model by Hillman-Chartrand and McCaughey. In the theatrearea only the money received by the Theatre Council (that is ca. 7% ofthe Danish public theatre support) is submitted to the arms length policy.The rest is distributed by politicians and civil servants. In Denmark theredoes not exist a national arts council which can cover the different arts.Its divided into The National Art Foundation (Statens Kunstfond), The TheatreCouncil, The National Music Council (Statens Musikråd), the Ministryof Culture’s Development fundation (Kulturministeriets Udviklingsfond).The Literature Council (Litteraturrådet), the Committee for PeriodicalSupport (Tidsskriftstøtteudvalget), the Design Foundation (undation),the Danish Film Institute, the National Museum Committee (Statens Museumsnævn)etc. These councils and committees make their own decisions. They do notmake their decisions on basis of expert opinion as in England.

The Theatre Council was an advisory organ until 1985.It later became an arms length council corresponding to the three membercommittees of the National Art foundation. Thus the highly praised armslength principle is not very old in danish cultural policy.

The problems an arms length body consisting of expertscreates in a democracy is through its decisions, those who to receive supportmay remove themselves from the general cultural landscape. On the one handthe arms length body should be capable of seeking out what’s new and developingarts. On the other the experts of an arms length body often tend towardan élitist view of art and are not able to regard art in a widersocial context. The idea of arms length policy being used to assure thatthe arts are freed from the interference of politicians could result inarts with an exclusively élitist audience. That said it should alsobe mentioned that the arms length system for art support is the best toolfor the securing of the arts from the party politically governed societyyet found.

In recent years Denmark has experienced a new politicizingof the arms length principle. Generally considered in a positive lightwhen one talks about arts support resulting in efforts to submit numerouskinds of political administrative decision making forms to it. This inturn causes a blurring of a previously concise concept in an effort tolegitimate other structures within the area of arts support. Most evidentis the regional cultural experiment in which the arms length principleas it is known on the national level is not successfully duplicated. Manythings being done in regional arts distribution are called arms length.Rhetoric gimmicks are used to extend the arms length concept to cover avariety of things.

Blurring definitions and manoeuvring the principleto cover circumstances to which it is not relevant create circumstancesunder which the system can be said to be broader than it is.

Quality

Quality was re-introduced as a concept within culturalpolicy during the last ten years. This does not however mean that therehas not previously been quality considerations. Judgements based on qualityhave especially characterized the arms length bodies within the culturalpolicy. If an aim had been set for the Theatre Council to grant children’stheatre 25% of its funds the council of course has to take this aim intoconsideration, but for the council to decide which children’s theatresto support the council has base its decisions on quality. The judgementof where the highest quality exists or is likely to occur becomes the criteriafor support. This is not something new. The share of the theatre supportdistributed by the Theatre Council (which is a very small share) has alwaysrelied on quality criteria. The same goes for support distributed by theNational Arts Foundation etc.

When one today hears so much about quality as thebasis for arts support one might get the impression that all these heavyinstitutions outside the quality judgements of the arms length bodies shouldbe submitted to the same kind of judgement. This is hardly what is meant.

One way of regarding quality based judge met is asof re-installing the educational perspective of the mono cultural society.This line of thought implies that one should try to restore functions ofart as a place for contemplation of universal human feelings, over andabove daily mundanety. The belief is that this concept of art can be returnedto a state of purity. This idea of quality stems from a longing for thetime before the world (and art) went out of joint.

Another version of the concept of quality is representedby younger avant garde artists who confidently interpret their own positionas the most developed artistry to date and therefore should be substantiallysupported if the policy seriously focused on quality. Belief in the futureand of being the avant garde is what is held important.

The paradox is that these two positions often forman unholy alliance in which the only unifying factor is an abstract pledgefor quality in the cultural policy.

A third position in the debate about quality is anabsolutist position toward relativism and subjectivism. Everything is asgood as everything else, and what’s good for you is not necessarily goodfor me. It is impossible to make cultural policy from this position exceptas a vehicle for artistical egocentrism because cultural policy is alsoabout the struggle for and access to limited resources.

A forth position is the position of the union. Thisposition states that if you are educated from a nationally approved educationalinstitution you are a professional, which is the same as being of highquality. Cultural policy from this position is also impossible as it nobias for prioritizing. This forth position can be expanded into a fifthstressing how the artist is handling his/her craft technically; also insufficientas a basis for cultural policy.

