The Ingmar Bergman International Theatre Festival changes its format in 2020

The Royal Dramatic Theatre is currently discussing alternative dates in 2020/2021 for a few of the international guest performances that were scheduled for this year’s festival. Instead of the eleven-day meeting place for international dramatic art that has been the format for previous festivals, the plan is to present some of the guest performances in Stockholm spread out over the year. The Royal Dramatic Theatre will also invite a few of the artists who were intending to participate in the festival, to take part in public talks.

“The Bergman Festival is crucial to the Royal Dramatic Theatre’s capacity to host guest performances from all over the world. We can develop our art thanks to international collaborations and contacts, for the benefit of the audience and our staff. It is with great regret that we are unable to hold the Festival as planned. However, we foresee that the potential for discussions and exchanges over national borders will be even more important when this crisis is over, and we will endeavour to maintain our international contacts and dialogues over the coming production year,” say Mattias Andersson, theatre manager and artistic director of the Royal Dramatic Theatre, and Ulrika Josephsson, festival director, in a joint statement.

The fifth Ingmar Bergman International Theatre Festival was to take place 27 August – 6 September this year, with guest performances from more countries than ever. The next regular edition of the Ingmar Bergman International Theatre Festival is scheduled for autumn 2022.

About the Ingmar Bergman International Theatre Festival

When Ingmar Bergman died in 2007, the idea of creating an international theatre festival in his memory was born. It was initiated by Staffan Valdemar Holm, then director of the Royal Dramatic Theatre, and the first Bergman festival was held in the spring of 2009. This was followed by a second festival in spring 2012, and a third in August-September 2016.In 2018, the 100th anniversary of Ingmar Bergman’s birth, a major festival was organised, featuring many first performances at the Royal Dramatic Theatre and guest performances. The fifth Ingmar Bergman International Theatre Festival was to take place on 27 August – 6 September this year, with guest performances from more countries than ever. The next regular edition of the Ingmar Bergman International Theatre Festival is scheduled for autumn 2022.