The foundation
For us, artistic freedom isn't just a principle - it's an element. A starting point for everything we create.
We believe in innovation as a natural part of any artistic process - especially when working with artists from the independent field. Here, experimentation is not the exception, but the condition. And we want to be a place where this is possible: to play, explore, challenge, fail and transform. A place where the artists are always met with support - and where their substance is something we take seriously.
That freedom creates something special. It allows for remarkable versatility in what we produce and present. Our genre diversity is not an end in itself, but a result of our open approach: we are not bound by rules about how performing arts should be. The extravagant, the understated, the adventurous, the raw, the quiet, the offbeat are alive and well with us. We create comedy, drama, dance, visual and physical performing arts, performance and musical theatre. We produce performing arts for children, young people and adults, not because we want to embrace everything - but because we believe that the performing arts can do something for everyone if we let it. Openness and curiosity are our driving force - both in our collaboration with artists and in our encounters with audiences.
And you can feel it. In the room. In the meeting. In the audience. In the artists. In the city. In the world.
Egnsteatret is built around an Action Group and a strong collaboration with local performing artists. We produce, develop and collaborate with the performing artists from Det Frie Felt who live within the municipal boundaries of Vordingborg - and who are members of Pavillon K.
We work in an organic structure. Here, decisions are something we make together. We are a production company for the performing arts - with an infrastructure that is as agile as it is democratic. And we believe that this is precisely where art can be given room to grow.
We produce performances and we organise the WAVES Festival every two years. In addition to performing arts production, we also create several festivals and cultural experiences, and it all comes together in an integrated circuit where humanity, movement and courage are keywords.
We do things differently - and we do it on purpose. Our structure challenges the usual ways of thinking about regional theatre. We believe in trust over control. In community over prestige. That art is not owned, but shared. We consciously outsource, give space and let go of control - because we believe that something bigger can grow when more people are allowed to take ownership.
We don't have a ready-made solution, and because we stand by it, we will try to improve, to keep changing, like water that will always find new places to go.
Sustainability
Sustainability is thinking long-term - both for art and for the world around us.
Sustainability for us is not just about the environment. It's also about people and the economy. About creating art and communities that can sustain themselves - and each other - over time. Economic sustainability because we want to take responsibility for resources and the lives that depend on them. Social sustainability because we believe in relationships, presence and community as the foundation of everything we do. And green sustainability because we are part of a world that requires consideration and change.
We know that sustainability is not easy. It can't always be measured in kilos and dollars. It requires us to balance - between what we want and what we have. Between the artistic and the practical. But this is where the important part comes in: When we dare to think long-term and ethically, even in an industry that often rewards the quick and the spectacular.
Goal
We have sustainability goals that revolve around reusing, sharing, and borrowing for productions. The more something is out and usable, the better. When we think about beautification, renovation, refurbishment of equipment and houses, we prefer to use what we have rather than what we need to get.
No one knows the whole way in advance. But the road reveals itself when we start walking. Our project is about inspiring action - even when you don't have all the answers. Because sustainable change requires courage, not perfection. First attempts are rarely perfect. But it only gets better with each attempt. And that's how we move forward - step by step.
In connection with WAVES 2023, 1000 trees were planted at Skovbækvej 3, 4773 Stensved, as co2 compensation for the artists we transported to Vordingborg by plane. WAVES Folkeskoven was supported by Kulturregion Storstrøm and Growing Trees Network.
Goals for WAVES 2025
- 75 % of the programme should consist of performances from Central and Northern Europe to reduce our carbon travel footprint.
- Catering for all cast, crew and volunteers is vegetarian.
- No disposable crockery of any kind will be used during the festival.
To ensure a sustainable working environment, all productions - including WAVES Festival - have a Code of Conduct that everyone involved works and interacts under.
Diversity
Multiple perspectives make everyone richer - humanly and artistically.
We believe that diversity is a strength - not just in art, but in life. When we invite different voices that we didn't have access to before, it makes us richer - humanly and artistically.
Diversity for us is not about ticking boxes. It's about insisting that art should embrace the whole person - and all the ways people can be in the world. That's why we actively work to challenge power structures in our community theatre, at WAVES Festival and in our thinking and practice.
WAVES Festival aims to make concrete efforts to ensure equality across identity markers such as gender, racialisation, sexuality, class, age and disability. It's not just words. It's a practice. A commitment. And a movement we are constantly learning from.
We know we don't have all the answers. But we have the willingness to ask the questions - and to listen when the answers come from places we've never been before. Diversity is not a final destination. It's a living process that requires presence, curiosity and courage.
Community
We work democratically, with a flat structure and deep engagement. There is room for doubt, for dialogue and for trust. We trust each other's abilities and decision-making skills, and we share a creative urge that we recognise in the artists we work with. It gives us a special understanding - we want the same thing: to create something that makes a difference.
And we do it our way. We are not a classic hierarchical theatre with one person at the top and an ensemble below him. We are an action group consisting of 5 people who believe in presence - both in the processes and in our support to the artists. We create the infrastructure and the daily operations so that the artists can create the magic while we create the framework.
This applies to both our close collaboration with artists and the spaces we create for the audience. We are strongest when we are physically together. Our heart beats for art, for community and local anchoring. For pride in the city and the feeling that something is growing here - not just on stage, but in the community around it.
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The future
We have ambitions - for the performing arts, for Vordingborg and for the future.
We see a performing arts environment and a regional theatre that is growing. Not just in square metres and activities, but in importance and relevance. A place that attracts artists and new audiences who have not necessarily been to the theatre before. A place where more companies and artists want to create, collaborate and experiment. A performing arts centre that puts community-driven performing arts policy on the agenda - and becomes a role model both artistically and organisationally.
We see projects with vigour that insist on quality over quantity and that bring artists and audiences together in something that is felt. We want to be a platform with many voices - an organ buzzing with life, conversation and diversity. A place where co-productions sprout and artistic friendships are allowed to grow.
And where we create a framework for strong, sustainable working communities between performing artists.
We imagine a future where the performing arts and performing artists grow - and where it doesn't happen in the biggest cities alone, but also in a small town in South Zealand. Where someone in New York points to Vordingborg and says: "Something special is happening there."
We believe in it because we already feel it. The citizens know us. The artists know us. They support the house. There is understanding and support. We are not alone.
And we want to inspire. Not just audiences, but also colleagues and institutions. We hope to be an example of how to think and organise differently for the independent performing arts - human, curious, forward-looking.