UP offers the Performing Arts Strategy Lab as a paid one-week strategy development course for performing arts groups. Here you will have the opportunity to work intensively on developing a strategic direction.
You will have time to reflect on conscious choices and trade-offs that can support your artistic and organisational visions.
The course is the first and only one of its kind – a unique opportunity to kick-start your strategy.
Where do you want to go with your performing arts and organisational practices? What does it take to realise a change or a new business model? How can you work more long-term with projects or create a new structure?
The development program is paid – consider it a priority work program for your group or company.
The Performing Arts Strategy Lab takes place at Thoravej 29 in collaboration with the Bikuben Foundation.
The Performing Arts Strategy Lab is about moving from idea to strategy. Some of the questions you will be working with may include:
- What opportunities and challenges in our environment should we take into account?
- How do we build strong partnerships and networks that support our strategic direction?
- How do we clearly communicate our vision and values to both audiences and partners?
- What is our plan for ensuring a financial foundation that supports our strategy?
What does a week in the Strategy Lab look like?
The process begins with an introductory day before the Lab week, where you will receive a basic introduction to strategy development, models, and tools that are useful for identifying your focus and needs, so that you are equipped to work with the strategy process yourself during your Lab week.
You will then be assigned a strategy facilitator who can support you in setting a direction for your ambitions and mapping out the next steps in your strategy. The strategy facilitator will visit you twice during the week for a limited period of time.
In addition, a permanent contact person from UP will be assigned to you as your Lab host throughout the process.
The Performing Arts Strategy Lab culminates in a workshop for your strategy facilitator and UP host, where you present the week's considerations and key points.
What does the program include?
- A mandatory introductory day for all selected groups with a strategy coach who will introduce methods for strategy development
- An online toolbox for strategy and organisational development, where UP will upload materials that you can use during Lab week
- A strategy facilitator
- A Lab host from UP, who will be present at Thoravej
- A worksharing at the Lab on the last day, where you will present your thoughts and key points from the week
- A mandatory networking and knowledge-sharing meeting for all selected groups after the overall Performing Arts Strategy Lab at the end of the year
- A digital evaluation via questionnaire
- Free access to booking of UP's meeting rooms and Green Room for one year for your related strategic work
Practical information:
- The course lasts one working week (Monday to Friday). In your application, you can select your preferred week(s).
- All courses take place at Thoravej 29 in Copenhagen. To ensure knowledge sharing, it is mandatory that the Lab work is carried out in the assigned Studio during daytime hours.
- The program is paid for up to four people in one group. The salary is for a minimum of five working days plus one extra working day for introduction and knowledge sharing participation. We offer salary, pension, and vacation pay for each participant.
- Transportation and accommodation are covered for participants who have more than 1.5 hours of public transportation within Denmark to Thoravej 29.
- Free lunch is provided at Thoravej.
- Please note that we will ask you to share key points from your process and what you have developed during your Lab program in a digital format.
You can read more about the venue here.
Scenekunstens Strategi-Lab finder næste gang sted i februar/marts og i maj 2026 i følgende uger:
Weeks / Dates
Application criteria:
Groups/companies with 2-4 participants during the strategy process. Please note that these do not need to be permanent members of the group/company, but all must participate in the entire Lab process.
Applicants must have at least 2 years of relevant professional experience in the performing arts.
Applicants must be able to demonstrate that a strategy course is relevant and will benefit their future work and the development of the group/company.
We encourage everyone to apply, regardless of age, gender, national background, economic/social background, functional abilities, etc.
Application process:
- The application deadline is November 13 at 11:59 p.m.
- Applicants will be contacted in mid-December.
- Applications may be submitted in Danish or English.
- Selection will be made by a curatorial group consisting of two UP employees and an external curator. UP appoints external curators based on an assessment of their professional experience.
Mandatory dates for the first half of 2026
February 2, 12:00 p.m.-4:15 p.m.: Introduction day for participants
June 10, 12:00-16:00: Joint networking and knowledge-sharing meeting for all participating groups
Both events will take place physically at UP, and it will not be possible to participate online. The events will be held in Danish, but if translation is required, UP will print materials, guides, and presentations in English.
