Culture, Business | Kulturhuset ready for a new year: – Omikron just has to stay away from Harstad
After a year and a half of pandemics and restrictions, the public flocked to Kulturhuset this autumn. Finally !, thought the boss Peter Krarup.
– It is a strange time, says Krarup, when we call to hear how the year has been and what Kulturhuset is brewing in 2022.
– But I want to start with the positive first. So we had absolutely fantastic months in October and November, and partly December, with very good sales figures and full swing in Kulturhuset. Then I just thought «finally!», Says Krarup.
He admits that it has been “a bit uphill” ever since he came to Harstad, much due to closure and restrictions that have hit cultural life hard.
– But the two months alone were almost the whole year. People flocked to Kulturhuset, and it gave a real sense of what it can be like here without the corona, says Krarup.
The strong harvest was also characterized by a strengthened local focus. With two large in-house productions where several local artists contributed, the Harstad musicians really got to shine. It was popular.
– The memorial concert for KM Myrland, and the tribute to Ole Gunnar Nilsen were the big own productions we invested in last year. We had a number of local artists and musicians with us here – and were really lucky that there were no corona problems right then, says a committed Krarup.
Kulturhuset also experienced its share of luck, and managed to complete all the major Christmas productions and performances before the government tightened the corona grip. Well, Krarup and the rest of us are looking towards 2022, and easing the restrictions is at the top of the wish list.
Show for big and small
– We have several shows booked for ours – from Mari Boine in February to Smokie and Vamp later in our semester, so we want omikron to stay away and for it to be reopened so that we can complete everything, says the culture house manager, who are probably tired of dealing with unstable conditions from authorities and viruses.
I add to big shows with visiting artists from far and near, the audience can also expect something completely their own from Kulturhuset this year.
– We work with several different own productions within several different genres and themes, but it is a bit too early to let it go, says Krarup.
– It’s getting closer to autumn.
Krarup also until 2022 will be the year where Kulturhuset gets breathed life Family Sunday again – a concept Kulturhuset barely managed to introduce before the corona came and sent everyone home.
– We had for family Sundays in January and February 2020, respectively, before we had to cancel. It is a demanding concept to arrange with infection control in mind, because it opens the entire Kulturhuset including the library. We have tried a few times since to make it happen, but unfortunately we have had to cancel and postpone. But now we are betting again, and with a little luck we will get started in the spring.
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– More significant here even in Copenhagen
But what is most interesting, he thinks himself? To get great artists booked for the city, or to help create their own performances?
– What is interesting, says Krarup, and takes a little art break before he continues:
– It is that in a city like Harstad, Kulturhuset plays a super important role in how the city feels. Everything is connected here: Nightlife, restaurants, hotels, tourism – and Kulturhuset. It gives a huge motivation to go to work and put some color in the city. When I see it, hundreds of people come to the culture house and have an experience, whether it’s fun or for reflection and reflection – it’s exciting.
Knowing the meaning of life and that the work he does means something, is a strong motivation for Peter Krarup, and it has made the Dane feel comfortable in this small northern Norwegian town.
– It feels much more important to work in the Culture House here, and to work on a large culture house in, for example, Copenhagen. Here it really means what you do and you see results of it right away. I get feedback from people, both when I’m out walking the streets and when I’m at private parties or dinners. People talk about our program, and come up with many good suggestions and ideas, says Krarup, who by the way celebrated his second Christmas in Northern Norway this year.
– You have to take care, just one more year with Christmas celebration in Harstad and you have created a new tradition.
– Yes, I will probably be my family up here for Christmas next year, the gentle boss concludes.
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