New organization at Egnsteatret

The Egnsteatret in Vordingborg Municipality is entering a new phase. From now on, management will be shared between Gitte Nielsen and Maria Westh Hage, who work based on a shared ambition to develop the Egnsteatret and the local performing arts scene.

”For more than two years, Egnsteatret has been working to develop the theater in close collaboration with Pavillon K and a wide range of performing artists in the Vordingborg Municipality. This has been a huge undertaking, which has been competently and skillfully carried out by theater director Gitte Nielsen. Egnsteatret has now reached a point where it is natural to also develop the organization. Gitte has wanted shared leadership, and the board has wanted to accommodate that. In daily operations, the leadership has already been a close collaboration between Gitte and the very experienced producer Maria Westh Hage, and a unanimous board therefore supports the new shared leadership,” says board chairman Jens Frimann Hansen.

Gitte Nielsen continues as festival and development manager and is responsible for, among other things, the WAVES Festival, the development of Pavillon K and Vordingborg Teater, and the strategic work with political organizations and other partners.

Maria Westh Hage will become the theater director, responsible for, among other things, Egnsteatrets artistic productions and the collaboration with artists and companies around Pavillon K.

”The work over the past few years has given us a wealth of experience that we are now building on. We have learned that mobility, collaboration and new perspectives create development. We become stronger when we work across boundaries, invite others in and create space for different competencies and ways of thinking. Therefore, it has been a natural process to reorganize our structure. Shared leadership really works well with who we are and the experiences we have gained so far,” says Gitte Nielsen.

Two leaders – one common direction

The new organization is not about dividing Egnsteatret up, but about creating a dynamic organization.

”We believe that our different professional backgrounds can in this way gain more space, while maintaining the ambition to develop Egnsteatret, Pavillon K and the performing arts environment around us,” says Maria Westh Hage.

Egnsteatret is located in Pavillon K, an old civic building that today serves as a center for performing arts, a workplace, and a meeting place for a total of 14 local companies and two independent artists.

”It’s easy to get things mixed up, but Pavillon K is an independent association of performing artists, while we as a regional theatre are an institution that also aims to support the opportunities for independent companies to create their art locally and to bring both a local and a national audience to experience it. Our collaboration is, however, close, as we live in the same house and, not least, have a shared vision of creating an even stronger performing arts environment in the Vordingborg Municipality. The potential is great, and we are still in a development phase where we explore, take risks and get inspiration from outside. There is so much innovative, bold and experimental performing arts coming from our performing artists,” says Maria Westh Hage.

From local engagement to an international outlook

Pavillon K took over the old civic center on the outskirts of Kirkeskoven in 2021 and has created both a strong artistic community and many different cultural offerings for the local area. Egnsteatret produces performances in collaboration with the companies and artists that are members of Pavillon K.

”We are the only regional theatre in Denmark that has been designed in this way. That means that we had to invent everything from scratch, but we can see that it creates a fantastic framework for experimental and innovative performing arts. This is not a development that has happened all at once, but through several years of collaboration, initiative and the courage to try new paths,” says Gitte Nielsen.

Egnsteatret also has an international outlook and also organizes the WAVES Festival, which is held every two years and presents performing arts from both Denmark and abroad. Over the years, the festival has helped to place Vordingborg on the international performing arts map.
”We want to continue to be a regional theater with strong local roots, but at the same time be open, curious, and proactive in terms of the national and international performing arts scene,” says Gitte Nielsen.

Egnsteatret is located in Pavillon K, an old civic building that today serves as a center for performing arts, a workplace, and a meeting place for a total of 14 local companies and two independent artists.

”It’s easy to get things mixed up, but Pavillon K is an independent association of performing artists, while we as a regional theatre are an institution that also aims to support the opportunities for independent companies to create their art locally and to bring both a local and a national audience to experience it. Our collaboration is, however, close, as we live in the same house and, not least, have a shared vision of creating an even stronger performing arts environment in the Vordingborg Municipality. The potential is great, and we are still in a development phase where we explore, take risks and get inspiration from outside. There is so much innovative, bold and experimental performing arts coming from our performing artists,” says Maria Westh Hage.

From local engagement to an international outlook

Pavillon K took over the old civic center on the outskirts of Kirkeskoven in 2021 and has created both a strong artistic community and many different cultural offerings for the local area. Egnsteatret produces performances in collaboration with the companies and artists that are members of Pavillon K.

”We are the only regional theatre in Denmark that has been designed in this way. That means that we had to invent everything from scratch, but we can see that it creates a fantastic framework for experimental and innovative performing arts. This is not a development that has happened all at once, but through several years of collaboration, initiative and the courage to try new paths,” says Gitte Nielsen.

Egnsteatret also has an international outlook and also organizes the WAVES Festival, which is held every two years and presents performing arts from both Denmark and abroad. Over the years, the festival has helped to place Vordingborg on the international performing arts map.

”We want to continue to be a regional theater with strong local roots, but at the same time be open, curious, and proactive in terms of the national and international performing arts scene,” says Gitte Nielsen.

Facts

Local Theatre in the municipality of Vordingborg

Egnsteatret is the professional regional theatre of Vordingborg Municipality and is based in Pavillon K. The theatre produces performances and works on development projects, guest performances and activities for children and young people, including the FLASH festival.

Egnsteatret is also behind the WAVES Festival, which is Denmark’s second largest international performing arts festival and is held every two years.

Pavilion K

Pavillon K is located on Skovvej in Vordingborg in a historic building from 1872. Since 2021, the house has formed the framework for a community of professional performing artists.

Today, Pavillon K functions as a performing arts center, production house, workplace, and meeting place for professional artists, and also houses the administration and management of the Egnsteateret.

Pavillon K also presents guest performances and organizes residencies and the BØRN festival, among other things.

About Gitte Nielsen

Gitte Nielsen joined as the director of Egnsteatret in Vordingborg Municipality on January 1st, 2024. She was previously the director of Pavillon K, which she helped establish. Over the years, she has worked independently and as a producer for performing arts companies, and has experience with both national and international performing arts.

About Maria Westh Hage

Maria Westh Hage has been involved from the very beginning in Pavillon K and has been a producer at Egnsteatret for several years. She has worked, among other things, with production and communication as well as as producer of the WAVES Festival. She has previously worked with management and has been a producer, among other things, at the egnsteatret Cantabile 2.

Contact: PR employee Sally Hilden, 22 15 06 66, sally@egnsteatret.dk
Photo credit: Anna Falch