My suggestion - which might be a sixth version -is that a modern culture political oriented concept of quality must becomposed of three elements: ability, will and obligation. One must firstbe able to master the craft, one must have the will to do something; topossess a force of urgency and enthusiasm. And lastly one must have a senseobligation to be contemporary and to feel a necessity in relation the timesone is living in and the people one lives among. A concept of quality buildupon ability, will and obligation does not produce a complete set of answersbut it enables the making of nuanced cultural and political decisions.I heard it well put once by a swedish bureaucrat at a panel discussion:It is very simple this quality thing. When you put 5-7 experts in an armslength panel with the task of giving support to what’s best, the art thesepeople support will be of the best quality.

If you look into how the concept of quality has beenre-introduced into the cultural political debate it is significant thatits use has been fundamentally political. It has been used to pursue certaininterests in the field and it has been used to exclude. We can talk aboutthe concept of quality achieving the same status as open and direct censorshipin the excluding of unwanted art. In order to administer direct censorshipthe government once employed a censor, and in order to administer todaysmechanisms of separation - quality - the State employs arms length panels.The picture thus becomes unambigous. The risk of unwanted art slippingthrough the quality filter used by the arms length bodies is large becauseit does not have any obligations to the restoration of educational culture.But it is typical that the mechanisms of exclusion again gain importance,regardless of their taking a different form today from earlier in thiscentury and earlier centuries.

Back to the institutions

The forming of institutions has been the centre oftheatre policy for the last 25 years. In the beginning of this period largerand larger parts of the theatre were made into permanent institutions withpermanent places and permanent support written into the Theatre Law. Bythe end of the same era most of the developing principles of support havebeen dissolved, some institutions have been closed, but not the majority.A movement which in the beginning was inclusive now becomes exclusive.Things are pushed away - by decentralization, by arms length, by demandsfor quality. At the same time these three culture political central conceptshave suffered violent politicizing processes. They have been re-definedso they now fit new political demands. Decentralization now means the avoidingof responsibility, arms length means art controlled by politicians, andquality means the exclusion of the unwanted, the uneducated.

The theatre institutions now serve as monuments forthe period in which the State engaged in the formation of institutions.They often are in financial difficulties but prevented at the same timefrom innovation because public theatre budgets are not expanded. The centralquestion, however, is whether or not these institutions are the most reasonableway of organizing theatre activities. The overall problem is that theseinstitutions tend to look more and more like each other. They are situatedin more or less the same environment, they fight over the same audience,and their directors have more or less the same background and the sameviewpoint of functions of theatre. This can only result in rectification.A look at the repertories of the larger theatres is enough to make surethat this already has happened.

DiMaggion and Powell (1991) state that institutionalchanges taking place within a given organizational area can make a particularinstitutions isomorphic. They differentiate between three different formsof institutional isomorphism; caused by force and stemming from politicalinfluence and problems of legitimization; mimetic and based on differentinstitutions’ standardized answers to insecurity within their environment,or normative and be built upon professionalization and the norms and standardsof the professional staff. The theatre life in Denmark can very well beregarded as an organizational field in which a process of homogenizinghas taken place within the last 25 years and has takes prey to all threeabove. The isomorphism is caused by force because the public supportersput absolutely homogenous demands on the theatre institutions. It is mimeticbecause all theatres are placed in a situation of permanent insecuritywhich makes them liable to become homogenous in the pursuit of an audience.And it is normative because larger and larger demands for professionalismand staff specialization are made on the theatres, not only artistically,but also administratively and economically. The over-all problem regardingthe institutional isomorphism is that the theatre landscape seems to bepluralistic. It contains many different institutions (theatres) which intheory have the ability to act independently. But when the institutionalisomorphism is at work the institutions become more and more alike, thatis they become many institutions doing the same things in the same way.Stagnation lurks under the pluralistic surface.

The institutions has been the receiver which theState has established and stabilized as a part of the theatre politicaldevelopment. [... ] The biggest dilemma in theatre policy in the yearsto come will be in what way we can adjust the institutions, change thembig time or close them. There’s no reason to believe that they will breakaway from the institutional logic by them selves. And unfortunately thereare no present signs of other than a cultural political interest in preservingthe institutions.
 

Notes:(Theatre in Denmark)
 

1. I would like to thank Susan Rethorstfor help with my english. For comments regarding the article my e-mailis: draks@hum.au.dk

2. For an introduction to performancetheatre and its traditions, see Erik Exe Christoffersen: "Performancetraditioner",in: Erik Exe Christoffersen (ed.): Hotel Pro Forma, Aarhus 1998(25-61), Janek Szatkowski: "Monologiske og poetiske træk i performanceteater",in : Jørn Langsted (ed.): Til Chr., Århus 1997 (p.48-57),or the works of Niels Lehmann, fx "Iscenesættelsens metafysik - metafysikkensiscenesættelse", in: Niels Lehmann: Dekonstruktion og dramaturgi,Århus 1996 (p.13-123), or "Stilfærdig dramaturgi", in: JørnLangsted (ed.): Til Chr., Århus 1997 (p.57-69).

