"In front of Elverket a former power station that for much of the last 30 years has been at the centre of Stockholm's experimental dramatic output posters proclaim that theatre is dead. Inside the former turbine hall, either side of a red chandelier-lit platform surrounded by contorted bodies, Hamlet and Ophelia, brilliantly played by Gustav Lindh and Gizem Erdogan, are furiously channelling the rage of a generation, loudly hitting the walls with bars."
"But now government funding freezes have resulted in a real terms decrease of about 50m SEK per year since 2017 for Dramaten, which is fully owned by the state. The situation worsened in 2023, when a three-year funding freeze meant they were forced to make redundancies and cut productions. At its height, Elverket was putting on up to 10 productions a year. Now Dramaten cannot afford to pay Elverket's rent, let alone to put on two to"
Elverket, a former power station and experimental venue in Stockholm, is closing as a centre for risk-taking performances. The final production, an adaptation of Hamlet subtitled The Death of Theatre, culminated with gravediggers replaced by builders covering the stage. Dramaten, Sweden's national stage and Elverket's owner, has faced real-terms funding cuts of about 50m SEK per year since 2017 and a three-year freeze in 2023. The freeze forced redundancies and production cuts. Elverket once staged up to ten productions annually; Dramaten can no longer afford its rent or to sustain two venues. Notable past works included Personkrets 3:1, the Swedish premiere of Cleansed, and Tusen ar hos Gud.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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