Welcome to CPH STAGE

We are Denmark’s national theatre festival, bringing together and presenting performances from Denmark and abroad. It is a broad promotion of Danish performing arts, both nationally and internationally.

The festival consists of a curated program, as well as a large and diverse program where theatres and companies from Copenhagen and the rest of the country can register with their own performances, guest performances, and co-productions. We present approximately 100 performances and events at each festival and conclude with Denmark’s largest performing arts award, Årets Reumert.

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NATIONAL INITIATIVES

CPH STAGE aims to contribute to the development of Danish performing arts and its audience now and in the future. Through our industry initiatives, we create cohesion, development, and collaboration within the performing arts sector. We work through our open calls and in collaboration with theatres to present the best performing arts from across the country.

In addition, we create a number of unifying national initiatives that benefit performing arts and audiences across Denmark. These include:

1. ‍CPH STAGE SELECTED is the festival’s curated program, consisting of approximately five Danish performances restaged at the festival and 2–3 international performances. They aim to strengthen the festival’s audience program with a selection of inspiring performances from Denmark and abroad, and to give strong performances a longer life.‍
2. THE EVENT PROGRAM supports the relevance of performing arts and works actively to reach new audience groups, including through collaborations with Another Life Community, C:NTACT, FOF Frederiksberg and Copenhagen, and the Alive Festival.‍
3. NATIONAL TOURING DAYS is a two-day program with Danish touring performances, giving presenters from theatre associations, theatres, and cultural centers across the country the opportunity to experience a wide selection of full-length touring performances.‍
4. THE PERFORMING ARTS ANNUAL MEETING is a meeting place for the sector across disciplines and regions, offering inspiration, knowledge sharing, and networking. The meeting is initiated by CPH STAGE and organized in collaboration with the organization Dansk Scenekunst and the online media ISCENE, with contributions from many sector organizations.‍
5. ÅRETS REUMERT has been organized by CPH STAGE and Dansk Scenekunst since 2021, because we believe that a collective celebration of the year’s greatest achievements is important for the national visibility of our sector.‍
6. K7 WEEK is a nationwide cultural initiative organized by ADBC in collaboration with CPH STAGE, giving young people across the country affordable access to theatre, museum visits, and classical music.
7. The festival supports that the performing arts presented at the festival are also shown elsewhere in the country, including through our collaboration with Kulturmødet på Mors.

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INTERNATIONALIZATION

CPH STAGE works to increase the internationalization of the Danish performing arts sector. The effort focuses on developing the sector through international meetings and inspiration.

We aim to create a strong foundation for the sale of Danish and Nordic performing arts to markets abroad. This work includes:

1. INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE AT CPH STAGE INCLUDING INTERNATIONAL DAYS is a networking platform connecting performing arts professionals from around the world with Danish performing arts. In the invitation process, we focus on strong buyers who are presented with the festival’s performances, artist pitches, and completed touring works.
2. OFF STAGE is an international platform for exchange, innovation, and professional development of performing arts criticism. The initiative is realized in collaboration with Springback Magazine (UK) and Bastard (DK & NO).
3. The Emerging Artists and Producers Program promotes networking skills and professional development by connecting artists and producers early in their international careers with more established professionals.
4. INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY AND PROMOTION PROJECTS consist of invitations and trade missions that support the sale of Danish performing arts abroad and give Danish buyers the opportunity to meet international performing arts.

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SUSTAINABILITY

CPH STAGE works with sustainability based on a holistic approach, including environmental, social, and governance (ESG) sustainability. Through the formulation of our sustainability policy, we aim to be agents of positive change in multiple areas – before, during, and after the annual festival.

We view sustainability as a continuous journey and are committed to improving our efforts year by year. We consider this not only a matter of responsibility but also a fundamental prerequisite for our continued success. Read the festival’s ESG policy HERE.