The genre of performance theatre can be signifiedby its relationship with the (western) theatre tradition. Unlike earlieravant garde theatres - like the symbolistic, formalistic movement, theepic theatre, the political theatre, the theatre of the absurd, the grouptheatres of the seventies and their search for a theatrical language beyondthe theatrical conventions - which were characterized by a will to revoltagainst the tradition and the established theatres, the performance theatreis characterized by a more relaxed relationship with the theatre tradition,which becomes evident in the way this type of theatre recycles elements,styles from earlier theatrical conventions and seemingly has no problemin fx blending a realistic way of acting with epic elements, Asian actingtraditions and non-acting, which is a term conceived by the american scholarMichael Kirby which implies that the actor is performing without any referenceto a role or an interpretation; he or she is present on stage as "himself/herself".The norwegian scholar Knut Ove Arntzen has termed this ironical and commentingway of recycling aesthetical material from other and earlier theatre movementspostmainstreamtheatre (see: Nordisk Scenekunstfestivals New Letter 8.4., Århus1995), while Niels Lehmann labels this type of theatre - with a term fromAchille Bonito Olivà - a theatre with a trans-avant gardeway of thinking, which produces a theatre which is "far from a traditionalavant garde’s anti-traditionalistical pathos" and beyond any attempt tobreak down the old traditions in order to create something new, but rather"beyond tradition and traditional settlements seeks to defind what itactually want, in a possitive way" (Niels Lehmann: "Teater som ubekymrettilbudsæstetik", Århus 1996, p.87. See also my Master’s thesis:Koncept-Poetik.Overvejelser omkring en dramaturgisk term med The Wooster Group og RemoteControl som eksempler, Dep. of Dramaturgy, Århus 1998, in whicha definition of performance theatre is being elaborated in chapter 2, usingthe american performance theatre group The Wooster Group as an example).

3. See fx Niels Lehmanns argumentwith the norwegian director Kai Johnson in Lehmann’s article "Teater forubekymret tilbudsæstetik", in: Niels Lehmann (red.): Optimistiskpessimisme (lecture compendium), Department of Dramaturgy 1996. Lehmannaccuses Johnson of being to categorical in his distinction between institutionaltheatre, group theatre and project theatre and of establishing a line ofevolution where the latter emerges from the former and thus representingsomething - also aesthetically - totally new.

4. For a brief introduction to theRoyal Theatre in the twentieth century, see Elin Rask: "Det kongelige Teaterpå vej", in: Janne Risum (a.o. ed.): Dansk Teaterhistorie,vol.2, Copenhagen 1993 (p.247-256).

In present day danish cultural debate the Royal Theatreand its many problems, being a theatre housing three different art forms(theatre, opera and ballet), is one of the hottest topics, and many, bothartists, politicians and scholars argue that the theatre should be devidedinto three and also be given new and more modern facilities.

5. For an introduction to the provincialtheatres, see Elin Andersen: "Landsdelsscenerne. Teaterhuse i vækst",in: Janne Risum (o.a. ed.): Dansk Teaterhistorie vol.2, Copenhagen1993 (p.256-267).

6. For an introduction to grouptheatre as a phenomenon, see Kela Kvam: "Gruppeteatret", in Janne Risum(o.a. ed.): Dansk Teaterhistorie vol.2, Copenhagen 1993 (p.230-247).

7. For an introduction to the OdinTheatre, see Erik Exe Christoffersen: The Actor’s Way, Routledge1993 or Eugenio Barba: Floating Islands, Holstebro, DK 1979 (danished. De flydende øer, Copenhagen 1989. For analysis of OdinTheatre performances, see fx Janne Risum: "Negativitet på nethinden"and Morten Kyndrup: "Itsi-Bitsi som tekst", both in: Erik Exe Christoffersen(ed.): Ilden i glasset, Århus 1994 (p.27-33 and 33-37), JanneRisum: "Virkeligt korn, overvirkelig smerte. Odin Teatrets Kaosmos",in: Erik Exe Christoffersen (ed.): Teatrets teks - teksten i teatret,Århus 1994 (52-67), or: Erik Exe Christoffersen: "Odin Teatrets rejsebilleder(Vandstier, Talabot, Slottet i Holstebro og Itsi-Bitsi)", in: Erik ExeChristoffersen: Teater poetik, Århus 1997 (p.202-240).

