Anyone who spoke to cultural figures a few months before the national budget was presented would mostly be met with shaking their heads and dark looks. No one had faith. The municipalities were broke, at state level the defense came to swallow billions. In such a world, it could feel futile to raise your hand and say: But what about my theater company? And then it wasn’t so bad after all. The increase in the culture budget was roughly on par with last year. Many thought they could see that Minister of Culture Lubna Jaffery (Ap) must have clawed at the door of Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp) to get this far. Culture Minister Lubna Jaffery (Ap) was able to present a more spacious culture budget than many expected. Photo: Kai Rune Kvitstein / news Then there is also a rural flavor of the Center Party over this budget. Here, there is a clear focus on the regions, on volunteering, on a regional cultural fund, on cultural buildings across the country. The counterweight is an investment in the performing arts, in the large theaters and institutions. For a field that has been on the sidelines after two rapid downturns, first from the pandemic and then from price and wage growth in society, it is long overdue. So everyone is happy? Oh no you. It is the cultural field we are talking about, after all. Having said that. Many of the actors in the cultural field who fall under the category of “dissatisfied” are downright panicky. That’s because support from the state is a matter of whether or not for them. Among the players in the so-called free field, including those who have been at it for several decades and have widespread operations both in Norway and other countries, the floor collapses under their feet if the state withdraws support. And here is the paradoxical situation after this year’s culture budget has been presented. There are strong forces here that work against each other. It bets on the regions with one hand and withdraws support with another. And there are still plenty of chairs to fall between for the small and medium-sized companies out there. Let’s take it from the beginning. There have always been dilemmas connected with how to take care of the small, independent, experienced and renowned theater companies in this country. These may be companies many have heard of, or come across, without dealing with them on a weekly basis, exactly. The tactile and visual are central to Cirka Teater’s productions, such as “Puls”. Photo: Cirka Teater. One of them is Cirka Teater in Trondheim, which created parts of the opening performance when the main airport at Gardermoen was opened in 1998. Since then, they have created playful family shows, often with puppets and carefully prepared sets, and collaborated a lot with Trøndelag Teater. This is a group that emphasizes what you can see and touch in theatre, more than words and text. Otherwise you have Frikar, the dance ensemble which is concerned with renewing folk dance, which became known not only to Norway, but also to the world, when they helped dance Alexander Rybak to victory in the Eurovision Song Contest. They keep going, albeit on somewhat smaller stages. Both companies are of the type that struggle to find firm ground under their feet, because they are dependent on changing support schemes and budgets. Frikar has managed with ticket income and support from local and regional authorities up in Valdres, where they belong. Cirka Teater has for many years received support from the Culture Council. The dance company Frikar was there when Alexander Rybak won the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow. Photo: Pontus Lundahl / NTB But the Culture Council, which is now part of the Directorate of Culture, has major dilemmas. On the one hand, they must help ensure that those companies that do not have a permanent place in the state budget can have stable operations. On the other hand, they must have flexible arrangements in which new talent and projects can be accommodated. They don’t have as much money as they would probably like to have. And when will they take from the established, well-known companies and give to the new ones? Before, it was the case that companies were thrown out of the Cultural Council’s main support scheme after twelve years. The idea was that this would prevent the scheme from solidifying, that it would create dynamism and room for new forces. But it was a constant headache because renowned ensembles, which had been doing well and had done nothing wrong, suddenly found themselves in a crisis situation because, well, because the time called for it. Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum presented the government’s proposal for the state budget for 2025 on Monday. Photo: Cicilie Sigrid Andersen / news This year, therefore, a new scheme was included in the state budget. It was supposed to be a support scheme for established companies. Applicants must have been running for several years already to be able to apply for support. There is no longer any limit to how long you can get money, but you are regularly taken up for a new assessment. Many in the performing arts field breathed a sigh of relief. Until the allocation lists arrived, and they discovered that there was no money for them here either. Among the applicants who were left out were precisely Cirka Teater and Frikar. Now the former do not know if they will be able to continue. Among those grumbling out there, it has not gone unnoticed that the companies that have received support are located in the big cities, and the vast majority in Oslo. And that the impression of the culture budget as such, when all actors have had their say and all committees have delivered their verdict, is that it is given to culture in the regions with one hand and taken with the other. That the scheme cannot possibly work as intended, when several companies that are in demand and active cannot turn to it. Annika Udo and Gilles Berger from Cirka Teater with the enormous suitcase that was part of the opening performance at the airport at Gardermoen in 1998. Photo: Erik Johansen / NTB That there is a crisis does not mean, so far, that there has been a death sentence on companies that Cirka Theatre. Longing eyes are now directed towards the revised state budget. In many cases, you will find some pot, a hundred thousand here, a hundred thousand there, and stay alive a little longer. But for now, it looks as if the ambition of giving the companies out there a slightly lower pulse has not been fully achieved. Many still live with their hearts in their throats from one year to the next. This is how it is for many people who choose to make a living from art, here and in other countries. But it is important for a cultured country like Norway, where the public sector is so important to maintain diversity, that a good balance between calm and dynamism is found, that there is healthy competition between the players and not too much fear of death. Not least with regard to the audience, who wander chattering out of theaters all over the country, often without knowing how much stress it has taken to create what they have witnessed. Published 08.10.2024, at 19.44
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Clear district footprint for the cultural sector in the proposed state budget – but not for everyone – Statement
