WILDTOPIA by Karen Toftegaard ApS
'My purpose is to facilitate processes or bring you art experiences that helps you understand yourself, the ones different from yourself and the world you're a part of' Karen Toftegaard
Our director Karen Toftegaard is an award-winning entrepreneur who is specialized in creativity processes, festival creation/development, the strengths and challenges in the cultural field - founded in historical knowledge and experience, a strong communicator in inspirational talks, in articles and as published author about creativity - 'Brug din kreativitet'. She facilitates learning- and cognition processes in workshops, mentoring processes and counseling sessions.
We have collaborated with graphic designer Jakob Rønlov for more than ten years and we scale the team up and down so it matches the tasks - both in Denmark and in the UK, where we work from in the month of August - Edinburgh Festivals. Production manager Sára Bocz has been associated since 2019 and UK-based Press responsible Michelle Mangan since 2022. Furthermore we have cultivated a group of people with great spirits that join us when needed - both in Edinburgh and in Copenhagen. Much gratitude for that.
PEOPLE SAY:
“Karen is an active listener and responds to what she hears with clear, sharp rearticulations and provocations in ways where you understand your own thoughts and experience in a clearer way. She generously brings in her very broad catalogue of experience and uses language and reflections on language in a way that is very useful. She is wholly present and opens up a co-creative space that makes you feel at ease and respected as an equal.”
Katrina Bugaj (DK)
Artistic director, Out of Balance
“Karen has a warm and welcoming presence and quickly builds trust within the group, enabling participants to dive in and open up. She made space for various needs within the group, providing exercises for reflection and explorations together with tools for further artistic development. The work is done with humour and respect and creates an atmosphere of generosity and support.”
Ólöf Ingólfsdóttir (ISL)
Choreographer
“Karen is a compassionate advisor while at the same time she is also a sharp devil's advocate. An ability I greatly appreciate as it brings Sydhavn Teater and myself as theater director forward. She is quick to analyze a situation and cut to the core of the problem - with her great human and media understanding she made me reflect and by that develop both the theatre ad myself as a leader.”
Mille Maria Dalsgaard (DK)
Founding Artistic director, Sydhavn Teater