Performances by the Odin Theatre (directed by EugenioBarba):

Ornitofilene (1965-66)

Based on a text by Jens Bjørneoe

Actors: Anne Trine Grimnes, Else Marie Laukvik, TorSannum, Torgeir Wethal.

Kaspariana (1968-68)

Based on a scenario by Ole Sarvig

Actors: Jan Erik Bergström, Anne Trine Grimnes,Lars Göran Kjellstedt, Else Marie Laukvik, Iben nagel Rasmussen, DanNielsen, Torgeir Wethal.

Ferai (1969-70)

Based on a text by Peter Seeberg

Actors: Ulla Alasjärvi, Marisa Gilberti, JuhaHäkkänen, Sören Larseon, Else Marie Laukvik, Iben NagelRasmussen, Carita Rindell, Torgeir Wethal.

Min fars hus (1972-74)

Based on a scenario by Eugenio Barba

Actors: Jjens Christensen, Ragnar Christiansen, MalouIllmoni, Tage Larsen, Else Marie Laukvik, Iben Nagel Rasmussen, Ulrik Skeel,Torgeir Wethal.

Dansenes Bog (1974-80)

Actors: Roberta Carreri, Tom Fjordefalk, Elsa Kvamme,Tage Larsen, Else Marie Laukvik, Iben Nagel Rasmussen, Odd Strøm,Torgeir Wethal.

Johan Sebastian Bach (first version 1974,third version 1979)

Actors: Torben Bjelke, Roberta Carreri, Toni Cots,Francis Pardeilhan, Iben Nagel Rasmussen, Silvia Ricciardelli, Odd Strøm,Jan Torp, Julia Verley.

Gøglere og spaghetti (1976-77)

Actors: Jan Torp, Else Marie Laukvik.

Come! And the day will be yours /1976-80)

Based on a scenario by Eugenio Barba

Actors: Roberta Carreri, Tom Fjordefalk, Tage Larsen,Else Marie Laukvik, Iben Nagel Rasmussen, Torgeir Wethal.

Anabasis (first version 1977, fourth version1982-84)

Actors: Torben Bjelke, Roberta Carreri, Toni Cots,Tom Fjordefalk, Tage Larsen, Else Marie Laukvik, Francis Pardeilhan, IbenNagel Rasmussen, Silvia Ricciardelli, Gustavo Riondet, Ulrik Skeel, JuliaVarlay, Torgeir Wethal.

Millionen - Første Rejse (first version1978, fourth version 1982-84)

Actors: Torben Bjelke, Roberta Carreri, Toni Cots,Tom Fjordefalk, Tage Larsen, Else Marie Laukvik, Francis Pardeilhan, GustavoRiondet, Ulrik Skeel, Julia Varley, Torgeir Wethal.

Moon and Darkness (1979-)

Actor: Iben Nagel Rasmussen

Brechts Aske (1980-82),Brechts Aske 2(1982-84)

Text by Eugenio Barba

Actors: Roberta Carreri, Toni Cotts, Tage Larsen,Francis Pardeilhan, Iben Nagel Rasmussen, Silvia Ricciardelli, Ulrik Skeel,Julia Varley, Torgeir Wethal.

Rum i kejserens palads (1985)

Actors: Lena Bjerregaard, César Brie, RobertaCarreri, Jan Ferslev, Richard Fowler, Naira Conzales, Iben Nagel Rasmussen,Julia Varley, Torgeir Wethal.

Oxyrhyncus Evangeliet (1985-87)

Tekst by Eugenio Barba

Actors: Roberto Carreri, Tage Larsen, Else MarieLaukvik, Francis Pardeilhan, Julia Varley, Torgeir Wethal.

Judith (1987-)

Tekxt by Eugenio Barba and Roberta Carreri

Actor: Roberta Carreri.

Talabot (1988-)

Text by Eugenio Barba, based on the life and workof danish anthropologist Kirsten Hastrup

Actors: César Brie, Jan Ferslev, Richard Fowler,Naira Gonzales, Iben Nagel Rasmussen, Julia Varley, Torgeir Wethal.

Itsi-Bitsi (1990-)

Actors: Kai Bredholt, Jan Ferslev, Iben Nagel Rasmussen.

The Castle of Holstebro (1990-)

Actor: Julia Varley.

Kaosmos (1993-96)

Actors: Kai Bredholt, Roberta Carreri, Jan Ferslev,Iben Nagel Rasmussen, Tina Nielsen, Isabel Ubeda, Julia Varley, TorgeirWethal, Frans Winther

Mythos (1997-)

Actors: Kai Bredholt, Roberta Carreri, Jan Ferslev,Tage Larsen, Iben Nagel Rasmussen, Julia Varley, Torgeir Wethal, FransWinther.

