[ad_1]
Spring performances are canceled and then, just over a month ago, the city’s theater houses have a void. At Riksteatern, which canceled its entire spring show on March 17, the nearly 300 employees can no longer stand on stage or tour as scheduled.
As a government institution in the cultural sector, you are not entitled to a short-term staff permit, that is, to let employees fall during working hours. Instead, they have had to use them in other ways. For artistic staff, this involves, among other things, planning future productions and executing artistic processes. Others focus on skill development and, for the few who still remain at home, cleaning the stores, says Magnus Aspegren, CEO of Riksteatern.
– Actors and dancers in ensembles are employed to varying degrees. Some cannot be employed because they are in the risk group for various reasons. Some are unemployed because we simply don’t have information, says Magnus Aspegren.
Royal Opera Executive Director Birgitta Svendén.
Photo: Caroline Tibell
At the royal opera Most have been able to continue working on tasks similar to those of the past, although away from home.
– For those who have difficulty repeating alone in their apartments all day, the house is still open. Twice a week we broadcast live concerts and then musicians and singers are in the house, in small groups. The abnormality of the situation is that we do not meet and do work together. But no one is currently idle, says chief operating officer Birgitta Svendén.
For the Dramaten, who had to cancel the spring premiere, most of the 339 employees have been sent home and to work remotely, including the actors. The few employees who remain in the house work in accordance with restrictions and precautions, among other things, staying two meters away.
At the same time, a restructuring work is being carried out, which is trying to find other ways to reach out and contribute. It was recently decided that the Dramaten tailor and dressmaker should start sewing protective equipment for domestic service together with Culture House Stadsteatern, a task received from the municipality.
The newly appointed head of Dramaten Mattias Andersson tells us that they are also planning a more far-reaching type of theater in the future.
– Among other things, we are working on a song called “Dramaten is analog again!” where we actively explore the possibility of interpreting short texts, scenes and songs in small constellations of actors outdoors, under balconies and outside windows throughout Stockholm, where we know that many lonely people are isolated. If Dramaten’s audience can’t come to us, we should go to them, Andersson says.
To reach audiences in new ways, the three theater institutions have recently launched their own digital streaming service, which offers viewers a mix of prerecorded content as well as live streams. The opera’s streaming service, which launched on March 4, has generated a total of 138,000 streams and 47,000 unique viewers, says Svendén.
– We get great feedback from viewers. The combination of live broadcasts and prerecorded material gives the audience a good variety and we feel that we are in contact with the audience, both the faithful and that we have a new audience. We also go out across the country, which is our mission.
The national phase The operations are financed with fiscal assets. With millions of crowns As for labor costs in the past month, the question is whether theaters could do more for their audience.
– There are always more things we can do. With so many creative employees, there are limitless good suggestions for building, says Svendén.
Riksteatern says he is proud of the flexibility of the staff to change so quickly.
– To manage the effects of an established repertoire and plan for the next seasons, I see that we are doing everything we can and we are doing right now, says Aspegren.
… Read more
Kristina Lindquist: “No, digital theater is not really performing arts”
Young Klara’s leaders: “We are looking for ways to reach the audience when the virus closes theaters”
DN tips on the best culture you can share remotely
