The Development Platform for Performing Arts has appointed a new director following a brief transitional period under interim management. Erik Pold brings with him extensive experience from the field and is passionate about creating better conditions and opportunities for practitioners in the independent sector of the performing arts.
“My dream is to unite the independent sector around a dynamic UP. But this is not about strengthening a small corner of the performing arts; it is about strengthening the opportunities for development and innovation through a joint effort in close collaboration with the performing arts sector as a whole – for the benefit of audiences across the country,” says Erik Pold, who is taking over the leadership of UP at a time when a solid foundation is firmly in place.
UP’s chair of the board, Svante Lindeburg, comments on the next chapter that UP now faces: “With a new strategy in place, UP is entering an exciting new phase, and we are delighted to have found a development-oriented leader. Erik Pold has the visionary drive needed to take the organisation forward in its work to strengthen the independent performing arts scene in Denmark and internationally.”
With an artistic background in the independent sector
Erik Pold has in-depth knowledge of the independent sector and has worked in roles ranging from performer and producer to artistic director and curator. He has also been a tutor and lecturer at the Theatre Academy in Malmö, and has held a number of positions of trust, including on the Performing Arts Committee of the Danish Arts Council, as a board member at Odense Theatre, and on the management team of the Det Frie Felt Festival.
Commenting on UP’s new director, Svante Lindeburg adds: “Building on an international career in the performing arts, Erik has a vast network, both nationally and internationally, to draw upon as he takes up his post as the new director of the Development Platform. This gives him an in-depth understanding of the conditions that shape the reality for performing artists, whether in the independent sector, in theatres or in performing arts centres.”
Erik Pold is honoured by the trust placed in him and says:
“I am personally familiar with the working conditions in this part of the industry: competition is fierce, and conditions are tough. That is why we need a strong UP that actively works to create a more sustainable framework – and I will fight for that. But UP cannot do it alone. We must build new networks, strengthen alliances and collaborate across the sector. We must challenge the status quo and ensure that the performing arts remain a powerful, physical gathering place for people – including in the future, when I believe the need for precisely that will grow.”
UP – the Development Platform for the Performing Arts – was founded ten years ago as an independent organisation and, in 2023, moved into its current premises on Baldersgade in Copenhagen, with rehearsal spaces and a wide range of services and opportunities for performing arts companies that produce independently of theatres. This year, UP had its new strategy approved and entered into a new framework agreement between the Danish Arts Foundation and the Bikuben Foundation, which it is now up to Erik Pold and the team behind UP to implement.
In addition to the many facilities and development spaces on Baldersgade, UP also runs a laboratory for strategic business development for performing artists at Thoravej 29 – the Bikuben Foundation’s community for driving change – as well as other activities and networking initiatives across the country.