Ode til Fremskridtet - En Ballet (1997-)

Actors: Kai Bredholt, Roberta Carreri, Jan Ferslev,Tage Larsen, Iben Nagel Rasmussen, Julia Varley, Torgeir Wethal, FransWinther.

I Hvalens Skelet (1997-)

Actors: Kai Bredholt, Roberta Carreri, Jan Ferslev,Tage Larsen, Iben Nagel Rasmussen, Julia Varley, Torgeir Wethal, FransWinther.

Hvid som Jasminen (1997-)

Actor: Iben Nagel Rasmussen.

Doña Musica’s Sommerfugle (1997-)

Actor: Julia Varley.

Van Gakk (1997-)

Actor: Kai Bredholt.

Odin Theatre:

e-mail: odinteat@post4.tele.dk

web-site: www.odinteatret.dk

8. "The theatre company Hotel ProForma is a vehicle for dramatic composition at the boundary of theatreand exhibition. It is instrinsic to the company’s concept that the architectureof the venue and its surroundings is a co-player in the performance. Productionsare guided by an overall concept regarding choice of venue, theme, formand process, The notion of theatre is redefined with each new production.Every performance is a new experiment and contains a double staging: partlyof its contents and the space, and partly of the notion of theatre itself.

Each production is the result of a close collaborationbetween artists from many disciplines: architecture, the visual arts, music,film, language, dance, and the natural sciences.

Performers are carefully selected with a view tothe qualities and qualifications required by the concept and the natureof the production.

Because space, concept, collaborators, and performersvary from one production to the next, all Hotel Pro Forma’s productionsare distinct and unique. As a ‘nomadic theatre’ Hotel Pro Forma is in constantmotion and always approaching reality from an other angle. Performancesfocus on the basic laws of sense perception and thus challenge the audience.

Performances exist somewhere between constructionand sensation, consciousness and intuition, between the concrete and theabstract. The boundaries of theatre are being displaced into new territoriesthat lie between art and non-art, theatre and non-theatre, between thephysical and the metaphysical expression. Optical illusion is embracedas a part of reality.

Reality becomes form. Form becomes content and expression,expression becomes art. Hotel Pro Forma’s performances succeed in settingup a temporary place in the world which balances delicately between meaningand non-meaning whereby, strangely, the pragmatic reality is made to burstinto blissful crystalline moments of beauty. Many years of hard work hasbeen invested in finding this place. And it is a privilege to experienceit.

Kirsten Dehlholm is the founder and artistic directorof Hotel Pro Forma. With a background in the visual arts she has workedin theatre and performance art since 1977. She has received several importantawards from Danish arts institutions, and in recognition of her artisticachievements Kirsten Dehlholm has the lifelong support of the Danish government.Hotel Pro Forma has perfomed in museums, town halls, public places of particularsignificans and theatres in Europe, Mexico, Australia and Japan." (quotefrom press-brochure about Hotel Pro Forma)

For an introduction to Hotel Pro Forma and analysisof their work, see Erik Exe Christoffersen: "Hotel Pro Formas fikserbilleder",in: Erik Exe Christoffersen: Teater poetik, Århus 1997 (p.240-270),or Erik Exe Christoffersen (ed.): Hotel Pro Forma, Århus 1998.

Performances by Hotel Pro Forma (directed by KirstenDehlholm):

Ether (1987)

Concept: Willie Flindt, Kirsten Dehlholm (direction:Willie Flindt)

Text: Inger Christensen

Stage Design: Kirsten Dehlholm

Sculpture: Anders Krüger

Light Design: Peter Thomsen

Performers: 4 acotrs, 1 landscape painter.

Carpe Carpe Carpe (1989)

Text: Per Aage Brandt

Dramaturgy: Anne Sofie Becker

Stage Design: Kirsten Dehlholm

Sculpture: Michael Thejll

Light design: Peter Thomsen

Performers: 7 children

Why does the night come mother (1990)

Concept and direction: Kirsten Dehlholm, Tomas Lahoda

Music: Karl Aage Rasmussen

Text: Søren Ulrik Thomsen

Stage Design: Kirsten Dehlholm, Tomas Lahoda

Costumes: Anne Grethe Bruun

Song: Eva Hess Thaysen

Performers: 1 singer, 4 dancers, 1 reader.

Fact-Arte-Fact (1991)

Concept and stage design: Kirsten Dehlholm, ThomasWiesner

Dramaturgy: Annette Chronstedt

Music: Jens E. Christensen, Rogelio Duran

Costumes: Laurian Raven

Light design: Peter Thomsen

Performers: 4_ pairs of identical twins, 1 single,2 musicians and 2 angels.

The Shadow’s Quadrant (1992)

Text: Peter Seeberg

Dramaturgy: Calus Lynge

Stage Design: Birgitte Louise Hansen

Music: Frans Winther

Choreography: Christine Meldal

Costumes: Laurian Raven

Song: Palle Kibsgaard

Performers: 1 baryton, 1 boy-soprano, 1 sign languageinterpreter, 3 dancers, 8 physically disabled persons.

Enigma of the late afternoon (1992)

Concept and stage design: Dumb Type, Tomas Lahoda,Kirsten Dehlholm

Choreography: Christine Meldal

Costumes: Annette Meyer

Performers: 3 japanese and 4 danish dancers.

Operation: Orfeo (1993)

Music: John Cage, Bo Holten, Christoph WillibaldGluch

Text: Ib Michael

Dramaturgy: Claus Lynge

Stage Design: Maja Ravn

Light design: Jesper Kongshaug

Costumes: Annette Meyer

Choreography: Anita Saij

Sound design: Ole Chr. Hansen

Performers: 1 solo singer, 1 solo dancer, 12 singers

The picture of Snow White (1994)

Concept and stage design: Kirsten Dehlholm, ThomasWiesner

Dramaturgy: Claus Lynge

Music: Charles Morrow, Frans Winther

Choreography: Christine Meldal

Costumes: Annette Meyer

Song: Palle Kibsgaard

Performers: 1 young woman, 8 dwarfs, 2 twins, 2 gangmembers, 1 singer.

Dust Wow! Dust (1995)

Fiom: Joachim Hamou

Text: Christina Hesselholdt

Music: Frans Winther

Stage design: Maja Ravn

Light design: Jesper Kongshaug

Costumes: Annette Meyer

Sound design: Ole Chr. Hansen

Performers: 1 singer, 1 actress, 1 accordeon player,10 voices.

Monkey Business Class (1996)

Concept and stage design: Hotel Pro Forma, Dumb type,Diller and Scofidio

Choreography: Christine Meldal

Music compositions: Kæv Gliemann

Samplings and arrangements: Anders Andreasen

Video: Dumb type, Diller and Scofidio, OK Girls

Costumes: Annette Meyer

Light design: Jesper Kongshaug

Text adaptation: Gritt Uldall-Jessen

Sogn: Wade Williams, Shizuru Ohtaka, Claus Hempler

Performers: 3 japanese and 4 danish dancers, 1 japaneseand 1 danish actor.

House of the double axe/XX (1997)

Concept: Kirsten Dehlholm, Jesper Kongshaug, WillieFlindt, Lars Romann Engel, Catia Engel Direction: Kirsten Delholm, LarsRomann Engel

Music: Dicte

Musical conductor: Kæv Gliemann

Dramaturgy: Willie Flindt

Stage design: Catia Engel

Light design: Jesper Kongshaug

Computer programming: Signe Krogh

Sound design: Mads Eggert

Pop text research and adaptation: Gritt Uldall-Jessen

Midievaltext research: Bernadette Preben-Hansen

Performers: 3 musicians, 1 singer, 1 dancer, 7 actors.

The chinese compass (1998)

Text: Carsten Jensen

Music: Pierre Dørge

Dramaturgy: Calus Lynge

Musical dramaturgy: Peter Hanke

Dramaturgical research: Willie Flindt

Choreography: Christine Meldal

Light design: Jesper Kongshaug

Stage design: Maja Ravn, Kirsten Dehlholm

Costumes: Maja Ravn, Kirsten Dehlholm

Sound design: Peter hanke

Picture adaptation: Signe Krogh, Anton Liep, JesperKongshaug

Performers: 4 singers, 5 musicians, 1 reader, 1 actor,2 fourth grade classes of children.

Hotel Pro Forma:

e-mail: profoma@get2net.dk

web-site: www.hotelproforma.dk

9. Metropole is founded by LarsIllum and Claus Poulsen and have produced performances which often areinspired by the film media, fx by the film noir genre as in their 1993-performance"City of D..." (using Paul Auster’s weird detective novel "City of glass),the visual universe of Bergmann in their 1994-performance "Sonata" (usingthe script from this Bergmann movie) and by the twisted worlds of DavidLynch and Quentin Tarrantino in their 1995-performance "Lipstick Killer".For an analysis of Metropole and the theatre in the age of mass media,see Janek Szatkowski: "Om teatret i massemediernes tid", in the programmefor the Metropole performance Lipstick Killer, Århus 1995.

