Background
The Glada Hudik Theatre
It began in 1996. Executive Manager Pär Johansson gets a job at the local day center in Hudiksvall. When he sees that the disabled are sent on courses to learn to tie their shoes, he becomes frustrated. Surely they should be able to use their creative energy into something more important. Why spending time learning something that you are unable to instead of developing the things that you are good at? Pär bought shoes with Velcro to them and suggested that they should start playing theater instead. The result was the Glada Hudik Theatre. A theatre where people who would not normally meet can get together and help to convert fear and prejudice into understanding and friendship.
Several popular productions take shape
It started with the performance Tomtar på rymmen (Christmas Elves on the Run) that was initially met with scepticism but in the end attracted 400 people. Since then the volume of productions and audience numbers have increased. Elvis opened in 2005, six years later it had been seen by 170 000 people around Sweden. The production had also made a guest appearance in New York.
The theatre’s film debut Hur många lingon finns det i världen? (The Importance of Tying Your Own Shoes) recorded the 3rd largest viewing figures of all Swedish films in 2011. The sequel Hur många kramar finns det i världen? (It´s all about friends) arrived in 2013 and during 2016 the ensemble will be on a tour of Sweden with its new interpretation of The Wizard of Oz.