With UP at the Theater Seminar

The Danish Theater Association’s annual Theater Seminar is where the vast majority of productions suitable for touring are booked. The Theater Seminar therefore plays a central role in the nationwide infrastructure for touring productions.

UP offers you a preparatory and skills-building workshop leading up to the seminar, where we provide you with know-how regarding touring and equip you with concrete tools to make your tour in Denmark a reality.

We’ll prepare you so you’re ready to pitch and sell your production to one or more of the country’s many active theater associations when the seminar takes place.

At UP’s preparatory workshop, you’ll hear presentations on selling touring productions at the Theater Seminar and have the opportunity to ask questions of former participants.

In addition, UP secures your ticket, accommodation, and transportation to the seminar—and we ensure that you can pitch your show from the Theater Seminar’s main stage, in front of the participating theater associations and other organizers.

How do I join?

If you apply to the Danish Arts Foundation to join the Touring Network, you can also apply to be part of UP’s joint booth at the Danish Theatre Association's Theatre Seminar in November 2026.

The deadline for applications to the Danish Arts Foundation for the Tour Network Denmark – inclusion of works – is June 2, 2026.

Get ready to bring your tour to life

UP’s tour initiative is a program in which five to seven artists or companies, selected by the Danish Arts Foundation’s Project Support Committee for the Performing Arts, participate in a training course on pitching, tour sales, and tour organisation, designed by UP.

The initiative is aimed at companies that have no prior experience with the Theatre Seminar and who may, more generally, be new to the touring market.

As a participant, you will be part of a shared booth organised by UP at the annual Theatre Seminar.
UP ensures that you can pitch your production from the Theatre Seminar’s main stage, in front of the participating theatre associations and other organisers.
In addition, the costs of your ticket, accommodation, and transportation to the seminar are covered.
As a participant in the initiative, UP offers you a preparatory and skill-building program leading up to the seminar, including a mandatory full-day workshop focused on pitching, sales, and dialogue with buyers. The goal is to provide you with the know-how and concrete tools to succeed in the context of the Danish touring market.
At the workshop, you’ll receive feedback on your pitch from a visual marketing specialist, be introduced to the Theatre Seminar and the Touring Network as a market, and have the opportunity to ask questions of former participants.

The goal is to equip participating companies to sell their productions for touring in Denmark, to strengthen their networks with booking agents, and to provide an overview of what touring entails in terms of production and administration.

After completing the UP program, I felt much better prepared and had a better understanding of how to approach conversations, sales, pitches, and so on.

Former participant

What do you get?

Free training courses and workshops

As a participant in the initiative, UP offers you a preparatory and skills-building program leading up to the seminar, including a mandatory full-day workshop focused on pitching, sales, and engaging with buyers. The goal is to provide you with the know-how and practical tools you need to succeed in the Danish touring market. This program is offered to one person per company.

At the workshop, you’ll receive feedback on your pitch from a visual marketing specialist, you’ll be introduced to the Theater Seminar and the Touring Network as a market, and you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions of former participants.

Who can apply?

The initiative is aimed at companies with no experience with the Theatre Seminar and who may be new to the touring market in general.

Purpose

The aim is to equip the participating companies to sell their productions for touring in Denmark, strengthen their networks with tour buyers, and create an overview of what touring requires in terms of production and administration.

What you get

Free training programme and workshop

As a participant in the initiative, UP offers you a preparatory and qualifying course leading up to the seminar, including a mandatory full-day workshop focusing on pitch, sales and dialogue with buyers. The purpose is to give you the know-how and concrete tools to succeed in the context of the Danish touring market. This is valid for one person.

During the workshop, you will receive feedback on your pitch from a visual marketing specialist, you will be introduced to the Theatre Seminar and the Touring Network as a market, and you will have the opportunity to ask questions to previous participants.

Free admission to the Theater Seminar

UP ensures that you can pitch your production from the Theater Seminar’s main stage, in front of participating theater groups and other organizers.

You’ll receive free admission for one person as part of a shared booth, with a five-minute pitch on the main stage.

Round-trip transportation for one person

In addition, the costs of your ticket, accommodation, and transportation to the seminar and for the workshop will be covered.

Find UP’s guide to touring on UPgrade here.

Find UP’s guide to the Theater Seminar here.

Find UP’s guide to giving a great pitch on UPgrade here.

It’s incredibly helpful to get a sense of each other’s pitches before the Theater Seminar itself. This had a major impact on our collaboration—for example, if an organization was looking for something specific, we could point them toward each other’s performances.

Former participant

How to Apply

You can apply to join UP’s professional development program and participate in the Theatre Seminar if you apply for the Danish Arts Foundation’s “Turnénetværk Danmark” program via kunst.dk with one or more of your productions.

You must check the specific box on the portal to be considered (see image below).

The deadline for applications to the Danish Arts Foundation’s “Turnénetværk Danmark” program—for the inclusion of works—is June 2, 2026.

You can read more about Turnénetværk here: https://www.turneteater.dk/

Five to seven companies will be selected.

The selection is made solely by the Danish Arts Foundation’s Project Support Committee for Performing Arts.

Responses will be sent out in mid-September.

Guide to the Agency for Culture and Palaces’ Application Portal

When you apply, you will be redirected from the Danish Arts Foundation to the Agency for Culture and Palaces’ application portal. Here you will find the checkbox you must select to be considered for one of UP’s 5–7 spots at the Theater Seminar.

Photo: screenshot from the Danish Arts Foundation to the Agency for Culture and Palaces application portal

Application Guide

At the Theater Seminar with UP?

How to apply

How to Be Selected

Selected in 2025

Cikaros with the piece The Fall

Daily Fiction with the piece ØNSKER in SKY

The subsidiary with the piece Soldier Mother

Ilham Herisi foto af Robin Skjoldborg web

Herisi with the piece AN ANGRY WOMAN

Prox Studio with the piece Robotic Bloom

Plex 12 06 2025 Foto Kirsten Nijhof DSC7328 lowres

toaspern|moeller with the piece __plex

Wilma Version with the piece Surpassed Only by Reality

It is extremely beneficial to gain insight into each other's pitches prior to the Theatre Seminar itself. This had a significant impact on our collaboration – if an association was looking for something specific, for example, we could direct them toward each other's performances.

Former participant

How to get in the programme:

You can apply to be part of UP's qualifying programme and the joint participation at the Theatre Seminar if you apply to the Danish Arts Foundation's scheme Turnénetværk Danmark via kunst.dk with one or more of your performances.

You must tick the special box on the portal to be considered (see image below).

The deadline for applications to the Danish Arts Foundation's Touring Network Denmark program was June 2, 2025

You can read more about the Tour Network here: https://www.turneteater.dk/

The selection of participants for UP's Touring Initiative is made solely by the Danish Arts Foundation's Project Support Committee for Performing Arts.

Answers will be sent out in mid-September.

Guide to the Danish Arts Foundation application portal

When you apply, you will be forwarded from the Danish Arts Foundation to the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces application portal. Here you will find the tick you need to tick to be considered for one of UP's 10 places at the Theatre Seminar.

Photo: screenshot from the Danish Arts Foundation to the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces application portal.

During the Theatre Seminar, I sold my show because the person had learned that he could apply for help with ticket discounts from the municipality - and therefore got the courage to present a different show

Former participant in UP's preparatory workshop and participation during the Theatre Seminar

After participating in UP's programme, I was much better prepared and had a better knowledge of how to approach talks, sales, pitches etc.

Former participant in UP's preparatory workshop and participation during the Theatre Seminar