SWEDEN SUBSIDIZES CULTURE

...Charlie was produced, in English, at the Royal Dramatic Theater, theater-goers were able to buy for only twenty cents a program which included the entire play in Swedish translation and several articles about James Baldwin and the Negroes in the United States...

...The special section of the May Day parade reserved for cultural workers was headed by Ingrid Thulin, one of Sweden's most distinguished stage and screen actresses, and her husband, Harry Schein, who has played a key role in forming and reforming the cultural policy of the Swedish government...

...One of the main themes in a recent and pretentious film, Love 65, by Swedish film-maker Bo Widerberg, was that the welfare state increasingly shoulders the responsibilities of the individual...

...There are three major reasons why Swedes feel the time has come to study and increase the forms of government subsidies to the arts...

...Government officials—assisted by advisory groups of experts—decide which forms of art and which creative and performing artists should receive grants and subsidies...

...Recently, unemployment among Swedish dramatic performers has ranged as low as four per cent and rarely above ten per cent...

...He staged a special production of Moliere's Don Juan for schoolchildren...

...Palsson's longer-range plans, however, do not place the emphasis on the cultural "producers" but on the "consumers" and the "consumer-environment...

...The Social Democratic government is particularly eager to break down the barriers that have kept the working classes from enjoying "quality culture...

...Within the past two years one hundred creative and performing artists in Sweden have received lifetime awards that guarantee them annual incomes of $5,000...

...As the director of the Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm since 1963, Bergman has kept his eyes on the attendance figures rather than the box-office receipts...

...Some Swedes argue that the government-aided programs counteract the ruthless rule of popularity...

...Eight cities—the smallest is Boras with a population of about 70,000—have municipal theaters where plays are performed nearly every evening during nine months of the year...

...In Sweden, citizens are getting more freedom of choice as the government assists in expanding cultural opportunities...

...Upon occasion, the critics still denounce a production or even a series of productions at a theater, but they are not likely to question whether the taxpayer's money is being wisely used...

...Whether the Swedish measures result in a management of culture is a matter of interpretation...

...The agreement called for the establishment of the Swedish Film Institute, which is headed by Schein, to administer the various projects...

...These tickets may be bought as far in advance as the regularly priced ones...

...The attitude of the Swedish planners was reflected in the agreement between the Swedish film industry and the government, which stemmed from the initiative of Harry Schein, a self-made millionaire, chemical engineer, and former egghead film critic, who later negotiated the pact...

...The planners have accepted the concept of making visits to the theater a part of the school curriculum...

...Thus, students, even those in advanced studies who may be in their thirties or older, can go to the theater for about the same price, or less, of a movie...

...If he could reach his goal of wider audiences, he would not mind larger deficits...

...Retirement age at the theaters varies between sixty and sixty-seven, whereas ballet dancers at the Royal Opera are retired at forty-one...

...Throughout his career, Ingmar Bergman has taken a special interest in productions for school children...

...The actor should be regarded as a spiritual teacher or a member of a profane priesthood," says Bergman, the son of a Lutheran clergyman...

...At the same time, and as a result, the individual is faced with an increasing freedom of choice...

...A view that is becoming increasingly common was expressed by Roland Palsson, section chief in charge of cultural affairs in the Department of Education, who wants to remove the label of "fine" from the arts...

...During rehearsals Bergman, who normally forbids any outside disturbance, allowed Swedish television to film the making of the production...

...As Ragnar Edenman, the Minister of Education, frequently emphasizes, there is the need to adjust persons to a "world that science and engineering have changed completely...

...During the past season Bergman demonstrated his interest in the educational significance of the theater in several ways...

...For many this increased freedom of choice can present problems...

...When actors and actresses of the Royal Dramatic Theater, the municipal theaters, or the drama section of Swedish television retire they receive two-thirds of their salary...

...of the welfare programs was during the 1930's...

...Symphony, orchestras and chamber music societies, which had previously kept to the major cities, are experimenting with tours to rather remote parts of the country...

...In the fall of 1964, the Swedish Film Institute opened Sweden's first and only school for film-makers...

...Statistics show that if the tickets were supposed to cover theater operating and production costs they would have to be about three times as expensive...

...In addition, during the past thirty years the Swedish National Touring Company and other subsidized touring companies have performed almost anywhere there is an assembly hall...

...Leading educators believe that plays can provide youths with a knowledge of the past and of the world in which they live...

...Equally, the planners want to make sure there are jobs for those who graduate from the special schools...

...A system based on the "survival of the fittest" does not mean that only the best talents survive...

