A cultural policy opportunity

What if one of the solutions to what Bernard Ellefsen, in his Manifesto for a New Cultural Policy in Morgenbladet 31.10.25, calls a cultural policy ideas drought, could lie in a dissemination system that has functioned for 30 years?

Which allows the performing arts to reach more residents in rural and urban areas, and to an even greater extent be “the art form that is perhaps the most community-building of all” (Ellefsen, Morgenbladet 31.10.25)?

What if there were quantities of good, professional and internationally recognized performing arts produced for young people throughout Norway, by artists who have dedicated their careers to creating art for this target group? What if all these good performances that have been produced could have a longer life so that more people could experience them, the artists could have the opportunity to live from the art they have already created, and we would get more value for the public cultural funds allocated?

What if we could simply give children and young people more access to "things they may never have experienced before" so that they "develop an understanding that people see the world differently" as the head of the Storting's Family and Culture Committee, Bente Estil, states as one of the most important things about Den kulturelle skolesekken (DKS) in the Cultural Policy Consultation Roundtable in Morgenbladet 4.12.25 ?

What if this existing and successful dissemination system allowed cultural centers across the country to decide which performances they wanted to show to children and young people in their local communities?

…and action!

Scenekunstbruket currently collaborates with all the country's counties on the dissemination of performing arts in DKS. Here, organizer support is a very important tool that ensures that good performing arts that have been carefully assessed by a broadly composed artistic council reach young people. At the time of writing, this scheme includes a repertoire of almost 150 current performances for people from 0 to 20 years old - produced by artists all over the country who work with art production for this part of the population. Performing arts that are ready to be packed in the van and come to exactly those who want it.

By allowing cultural centers in the country to receive a type of organizer support that the counties have through Scenekunstbruket The houses will have the finances to program performances from the repertoire of different sizes, genres and formats for children and young people, in their local environment. Then the cultural centers will be able to become stronger physical community arenas where children, families and young people meet and experience something new together.

This would have been an easy place to start to renew cultural policy with a measurable scheme that would have contributed to better artist economics, better organizer economics, greater risk opportunities in the regions and most importantly; much more cool art for children and young people throughout the country.

Something as "boring" as facilitating access to these experiences for children is perhaps one of the most important things we can do in a long-term and democratic perspective? It will at least contribute to giving us a slightly more "anti-fascist bulwark for the money" (Ellefsen, Morgenbladet). Scenekunstbruket and Norwegian Cultural Centers are ready.

Tine Valavuo Tyldum

Managing Director of Scenekunstbruket

Photo from the performance Emma by Sengesol & Elgesem which was on a cultural center tour in Western Norway as part of a pilot project by Scenekunstbruket and Norske kulturhus, February 2025.