National Swedish Touring Theatre

The National Swedish Touring Theatre ( sv, Riksteatern) is biggest touring theatre company in Sweden and can, in one way, almost be described as Sweden's national stage on tour.

The National Swedish Touring Theatre is financed and owned by 240 local economic associations throughout Sweden and the goal is to promote and produce quality theatre for all of Sweden, outside the city regions.

The National Swedish Touring Theatre was established in 1933 and has been on-tour all over Sweden since. The Royal Dramatic Theatre (the national stage) and the Cullberg Ballet, for example, tours regularly with the National Swedish Touring Theatre with many of their most popular productions.

History

The National Swedish Touring Theatre was established in 1933 by Arthur Engberg. ''"Not only the citizens of the capital city in Sweden should be granted the privilege of first class theatre productions. The rest of the nation also has the right to claim this!"'' - with these words, after a long public debate, the National Swedish Touring Theatre was given the proper state funding and support. At first National Swedish Touring Theatre, in the 1930s, was supposed to be the touring section of Sweden's Royal Dramatic Theatre, in an effort to reach an audience in Sweden that couldn't get the chance to visit the national stage in Stockholm. However, in the 1940s the National Swedish Touring Theatre was given their own ensemble, producing stage productions solely for the National Swedish Touring Theatre and with the purpose to be given on-tour.

In 1966 the National Swedish Touring Theatre was corporatized with Sweden's second influential touring theatre organization Svenska Teatern and became "Svenska Riksteatern". In 1967 the National Swedish Touring Theatre started a section for producing theatre productions for children and youth, called ''Unga Riks'' ("Young Riksteatern") which has performed quality theatre for children for three decades, performing in schools all over Sweden at low cost on a regular bases.

Since 1977 the theatre group Riksteatern Crea, formerly Tyst Teater ("Silent Theatre"), is also part of the National Swedish Touring Theatre. It's a unique group that specializes in staging theatre productions for deaf in the sign language and has become very popular and sought after internationally in recent years.

In 1999 "Riks Drama" was founded by Lars Norén, Sweden's leading contemporary playwright today, and also the section of "Riks Gästspel" for guest performances by the National Swedish Touring Theatre abroad.

References

Further reading

Riksteaterns historia med citat


Riksteaterns historia

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External links

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Theatres in Sweden
Theatre companies in Sweden
Touring theatre