Totally Stockholm 1
As the footfall will be much higher during the su
mmer, will there be more going on during the summer, outside of the shows? Will your plans expand then? Yes, our plans are already done and dusted. We are going to stay open for the entire summer as well, and we are going to have something in the arena that will attract a lot of people. We’re also planning on having an outdoor serving area where the parking lot is now, in front of the restaurant. It’s a dream, and I believe it’s realistic, as Djurgården wants to reduce the car traffic here. So if we present it that way, I think it will work. In terms of your bookings. You’ve said you want to create a “cultural institution that challenges and provokes thoughts, in a way that transforms fear into curiosity”. If I think about how people perceived Cirkus before, it was a very grand and respected institution, but I don’t think people thought of it as very radical in its bookings or programme. Is it your aim to push the boundaries a little more in your bookings now? Yes, in a lot of ways. We will always have these big shows, that we’ve always had. I know that we’re not going to change that, we’re one of the few arenas in Stockholm with the capacity to do those, and there is a need for what we are doing here. On the other hand, those big shows, these musicals run from Thursday to Saturday, sometimes Sunday. So there are at least three days a week where there is not that much going on. As it is right now, we have a number of concerts, small ones and big ones, in little and big Cirkus. But there, I can choose to say no to an artist who doesn’t have the same values, and change direction to something I feel reflects more what Cirkus stands for. We are also going to buy in our own concerts. At the moment, we are a little of an empty shell that takes bookings from others, promoters hire the venue from us, and they produce and promote and do everything, we only open and close the door. I want to change that, to start producing shows ourselves. Okay, so it’s moving into booking, as well as taking some PR and promo for shows in-house? Exactly. And since that is my background, that’s where I come from. The CEO part is just a couple of years old. It’s interesting, because with the financial pressure on venues now, a lot of them are abandoning that element. So you want to stand against that? Because when you’re just acting as a host for bookers, you can’t build up your own identity very much? Yes, and together with the new restaurant. Even there, we’re much more modern, we have many vegetarian and vegan options. We’re trying to put an identity into everything we do. That doesn’t mean we don’t need to make money. You can still be commercial and be one of the good guys. Say if you have a musical sold out, which means 1,700 people, four days a week, there’s a fantastic possibility to have something going on, on top of that that then finds an audience automatically, as they’re already there. So it’s a fantastic way to co-promote things. The smaller thing can piggy-back on the bigger one. You also mentioned in the press release, that the architects took inspiration from the house’s history? Can you expand on that? Cirkus is closing in on 150 years at this point. Well, it used to be a proper circus, the main stage used to be the site of the stables. So the architects thought about the traditional ideas of the circus, and that influences the patterns in the bars, for example the big bar here has rings, from the trapeze. When you’re renovating a place like this, how do you balance the need to respect the history, with the need for the new? You really, really need a very good architect, that can balance that. The understanding that you’re almost not allowed to do anything [due to the building’s status], with the need to be modern. We try to express the modern things in little details, like having a place where you can charge your phone at the bar. Or for example, we invested 1.5 million kronor into the new speakers and sound system. And now the wi-fi is very good. You have to find ways of being modern, without drilling into the walls. So it’s a bit like making sure the function is modern? Yes, exactly. 12 So the final question, after these renovations, what kind of role do you see for Cirkus in Stockholm’s entertainment and nightlife scene? How would you like people to think of the place? Our vision for Cirkus, is to be the most attractive base for entertainment and food and drink in Scandinavia. We really aim high, and I want the restaurant to be a destination in itself, not only about food and drink, but also with live music and art exhibitions. Today I just finished a meeting about our new art exhibition which starts next Wednesday, as well as supervising soundcheck for a show tonight. These things have never been done before at Cirkus, and I want to do things like that every week, so that it’s worth those ten minutes by tram to come here, because you know you’re going to have a very nice evening. Photo: Theresia Köhlin