FAQ
Yes, but you must be at least two people affiliated with Scenekunstens Strategi-Lab. If you are a solo artist or a one-person company, we recommend that you apply with a sparring partner who knows you well, e.g., a producer you often work with.
At the end of the course, we ask you to give a presentation of your work during the week, lasting approximately 30 minutes in total. You will be sent a PowerPoint template that you can use to answer a series of questions relating to the Lab and the learning outcomes of your work. In addition, you can choose what you want to share – drawings, materials, or anything else you find meaningful. Your workshop sharing should be seen as an opportunity to record the results and conclusions of the week's work for your own future use. Your strategy facilitator and UP host will participate and provide feedback.
The space provided to you is called Studio and has facilities for organisational development and development workshops. Thoravej 29 is a new community in a completely transformed building in Copenhagen NV, which opened recently. There is a café, and among the other tenants in the building, you will find Art Hub Copenhagen and a wide range of change-making organisations.
Kånstkollektivet
Kånstkollektivet is a company with roots in physical and humorous theater. With their performances, which often take their starting point in social issues, they want to make performance art more accessible to audiences and challenge the frameworks for storytelling. In the Performing Arts Strategy Lab, they will work with strategies for communication, production, and partnerships so that their artistic visions can grow. Andreas Groth Clausen from Landjord is the strategy coach for the program.
Photo: Frederikke Von Eyben
Convoi Exceptionnel
Convoi Exceptionnel is a cross-aesthetic performing arts company that works at the intersection of dance, scenography, music, opera, and performance. Here, they explore how the stage can become a place for sensuality, empathy, and reflection. Throughout the program, they will work on how artistic quality, organizational sustainability, and international reach can become integral elements of their practice. Peter Bentzon from BARC Scandinavia is the strategic coach for the program.
Photo: Louise Herrche Serup
Wired Studio
Wired Studio's artistic vision is to challenge the audience's eye and sense of reality through abstract, choreographic, and visual experiences, encouraging them to question what they experience—in art as well as in everyday life. Through the Performing Arts Strategy Lab, they will focus on rethinking their production models and overall organizational work and form so that they can strengthen their cross-aesthetic approach. Sidsel Godshaw from ADBC is the strategy coach for the program.
Photo: Christoffer Brekne
Photo: Frederikke Von Eyben
sART Danseteater
With a focus on children, young people, and families, sART Dance Theater works to create a stronger foundation for dance in the Region of Southern Denmark and to open up the performing arts to new voices and perspectives. Throughout the process, they want to work on taking the next step towards a more established and sustainable organizational structure that can help them realize their dreams. Tina Tarpgaard from Sydhavn Teater is the strategy coach for the process.
Photo: Ard Jongsma
Foreningen for Integreret Moderne Dans (FIMD)
FIMD is an association whose main purpose is to promote integrated dance as an art form in Denmark, so that the population can experience many different types of bodies on the Danish performance scene. Throughout the process, they want to work with a strategy that can support their overall vision of producing professional works and the PÅ TVÆRS festival, as well as acting as an advisory body on inclusion and accessibility across industries. Frederik Larsen from In Futurum is the strategy coach for the process.
Photo: Marie Rosenkrantz Gjedsted
Matilde Böcher
Mathilde Böcher works as a conceptual composer with cross-aesthetic staged compositions. With the voice as her central focus, she creates works with contemporary themes that have a socially critical and existential focus. In the Performing Arts Strategy Lab, she and her team will work on a long-term strategy that focuses on prioritization, leadership, and the development and transformation of existing works. Line Hauger from the Royal Danish Theatre is the strategy coach for the program.
Photo: Natascha Thiara Rydvald
Scenekunstkollektivet Samling
Samling creates performing arts experiences based on voices, sound, space, and situations—often with a documentary approach and a desire to shed light on a system through personal narratives. Among other things, Samling wants to work on how to clarify their core narrative and the values on which they base their work, as well as to strengthen their facilitation skills in a collective work process. Moussa Mchangama from In Futurum is the strategy coach for the process.