Tin Box was founded in 1992 when the directors ofthe former Århus performance group Exment Thomas Heilesen and KimEden split up. Heilesen went on to form the performance group Von Heiduckin Copenhagen, Kim Eden formed Tin Box and produced in the years between1994 and 1996 a trilogy of performances consisting of dance and to a greatextend private material from his performers. In that way there are greatsimilarities between Tin Box and the belgian director Michael Laub andhis performance group Remote Control Productions, and like Laub (in hisperformance "Planet Lulu", 1997) Kim Eden has tended to use written dramatictext (in the case of Tin Box by the english dramatist Nigel Charnock, whohas been working with the group all the time) in his latest performances"For Crying out Loud" (1997) and "Polaroid World" (1998). For a presentationof the work and aesthetics of Tin Box, see Jørn Langsted: "Nyt teateri gamle huse", Mette Malou Munksgaard: "Hvilken box?" and Niels Lehmann:"Sanselig forståelse", all in: Trilogi, programme for TinBox performances "Me, myself, you and I", "Crash Test... They dance alone"and "Heaven", Århus 1996.

10. For a short introduction tothe danish Ministry of Culture and its efforts in the theatre area, see:Elin Rask: "Et ministerium for kulturen", in: Janne Risum (o.a. ed.): DanskTeaterhistorie vol.2, Copenhagen 1993 (p.219-227).

The Ministry of Culture’s web-site: www.kulturministeriet.dk

11. Jørn Langsted: "Fraekspansion til kontraktion. Hovedtendenser i 25 års teaterlovgivning",in: Elin Andersen og Niels Lehmann (ed.): Teaterlegeringer, Århus1998, p. 13.

12. Denmark has gotten four officialtheatre school: the National Theatre School (Statens Teaterskole), whicheducates actors, directors, stage designers, light designers, producersand so on, and the theatre schools at the provincial theatres of Odense,Århus and Aalborg, which only educates actors. Further more the RoyalTheatre got its ballet school and there is also a school for modern dancein Copenhagen and acting school aimed at performance theatre situated atthe performance group Cantabile 2 in Vordingborg. A State funded schoolfor dramatists has been running as an experiment in Århus for thepast four years. Further more there are several schools without any Statefunding, even though some of them have been forced to close due to badeconomy (like fx The Nordic Theatre school (Nordisk Teaterskole) in Århus).

For an analysis of problems in theatre educationin Denmark, see Torunn Kjølner: "Branchen eller livet? Om at skoleskuespillere", in: Elin Andersen and Niels Lehmann (ed.): Teaterlegeringer,Århus 1998 (131-151).

13. "Children’s Theatre in Denmarkrepresents something unique, not only in Scandinavia, but world-wide. Everyyear 50-60 companies gather at a national Children’s Theatre Festival.For a week their latest productions are presented in schools, libraries,halls, theatres and streets to thousands of children and teachers in thetown that hosts the festival. During the weekend 80-100 performances aregiven - free of charge - to a public of 10.000 people or more. Invitedto the festival in 1992 were to guests and critics, vice president of ASSITEJMichael Fitz Gerald and leader of the Nottingham Festival 1992 David Johnston(who later wrote an article in the danish journal on Children’s Theatre,Børneavisen,no.18, may 1992).In their reports they praised the general artistic quality,the energy to pursue well designed performances and the ability to shareexperiences. On the other hand, they missed workshop activities and aneducational policy. The aesthetics of the theatre seemed to them to bemore emphasized than ideologically sound issues. Nevertheless they gavedanish Children’s Theatre and young people’s theatre companies credit forhaving developed theatre forms that achieved a balance between pure socialperspectives and pure entertainment.

From a Scandinavian point of view it is certainlyinteresting to notice what they miss. The constant questioning of aimed,issues and political values that constituted every agenda some years agocertainly can be seen as missing today. As the most arguments drew theirpoints from political practise and theory, radical analysis ruled the terminologyof the questioning. Today political engagement is no longer the commonreference. So a very fundamental and explicit change of perspectives seemsnecessary to pose the questions anew. It is part of my argument that perspectivesare changing, but that it happens slowly and not very explicit.

Political Denmark has gone through changes sincethe seventies, so has theatre and educational philosophy, off course. Whenmarxist politics and terminology no longer ruled the production processes,the idea that theatre as an art form was good for children in its own rightsaw a renewal. A qualified debate on the educational value of theatre couldhave supported this change, but as it happened ‘pedagogical’ became justanother word for bad or boring theatre. Parts of the political discourseis still to be found in the language and practice of many of the companies.On example is the basic thinking, or attitude, that things exist in opposites;theatre versus education, fiction versus facts, Both theatre and educationseems to have been an impossible construction. An indifference towardsdebating educational philosophy as part of producing theatre for childrenwas perhaps one reason why Theatre In Education (TIE) never caught thegeneral interest of Danish Children’s Theatre when first introduced inthe seventies.

