Solveig Gade

Solveig Gade is an Associate Professor in Theatre and Performance Studies at the Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, University of Copenhagen. Her research interrogates the intersections of performance with urgent global crises, particularly through documentary practices in war contexts and ecological emergencies. She maintains dual expertise as both an academic researcher and active dramaturge in Copenhagen's leading theatres.

Her research interests center on new dramaturgical paradigms that challenge conventional representations of conflict and climate collapse. Gade examines how artists navigate the tension between documentary evidence and imaginative world-making, with particular focus on war aesthetics, archival interventions, and care practices in crisis. Her work bridges performance theory with political philosophy, emphasizing how theatrical forms can reconfigure public perception of intractable conflicts.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals consistent engagement with three interconnected trajectories: 1) War documentation through artistic lenses (evident in her book on documentary art and conflict), 2) Climate crisis dramaturgies exploring geological time scales and nonhuman agents, and 3) Care ethics in collaborative performance practices. These threads converge in her current Velux-funded project "Oikos: Care and Crisis in the 21st Century".

Scientific awards received:

• Routledge Prize for best PhD paper (2008)
• Teacher of the Year at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (2016)
• Statens Kunstfond prize for dramaturgical work (2018)
• Statens Kunstfond prize for dramaturgical work (2019)

Her advising extends beyond academia through dramaturgical mentorship at the Betty Nansen Theatre and Royal Danish Theatre, where she has guided productions by major Scandinavian artists. Significant research grants include multiple Velux Foundation awards for collective projects examining war aesthetics and care economies. Current teaching encompasses BA-level Theatre History and Complex Dramaturgy, and MA-level Research Practices in Performance Studies.

Gade operates at the nexus of academic research and theatrical practice through her artistic board position at Betty Nansen Theatre and collaborations with the Center for Spatial Art. Her work manifests in both scholarly publications and embodied performance interventions, demonstrating how theoretical frameworks inform live artistic creation.