...The government planners usually attach the greatest importance to the third point of view...

...The remaining thirty per cent is devoted to educating technical and artistic talent, conducting research, providing school teachers with a knowledge of the motion picture, and numerous other non-commercial activities...

...A third argument is that culture can help people adjust themselves to the rapid changes taking place in society...

...A theater director who chooses popular plays that critics consider superficial and of little significance will probably be censured, but a director who fills his repertoire with quality even if it does not draw well at the box-office will be admired for his taste and courage...

...Similar plans have been discussed for Sweden's phonograph record industry...

...Swedish planners claim that they have increased the individual's freedom of choice...

...A good schooling in his field is imperative for an artist...

...Even though the members of the advisory groups are changed frequently, opponents argue that this system encourages the artists to play up to officialdom and play down personal characteristics not in harmony with the bureaucracy...

...Moreover, would these survivors not have been at least as successful under a system that had allowed them to devote more of their energies to developing their talent...

...The plan for the Swedish film industry illustrates how commercial film products can bring in taxes to help subsidize those films less popular, but artistically superior...

...Since then, Sweden's Confederation of Labor Unions has set up special sections for cultural workers...

...Such projects, however, are expensive...

...He is now writing a book on the arts in Sweden which is scheduled for publication in 1967...

...They are surprised because it is taking place with a minimum of resistance...

...Others say it is undemocratic not to let the taste of the majority reign...

...The key was that the commercial, mass products of the film makers should contribute to the support of more exclusive, quality products...

...He has no intention of trying to make the income of the theater cover its expenses...

...Those who are envious include artists of other lands who would like to enjoy the opportunities afforded Sweden's creative and performing artists today...

...Not only are they convinced of the relationship between culture and adjustment, but they also realize that this pragmatic approach appeals to politicians who are usually only moderately concerned about the arts...

...The improvement of conditions for "cultural workers" was a major issue highlighted in the parade...

...Sweden's "cultural awakening" is also resulting in a growing awareness of creative and performing artists as professionals...

...and performing artists had earlier viewed with contempt...

...Today culture is an important political problem," Prime Minister Tage Er-lander has said, "just as creating and developing an understanding for the necessity...

...On several occasions Ingmar Bergman, whose position in Sweden has been greatly strengthened by the international acclaim his films have received, has led the way...

...In their minds, the word "workers" did not convey a sense of the creative and inspirational qualities which they felt distinguished their personalities and endeavors...

...Miss Thulin, dressed in cream-colored slacks, a blue coat, white boots, and an enormous long-haired fur hat, was given the role of voicing the complaints of the cultural workers about the relatively disinterested treatment they were receiving at the hands of Sweden's prosperous welfare state...

...The new interest in the arts was first manifested during the 1962 May Day parade in Stockholm...

...The commission stressed the importance of the educational aspects of the media, and has suggested increasing the number of programs directed toward relatively small groups, the so-called "minority group programs...

...Traditional opponents of governmental measures envisage a handful of bureaucrats and politicians ruling the realm of the arts...

...The results, so far, have been encouraging...

...Supporters of the Swedish policy for the arts argue that it is an illusion to believe that artists develop best under trying conditions...

...Reaching out to the countryside is especially important from a political point of view, since the government is eager to deter the rapid growth of the largest cities...

...It is not something that you should wear a stiff white collar to appreciate...

...On the contrary, it should be realized that it is an essential part of everyday life...

...When James Baldwin's Blues for Mr...

...He is the Scandinavian correspondent for The New York Herald Tribune and covers Sweden and Finland for The San Francisco Chronicle...

...On the short term basis his policy aims at filling the most conspicuous gaps through fellowships, subsidies, and similar measures...

...Another group expresses increasing concern about what people are going to do with their free time...

...two per cent is awarded to shorts...

...During the past year the Film Institute's income from the ten per cent of box-office receipts has amounted to nearly two and a half million dollars...

...Since the "cultural awakening" started to take root, however, government officials and many of the artists have considered it essential that the cultural attractions of the major cities go on tour...

...The theater had decided to print the play in the program so that school classes could secure copies and read it before seeing the production, or discuss it afterwards...

...Thirty per cent of the Institute's tax-raised funds goes to the support of Swedish producers in direct proportion to their income from ticket sales on their Swedish full-length features...

...The unique sight of leading dramatic performers, ballet dancers, musicians, folk dancers, authors, painters, sculptors, and artisans carrying placards in a united effort to gain government attention drew considerable publicity...

...Let's put him on a level with high school teachers, college professors, reverends, deans, and bishops on the wage scale...

