In the fall, the time is up for the cultural platform Teatermaskinen in Skinnskatteberg. The money is gone, and bankruptcy is waiting.
It feels like I have to auction off my child, says CEO Berit Engman.
In May this year, Teatermaskinen wrote an open letter to the municipality, region, and state with a plea for fixed grants to cover increased local costs. The hope was that each actor could contribute 200,000 kronor each to secure Teatermaskinen's existence.
But the response has not been what the operation had hoped for.
We have no good news at all. It's so tragic it's not funny, says Berit Engman.
"Hard competition"
The only ones who have responded to Teatermaskinen's open letter so far are the State Cultural Council. There, the message was that it is not possible to provide grants for property costs, which must be included in a regular operational grant application.
We have applied for operational grants for several years, but don't get it. It's just so hard competition for the State Cultural Council's state funds, says Engman.
Teatermaskinen started in 1997. When they celebrated 25 years in 2022, the jubilee was overshadowed by the prevailing world situation and its effects on the operation's finances.
What broke us was the pandemic. It took a long time before the audience and collaborative organizations found their way back, says Berit Engman.
Too late
Berit Engman has turned to a consulting firm specializing in cultural sponsorship. But there, the answer was that she is too late.
If we had started two years ago, we might have succeeded. It's not like we feel completely failed, because it's many cultural houses that are threatened in the same way.
Instead, she is counting down the days until the inevitable bankruptcy.
We have started a collection on Facebook among all our friends. It's very nice, but it doesn't bring in big money. It doesn't give us the security we need. Our money runs out in August, mid-September. Then the bank comes and takes everything.
Engman and Teatermaskinen are still hoping for a response from the municipality and region.
Or someone else who can help us stay here in the outskirts of Bergslagen.
She highlights the enormous support that has poured in to the operation since it became known that it is on its knees.
It's not just negative, I must also say that. It's so many who show their commitment, support us, and write and tell us about the significance we've had for their lives and art.
Teatermaskinen is a center for performing arts productions located in Riddarhyttan near Skinnskatteberg.
Over the years, it has been a hub for symposia, festivals, and artistic collaborations in the Västmanland countryside, often with a local perspective.
Since 2016, Teatermaskinen has had a close collaboration with Västmanland Music's dance and circus department, which has resulted in a residency program for dance and circus in Teatermaskinen's premises.
In a series of articles, we will take a closer look at cultural institutions and cultural practitioners whose operations are threatened by strained economies.
The pandemic grants that many cultural institutions received during the pandemic have ceased.
In the wake of the economic crisis, several cultural actors have been hit by increased rents.
The 2023 cultural budget resulted in abolished, reduced, or stagnant grants for several cultural actors.
Politically, discussions have been held about increased private financing of culture, which has led to debates about the role and function of culture – as an intrinsic value in itself or as a driver of growth.
