Moomsteatern
Creators: name: Sandra Johansson (Executive Director)
name: Anna Gustafsson (Administrative Director)
name: Pelle Öhlund (Artistic Director)
Publisher: name: DARIAH-DE
Year: 2023
Subjects: Theatre Group
Sweden
Malmö

description: Moomsteatern is a professional inclusive theatre company in Malmö, Sweden. It operates by employing individuals with learning disabilities on a full-time basis, frequently integrating them on stage with freelance actors without disabilities. Moomsteatern’s primary mission is to create performing arts of exceptional artistic calibre.
Moomsteatern presents itself as a theatre company producing shows with actors who are “breaking the norm”, thereby creating a unique theatrical experience for the audience. They want to use their theatre productions to challenge the audience’s way of thinking and to initiate a dialogue, with an objective to push the boundaries of performing arts by crafting theatre that embraces a wide spectrum of diversity.
The company engages individuals with learning disabilities as professional actors, exemplifying their commitment to equal employment opportunities. This aligns seamlessly with Moomsteatern’s core emphasis on theatre and the prospects for growth within the actors’ vocation, prioritizing professional development over mere caregiving. Their objective involves crafting thought-provoking and pertinent narratives in distinctive ways, resulting in a diverse and frequently unexpected repertoire. They actively challenge stereotypes in casting and character roles. This approach is aimed at furnishing the audience, who remains central to their performances, with the means for introspection and contemplation.
The theatre’s name has its origins in its inception: it was established in 1987 by Kjell Stjernholm with the concept of forming a theatre ensemble for individuals with learning disabilities. The aim was purely artistic and centred on the audience, without educational or therapeutic intentions. In 1992, the theatre became a part of Malmö Care Activities, known as “Malmö Omsorg,” from which its current name is derived. At that juncture, it was uncommon for daycare centres to engage in theatre activities. However, due to the theatre group’s lofty artistic ambitions, it rapidly achieved considerable success. Thirteen individuals with learning disabilities transitioned into full-time actors, yet they continued to operate within the same parameters as others within the care system, without receiving a salary. Their productions eventually caught the attention of the local newspapers and soon the company’s work was reviewed as that of other theatre companies in the region. 
In 2003, the company staged Speciells Evangelium, a widely successful musical, involving over 70 employees and 45 artists on stage. However, the 13 actors with disabilities that enabled the project were still in the care sector and did not receive a salary. This was a wake-up call for Moomsteatern, they decided to no longer participate in the system of discrimination against people with disabilities and started working towards a theatre company where actors would receive equal pay for equal work.
Following their education at the Theatre Academy in Malmö, five actors with learning disabilities were subsequently employed by Myostatin in 2006. This pivotal step solidified Moomsteatern’s presence within Sweden’s arts sector, a status it has maintained ever since. They enlist a team of five to seven proficient actors with learning disabilities and provide ongoing internal training as well as extended internships for new talent. Moomsteatern undertakes the creation of two to three new theatre productions annually, enlisting actors without disabilities as required for specific productions. While they maintain a stage in Malmö, Sweden, they also embark on regional, national, and international tours.
The company is part of Crossing the Line, a network of six European theatre companies based on artists with learning disabilities. The network was founded in 2014 by Moomsteatern, Compagnie de l’Oiseau Mouche, and Mind the Gap and aims at bringing artists together, by learning from each other.