Great performances do not happen by chance. They are built through years of training, experience, preparation and hard work. A production may be temporary, but being an artist is a full-time profession.
The performing arts, film and television industries are largely built around short-term projects. Employers need different artists for different productions, while artists need stability to develop their skills, deliver high-quality work and remain in the profession over time.
SKUDA – the Norwegian Alliance of Actors and Dancers – is a national employer for professional actors and dancers. We connect these two needs.
By combining stable employment with a flexible, project-based industry, SKUDA helps skilled artists build sustainable careers. At the same time, we give employers access to experienced performers and help ensure that audiences across Norway can experience art of high quality.
Today, SKUDA employs professional actors and dancers working across theatre, dance, film and television. Together, they bring strong artistic voices, diverse stories and memorable experiences to audiences in Norway and abroad.
Our role can be summed up simply:
Flexibility for employers - Stability for artists - Quality for audiences.
SKUDA is more than an employer. We are part of Norway’s cultural infrastructure.
SKUDA began as a pilot programme in 2012 and became a permanent organisation in 2016. The company is owned by the Norwegian Actors’ Equity Association, the Norwegian Dance Artists’ Association and the Association of Norwegian Theatres and Orchestras. It is funded through an annual government grant from the Ministry of Culture and Equality.
Our artists
Our artists live in different parts of Norway and work across a wide range of genres, both nationally and internationally.
SKUDA is not an agency. Our artists find their own jobs and assignments, and continued professional activity is a requirement for their employment in SKUDA. They spend most of their time working on productions for theatres, film and television companies, festivals and other employers. During these engagements, they take unpaid leave from SKUDA.
Between projects, SKUDA provides the time and structure they need to continue developing. This may include training, preparing for new roles, developing ideas and maintaining their artistic and professional skills.
Many of our artists also create and produce their own work. These projects generate new artistic expressions, partnerships and employment opportunities for others in the cultural sector.
Since 2013, our Mentoring programme has connected our artists with younger colleagues at the beginning of their professional careers. The programme creates a bridge between generations, allowing knowledge, experience and inspiration to be shared across the field.
SKUDA FUNKIS TALENT is an innovative talent program for performing artists with permanent disabilities. The program’s vision is an inclusive and equitable cultural field where performing artists with disabilities participate on equal terms with their colleagues without disabilities.
We aim to contribute to sustainable careers for all artists in Norway – regardless of functional ability. We will achieve this through employment, mentoring, collaboration with the industry, network building, and knowledge development.
Through our work, we aim to create positive ripple effects that extend far beyond SKUDA. By supporting artists in the early stages of their careers, we help strengthen the foundations of a dynamic, diverse and innovative Norwegian cultural sector.
The founders of the Alliance are the Norwegian Actors’ union (NSF), the Norwegian Dancers’ union (NoDa) and the employers, Association of Norwegian Theatres and Orchestras (NTO).
Skuespiller- og danseralliansen is inspired by the three similar organizations in Sweden: TeaterAlliansen, Dansalliansen og Musikalliansen. In Sweden today nearly 370 actors, dancers and musicians are employed. Both employers and employees praise the organizations.
Employed Actors and Dancers A short presentation of the employed Actors and Dancers is available here: Artists Catalog
For further information please contact: Tone Øvrebø Johannessen, General manager, E-mail:
