Ola Johansson

I have developed my professional profile over the past twenty-five years as academic and artistic researcher, pedagogue and cultural diplomat. Currently I am Director of Studies at the Theatre Academy in Malmö, where I have engaged in three strands of education: first, in operational management of quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation procedures as well as equality policies; second, in capacity building of freestanding courses (fristående kurser) and commissioned educational provisions (uppdragsutbildningar); and, third, as lecturer of the course Contemporary International Performing Arts (Samtida internationell scenkonst). In previous functions I have taught devised performance/collaborative creation, applied theatre, performance analysis, drama analysis, theatre history, postcolonial sudies, community mediation and conflict negotiation.

I am an accredited Expert at the European Research Executive Agency (REA) in the European Commission where I select and evaluate Horizon Europe proposals in the areas of arts, culture and democracy online and offline.

I served as Counsellor for Cultural Affairs at the Swedish Embassy in Beijing (2020-2023), with strategic oversight of cultural projects and exchanges as well as public diplomacy.

Moreover, I have conducted consultancies in international contexts with civil society organisations with special foci on interactive community mediation, conflict negotiation and peaceful reconciliation.

I have also worked as a cultural journalist and theatre critic for Svenska Dagbladet (2000-2005) and made a short documentary film about community theatre as HIV prevention for CNN.