WunschMachine
WunschMachine skaber stedsspecifik, interaktiv og borgerinddragende scenekunst for og med børn, voksne og unge. Igennem forløbet vil deres fokus være på at sigte langt både hvad angår samarbejder, organiseringsstruktur og at skærpe deres profil udadtil. Som strategifacilitator for forløbet er Andreas Groth fra Landjord.
Foto: Sune Hede
Tiny Dancer
Tiny Dancer works with an artistic vision of developing participatory performances that engage children and young people in the creative process through pedagogy, kinesthetic empathy, and contemporary dance. Throughout the process, Tiny Dancer will work on its strategy for the association's operations and structure, as well as focusing on the development and dissemination of dance art for the youngest nationally and internationally. Andreas Groth from Landjord is the strategy facilitator for the process.
STUDIO By Dorotea Saykaly & Emil Dam Seidel
STUDIO works across disciplines, using choreography and material design to create immersive and sculptural works that shake audiences out of their heads and into their bodies. They will work on establishing a sustainable organizational and financing structure that can facilitate the creation and distribution of more artistic projects. Karen Toftegaard from Wildtopia is the strategy facilitator for the process.
Photo: Henrik Stenberg
toaspern|moeller
aspern|moeller is an international and interdisciplinary company that highlights various relevant topics by combining text, voices, and electronic music with movement and dance. Throughout the process, they aim to rethink strategy, expand networks, and increase visibility in order to navigate the Danish cultural landscape and establish a long-term presence in the industry. Karen Toftegaard from Wildtopia is the strategy facilitator for the process.
Photo: Philip Jørgensen
KOMMA Performance Productions
KOMMA Performance Productions is a dynamic association that works with performing arts production in the fields of dance, choreography, and performance. During the week, they will work on how to develop effective decision-making structures in an art-driven organisation with a flat hierarchy, as well as examine how artistic work can be balanced with the demands of administration and organisational maintenance. Dorthe Hove Olesen from Stages will be the strategy facilitator for the course.
hello!earth
Through interdisciplinary collaborations and artistic experiments, hello!earth creates participatory works that focus on relationships between people and creating the world together rather than simply consuming it. They will work on how to implement the artistic focus on sustainability at the business level of their organisation. Frederik Larsen from In Futurum is the strategy facilitator for the process.
The Post-Cultural Body
The Post-Cultural Body has developed an online platform for digital performance with theatrebuilding.com, which hosts artistic conversation, research, and theatre production across national borders. The process will give them time to work on their vision for a decentralized management structure and to map out what collective ownership of works and decision-making processes might look like. Tali Mørch from Os & Data is the strategy facilitator for the process.
Photo: Louise Herrsche Serup
prfrm
prfrm provides production and distribution assistance to artists, groups, and institutions. In addition, they work actively to ensure good working conditions in the independent field and to bring niche performing arts to audiences throughout Denmark. They will use the program to create a sustainable model for their work, with a particular focus on ensuring that there are enough producers in the independent field. Andreas Groth from Landjord is the strategy facilitator for the program.
Photo: Elias Rasch
FAQ
Yes, but you must be a minimum of 2 people associated with the Performing Arts Strategy Lab. If you are a solo artist or a one-person company, we recommend that you apply with a sparring partner who knows you well, such as a producer you often work with.
At the end of the programme, we ask you to make a presentation of the week's work of about 30 minutes in total. You will receive a PowerPoint template that you can use to answer a series of questions related to the Lab and the learning your work has generated. You can also choose what you want to share - drawings, materials or anything else you find meaningful. Your worksharing should be seen as an opportunity to capture the results and conclusions of the week's work for your own future use. Your strategy facilitator and UP host will participate and provide feedback.
The space at your disposal is called Studio and has facilities for organisational development and development workshops. Thoravej 29 is a new community in a completely transformed building in Copenhagen NV, which opened recently. There's a café, and other residents include Art Hub Copenhagen and a wide range of change-making organisations.