About Swedish theatre directors in new international reference work
A book about theatre directors from around the world is now available. Associate professor Rikard Hoogland writes the history of Swedish directors.
Theatre studies research on 14 directors from Sweden is published in the new anthology The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Stage Directors. The book contains over 1,000 articles on directors from around the world.
–With these articles, I want to emphasise their international connections. It is also clear that there are many men among these 14 directors. It is about breaking the established canon and bringing in new names. Some of them are names you might not expect to see on a list like this, Rikard Hoogland says.
He paints a picture of how the profession has changed over two centuries. From a time when the profession barely existed and many performances had no director, to a time when the role is now a dominant force in theatre, both on stage and in the choice of repertoire. An important aspect is how they have been inspired by international performing arts.
–Over the years, more and more female directors have emerged, but this development is by no means complete yet, Rikard Hoogland says.
About Rikard Hoogland
Rikard Hoogland is Associate professor of Theatre studies at Stockholm University and also teaches on the subject of cultural policy. Research topics he is interested in are Independent theatre groups, Swedish theatre during the beginning of the 20th century, Contemporary Swedish theatre, Brecht and modern forms of directing.
More about Rikard Hoogland's research
The Swedish theatre directors in the book: Ludvig Josephson (1832–1899), Harald Molander (1858-1900), August Falk (1843–1908), Olof Molander (1892–1966), Per Lindberg (1890–1944), Alf Sjöberg (1903–1980), Ingmar Bergman )1918–2007), Göran Gentele (1917–1972), Per Verner-Carlsson (1925–2004), Suzanne Osten (1944–2024), Hilda Hellwig (1952–), Staffan Valdemar Holm (1958–), Mattias Andersson (1969–), Farnaz Arbabi (1977–).
Last updated: September 2, 2025
Source: Department of Culture and Aesthetics