...Ber-to Marklund, a leading sculptor...

...The spreading of the arts throughout the country is important from a political point of view...

...This does not mean that he lacks a sense of business, which he does not, but rather that his goal is to make theater-going an integral part of the daily life of as many people as possible...

...Foreign observers look upon Sweden's cultural awakening with a mixture of surprise, alarm, and envy...

...The growing interest in raising cultural standards was reflected in a recent report of a government commission that drew up plans for the future of radio and television in Sweden...

...and Krister Wickman, a top official in the Department of Finance who is expected to become a member of the cabinet in the near future...

...As a result, the Royal Dramatic Theater has inaugurated ten-day tours in the fall and the spring...

...Rather than letting a lack of popularity eliminate forms of culture—like quality films and recordings of Swedish classical music or serious jazz—they subsidize them and thereby give citizens the opportunity of experiencing them...

...all radio and television is government-regulated and non-commercial...

...The film is being used in special educational programs...

...Eighteen per cent is awarded to "quality" Swedish features...

...Even the top regularly-priced tickets do not exceed $3.20...

...One of the most important approaches to widening the extent and raising the level of cultural appreciation, Palsson explains, is to make culture available in a natural environment and not encase it in something strange and foreign that is labeled "culture...

...He said: "It is my job to liberate culture from its traditionally middle class home and make it a part of every home...

...Five per cent is used to promote projects that are of mutual interest to the industry—such as arranging cavalcades of Swedish films and publicizing participation in film festivals...

...These included payment for the education and training of young talent, the support of numerous measures aimed at stirring up interest in quality films in Sweden, and the promotion of Swedish films abroad...

...Citizens in each region benefited are less likely to object to projects that extend to other parts of the country...

...He believes that "the problems of cultural policy are the same as those of welfare policies as a whole, and they must be solved within the same framework and the same ideology...

...Currently the Royal Dramatic Theater loses about $1 million a year...

...Schein, aiming to solve the serious, almost fatal, financial difficulties of the film industry, proposed a reduction of the entertainment tax on movie tickets from twenty-five per cent to ten per cent—a tax not to go to the government, but to be used for various projects designed to stimulate quality productions, and make low-budget, quality films less of a financial risk...

...By devoting a special section of the May Day parade to cultural workers, the Social Democratic Party clearly indicated that it planned to devote special attention to the arts...

...At present, this interest happens to coincide with the policy of the Swedish government, which is in the midst of a far-reaching educational reform plan...

...Sweden's dramatic performers have played a key part in the early stages of the cultural awakening, partly because they belong to the best organized of the artists' unions and partly because their complaints could be directed against governmental and municipal bodies sensitive to public opinion...

...His job, Palsson says, is to contribute to "changing the conditions for cultural production and cultural consumption, but also to changing the environment in which cultural life shall develop...

...Bergman believes that the most important task of the Swedish theater today is to make theater-attendance a necessity—not merely a luxury for an elite—and a natural habit for citizens...

...But as attendance figures are rising—they now average about eighty-five per cent of capacity—nearly everyone is quite pleased...

...What new problems this increased freedom of choice may create for individual citizens has yet to be determined...

...One claim is that subsidies are necessary because the market in a small country can never be large enough to provide artists with a reasonable income...

...Another fifteen per cent is used to compensate Swedish producers for losses suffered on Swedish features that have received quality awards...

...These opponents wonder whether the system does not encourage mediocrity rather than artistry...

...Some persons subscribe to two, or all three, of these views...

...Recent sociological studies, however, have shown clearly that Sweden's theater-goers come mostly from the middle and upper classes...

...Bergman feels that the nation's appreciation of its creative and performing artists has not kept pace with Sweden's improved standard of living...

...The rebuttal follows, to the effect that it is undemocratic to let the majority suppress the interests of the small minorities...

...The Royal Dramatic Theater now offers all persons who are enrolled in some school or university tickets for one dollar in the orchestra and forty cents in the third balcony...

...The total subsidy to the arts currently amounts to about $14 million, one-fourth of one per cent of Sweden's national budget...

...They are alarmed because they suspect or believe that the Swedish approach results in a directed or dictated culture...

...One means of improving the lives of potential voters outside the metropolitan centers is to bring more cultural attractions to the smaller communities...

...This move was met by an almost immediate and general acceptance of the term "cultural workers," which many creative FREDERIC FLEISHER, an American newspaperman, has been stationed in Scandinavia for nearly ten years...

...Although many Swedish citizens still do not understand or appreciate the arts, they have a feeling that this is a weakness on their part...