The dissertation revolves around an actor’s craft as a changing craft. Theatre workers
– like many other professions in Sweden – have experienced major changes in the
labour market during a relatively short period of time. In what way has capitalistic
ideology changed society over the last 25 years, and in what way has this affected the
actor’s craft, and what impact has been experienced? What strategies can the field of
the theatre, in general, and the actors, in particular, use to create space for the development
of the craft of acting in a new era?
The different parts of the dissertation attack the questions mentioned above from a
number of different angles. References from other disciplines such as philosophy, the
history of ideas and sociology, which are placed in dialogue with the theatre in this
dissertation project, are all-important.
In the first part of the dissertation, the author positions the research and himself
and also presents the methods used and the theories from other disciplines through
which he discusses the issues to be addressed.
The next section discusses leadership and organisation through the 1990’s until today.
The economic crises that affected Sweden during this time not only produced
fairly extensive changes for publicly funded theatres but also brought about a changing
balance of power in theatres.
Theatrical craft is discussed in the next section, where the main questions addressed
are: In what way do changes in power relations affect the actor’s craft? What is the
actor’s craft and who is really portraying the role? Actors in fact need what the author
would like to call “informal power” in relation to their craft; however, this informal
space, the author argues, has been cut back.
The fourth act in this dissertation consists of the text of a play, which adopts a freer
and more associative approach to the issues discussed, and, as part of the discussion,
is staged in a publicly funded theatre in connection with the actual public defence of
the dissertation.
The Epilogue carries and drives issues towards a changing future – if this future
exists.