Meet the theatre performers creating space for diversity across the Nordics

There’s something unequivocally festive about heading down to the theatre on a cold December night. Waltzing through the entrance and dusting off the snow with your nearest and dearest and a tall glass of Champagne, seeing a play, opera or ballet this season is a time-honoured winter pastime.

Yet change is afoot – positive change. Whereas once these shows were dominated by all-white casts, this year when you take your theatre seat and flick through the programme, you’ll notice a more diverse collection of young performers than ever before ready to take their places in the spotlight.

To celebrate their journeys and successes, we speak to the performers who are rewriting the casting experience in the arts and creating a space for diversity across the Nordics.

I feel very lucky to have been accepted into industry as a half Japanese, half Filipina ballerina in Norway. It is extremely inspiring to have the opportunity to work with dancers from so many different cultural backgrounds and a special feeling to be so united on stage. We learn so much from one another through sharing our unique experiences, and I think that is a wonderful opportunity for artistic growth.

For me, The Nutcracker has been a ballet of many firsts. It was the first real performance my mother took me to as a child, when the Mariinsky Ballet toured Japan. It was also the first performance I took part in as a child having just started ballet classes, and the first professional production I danced in while still a student in the UK. The Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker was the very first principal role of my professional career too. Listening to the orchestra play that iconic Tchaikovsky music can transport me through time, with so many meaningful memories from the long journey that has led me here.

It is a huge honour to dance the role of Clara with the Norwegian National Ballet in Kaloyan Boyadjiev’s production of The Nutcracker. Story ballets have always been my favourite, and as the protagonist in this one, every performance is extremely fulfilling. There is a lot of acting involved and at the same time it is extremely demanding physically and technically, especially at the climax of the performance in a challenging “pas de deux” with The Prince.

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Usually, it takes about three to four weeks of intense coaching and gruelling rehearsals to build ourselves up to performance standards. My main motivation – as cheesy as it may sound – is to draw the audience in for a truly magical experience even if it’s just for those two hours… and most importantly, it’s all for the children! To bring them joy at Christmas and the chance to dream big, the same way that I did, when I watched The Nutcracker as a little girl.

Leyna Magbutay is currently playing Clara in The Nutcracker at Oslo Opera House.

Earlier this year, I was finally able to return to Europe two years after Covid. I returned to the Glyndebourne Festival where finally I performed at the premiere, making my La bohème debut. I almost made my debut as Romeo in Korea last year, but it was delayed because of the pandemic. But now, I’m finally playing my dream role as Romeo here at Malmö Opera.

It’s actually the third time I’m singing at Malmö Opera as the main role, so from my experience, I feel Sweden is very open. The industry used to be predominantly white but I feel like this is changing.

For me, the experience of singing here in Sweden is really special because we perform for many audiences every day and they always respond to us singers with warm applause. The theatre itself provides a high level of welfare for the singers too, which allows us to focus on the performance, through a systemic and safe practice system. I’m very inspired by Swedish tenor Jussi Björling who sings by heart and with a warm voice. Like him, I aspire to be a singer who plays music that touches the hearts of many people.

Sehoon Moon played Romeo in Romeo & Juliet at Malmö Opera.

One of the main reasons why I entered the music industry is because I love to sing. I know it sounds like a cliche, but it is one of the things I do best. While singing, I always feel at home. The greatest part is when I can move people with my voice. Whitney Houston has always been a big inspiration for me, since I was a little girl. I felt seen and very inspired by not only her voice, but also how strong and powerful she was. As a black girl, it was amazing to have a role model with the same skin colour and hair.

When I was 11-years-old I won a singing contest with Whitney’s ‘I Have Nothing’ in my hometown and that moment definitely inspired me to keep going. Years later, I landed the leading part in the Danish version of the big musical The Bodyguard and had to fill Whitney’s shoes with her iconic role and all my favourite songs of hers. It was a dream come true.

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As a person of colour in a place like Scandinavia, sometimes you can feel alone, like you are the odd one out. That is why it is important to me that I represent people like me. In that sense, I feel a huge responsibility, because it is important to show people of colour that there is nothing you can't do and that I see you. We need more people of colour in not only the music and performing industry but every industry! We need to be represented. And now that I am pregnant with my first child (a girl) it seems more important to me than ever to make a difference.

My mum, a dancer, decided to sign me up for ballet classes when I was three years old. Little did she know, her little girl would quickly fall in love with the art form and soon pursue it as a profession. Fast forward to the present day, I have recently been appointed as Principal Dancer at the Royal Swedish Ballet and am the first soloist dancing the role of Askungen.

There have been many remakes of the classic ballets to make them more modernised, such as Askungen. My character is a refugee who is taken into an orphanage and learns to dance. While it follows the typical trope of meeting a prince and falling in love, the ballet includes many unique sets, loveable characters, and beautiful costumes by Christian La Croix.

This is a show that truly allows me to fulfil my childhood fantasies of becoming a princess and I hope to see you at the show.

Madeline Woo is currently playing Askungen in Askungen at Stockholm’s Kungliga Operan (The Royal Swedish Opera).

I come from a very musical family where everyone sings and plays instruments so I got sucked into that world very quickly and loved it. However, I didn’t think that music would be part of my professional career, but more of a hobby. After being part of a number of amateur productions in my hometown, I completely fell in love with musical theatre and wanted to educate myself to pursue it as my career. Ever since I finished my studies at The Danish National School of Performing Arts, I have been blessed to be part of some amazing productions in Denmark, including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Prince of Egypt and Tarzan.

All of this has ultimately led to me being part of Hamilton in Hamburg, which is literally a dream come true. I have wanted to be in Hamilton ever since I first saw the show on Broadway, and taking on the challenge of performing it in its first translated version (in German) has been nerve wracking but exciting at the same time.

I am very grateful for every Danish production that I’ve been part of. They have all shaped me as an artist and led me to this new great chapter in my life and career, and I am definitely a proud and grateful member of the Scandinavian industry. It is wonderful to see the development and the more broad perspective of what art can be. This certainly includes diversity, and even though we can and should go a lot further in that direction, I am happy that we are moving forward instead of standing still.

Duluckshan Jeyaratnam is currently playing alternate for Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr in Hamilton at Hamburg’s Stage Opera House.