Rikard Hoogland University of Stockholm The Nordic example: sustainable theatre systems? Can theatre system be referred to as sustainable? In this book we have categorized the systems in the Nordic countries as sustainable, but can they, in fact, survive a stress test? During the last decades, the word sustainable has been used in the ongoing debate about the treatment of climate change, discussing how our way of living and producing could support a sustainable environment. Te relation between cultural policy and environment is not a new fnding. For example, the introduction to the governmental investigation report New cultural policy in Sweden, 1972, starts with: Te concern about the defance in the physical environment has increased during a short time. Te protection against damage of earth, air and water has nowadays been one of the most important tasks in the society. Te question about working and living environment has reached an intense debate and it stands clear that the needed improvements are lagging behind. Te leisure time expands but not all could use it for recreation and renewal. […] A central goal for the cultural policy must be that it should take part in the improvement of the environment in the society 1 . Tis way of positioning cultural policy in a larger context than just art support was signifcant for the cultural policy of the 1970’s in the Nordic countries. Te new cultural policies that emerged in the Nordic countries during the 60’s and 70’s were strongly connected to the building of a welfare state. One of the founders of the Swedish cultural policy, Roland Pålsson, discussed the relationship between politics and cultural policy in his book Te Possible Society 2 . His point was that the creators of the welfare state had forgotten culture, and the result was that the inhabitants in 1 Kulturrådet: Ny kulturpolitik. Nuläge och Förslag, SOU 1972:66, Stockholm 1972, p. 3. 2 R. Pålsson, Det möjliga samhället. Tankar om politik och kulturpolitik, Bonneris, Stock- holm 1967.