So TIE in Denmark so far is a story of single experiments.In constructing such a story I hope to challenge oppositional thinkingas well as looking at TIE as something exclusively experimental."

This note was written by Torunn Kjølner, associateprofessor at the Dep. of Dramaturgy. For an introduction to TIE in Scandinavia,see Tove Ilsaas and Torunn Kjølner: "TIE in Scandinavia", in: tonyJackson (ed.) learning Through Theatre. New Persectives on Theatre inEducation, London 1993 (p.185-205).
 
 
 
 
 
 

Notes: (Fromexpansion to contraction.)

1. Jørn Langsted: "Fra ekspansiontil kontraktion. Hovedtendenser i 25 års teaterlovgivning", in: ElinAndersen og Niels Lehmann (ed.): Teaterlegeringer, Århus 1998,p. 11-41. This extract is from p.20-40). Langsted has been analysing thetendensies within danish thatre legislation for several years fx in thebooks Teaterlovgivning, vol.1-3, Gråsten 1980-82, and hasbeen playing an active role in danish cultural debate, both as a scholarand as a member of the Theatre Council.

The extract from the article by Langsted is translatedby Kjetil Sandvik and is not an authorized translation.

Jørn Langsted:

e-mail: drajl@hum.au.dk

web-site: www.hum.au.dk/dramatur/drajl/home.htm

2. Translator’s remark. For anexplaination of arms length bodies, see later.

3. For an introduction to regionaltheares in Denmark, see Egnsteaterudvalget: Egnsteatre i Danmark 1992and Egnsteatre. En rapport, Copenhagen 1993. For an analysis ofthe regislation in the area of regional theatres, see Jørn Langsted:Egnsteater-§§,Århus 1996.

4. For an critical analysis ofthese experiments, see Jørn Langsted: Bloktilskud med hegnspæle- alias Regionale Kulturforsøg, Århus 1996.

Literature used in the article by JørnLangsted:

Bomholt, Julius: "Kultur og administration",in: Mogens Pihl (ed.): Kulturelle Strømninger i Danmark - nuog snart, Copenhagen 1962

DiMaggio, Paul J. & Walther W. Powell:"The Iron Cage revisited: Institutional Isomorphism and Collective Rationalityin Organizational Fields", in: Walter W Powel and Paul J. DiMaggio (ed.):TheNew Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis, Chicago 1991

Egnsteaterudvalget: Egnsteatre. En rapport,Copenhagen 1993a

Egnsteaterudvalget: Egnsteatre i Danamark1992. En oversigt, Copenhagen 1993b

Fazakerley, Susan & Kirsten Sylvest:Teaterlivi halvfemsernes Danmark, Århus 1994

Hilman-Chartrand & Claire McCaughley:TheArm’s Lenght Principle and the Arts. An International Pespective. Past,Present and Future, Otawa 1985

Irjala, Auli: (De)Centralisation Processesin Nordic Cultural Policy", in: The European Journal of Cultural Policy,vol 3, no.1, Amsterdam 1997

Jarl, Stig: "The Danish Theatre System", in:Hans Van Maanen and Steve Wilmer (ed.): Theatre Worlds in Motion. Structures,Politics and Developments in the Countries of Western Europe, Amsterdam1998

Kawashima, Nobuko:Planning for for Equality?Decentralisation in Cultural Policy, Warwick 1996

Kawashima, Nobuko: "Theorising Decentralisationin Cultural Policy: Concepts, Values and Strategies", in: The EuropeanJournal of Cultural Policy, Vol.3, No.2, amsterdam 1997

Langsted, Jørn:Teaterlovgivningvol.1-3, Gråsten 1980-82

Langsted, Jørn:Styr på teatret.Om tteaterpolitik, Gråsten 1984

Langsted, Jørn: "Centralized Decentralization:an Issue in the Cultural Policy of a Small Country: Denmark", in: ClaudeSchumacher and Derek Fogg (ed.): Small is Beautiful. Small CountriesTheatre Conference. Glasgow 1990, Glasgow 1990

Langsted, Jørn:Udvikling og dynamisering.Fire kapitler om kulturpolitik, Århus 1992

Langsted, Jørn:Egnsteater-§§,Århus 1996

Rohde, Henning:Brev til undervisningsministerFlemming Hvidberg af 23.4.1952

Rohde, Henning:Noget lykkedes... ErindringerCopenhagen 1994

Betænkning no. 278:Teatrene i Danmark1961, Copenhagen