Independent Performing in Norway

independent performing a r t s in norway independent performing a r t s in norway independent performing Published by The Norwegian Association for Performing Arts (NAPA). Supported by The Norwegian Foreign Affairs. a r t s Design: Nina Lykke in Printed by Prinfo Unique Norway, november 2010 norway Published by The Norwegian Association for Performing Arts (NAPA). Supported by The Norwegian Foreign Affairs. contents introduction ....................................................9 norwegian avant-garde theatre by elisabeth leinslie ..........................................16 an historical outline of dance in norway by knut ove arntzen ................... 118 litterature ........................................................ 148 presentation of the writers ............................ 154 norwegian performing arts organisations ..... 154 programming theatres in norway................... 155 festivals in norway ......................................... 155 photos ............................................................ 158 6 7 competence support, political advocacy and introduction reflecting is just as relevant today as it was before. This gives us the key of understand- ing of how the performing arts evolve and where the strong and weak parts lie. This en- ables both the field itself and the politicians to make the priorities for a healthy situation for the performing arts. This is a perspective that will never reach its final conclusions; we he Norwegian Association of Per- need to go on and on. forming Arts/NAPA (1977), the doc- Hence NAPA still is dedicated to the inde- T umentation, information and compe- pendent performing arts in Norway, organ- tence centre, was established to support and ised as a network organisation with 93 par- identify the interests, needs and ambitions ticipating companies, representing a diversity of the independent professional companies of artistic expressions; theatre, dance, pup- in Norway. It was a main goal also to work petry, physical theatre, visual theatre, music as an advocacy body on a political level to theatre, modern opera, circus, interdisciplin- improve and strengthen the creative condi- ary expressions and more. The independent tions and tools for the independent perform- field reflects contemporary strategies, innova- ing arts. About thirty years on, the artistic tion and artistic research. Through these ini- and social context has changed. Initiatives tiatives and activities, the sector of indepen- then defined as «fringes and periphery», we dent performing arts, always has been part now recognize as going into the main core of the vibrating and dynamic international of the Norwegian contemporary perform- landscape of contemporary performing arts. ing art sector. The need of documentation, International orientation and activities have 8 9 always been strong aspects of the indepen- way and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. dent performing arts. NAPA’s main objec- Due to this NAPA also has an official man- tives today is to inform, document, reflect date of fortifying the theatre and dance as art and connect creators, organisers and artists expressions and to stimulate the growth of a on a national as well as on an international new audience as well as a mandate given by level. And to merge this sector and the com- the independent professional companies. panies into the cultural ecosystem of the arts We are now (2010) launching our docu- in Norway, in which political advocacy will mentation and information site; sceneweb. be a core objective. no. This site intends to be Since 2003 we have administrated the your guide and navigator The independent travel funds on behalf of the Ministry of For- into both the history and field reflects eign Affairs, to support the international mo- the current activities of the contemporary bility in the field of independent performing independent performing strategies, inno- arts. This is done by NAPA as a result of a arts. long-term strategy of the Ministry of Foreign Since 2001 we have vation and artis- Affairs, defined as ”open diplomacy”. This edited scenekunst.no to- tic research. strategy makes the Ministry able to work gether with The Associa- closely with the civil society and opens a dy- tion of Norwegian Theatres and Orchestras namic «bridge of communication» between (the organisation focusing on the theatre the cultural field and the Ministry. Other institutions). The website emphasises news, organisations in this system are for instance debate and reviews concerning the whole Norwegian Hand Craft, Office for Contem- field of performing arts in Norway, includ- porary Art (OCA), Music Information Cen- ing both the independent companies and the tre (MIC). institutions. NAPA is supported by Arts Council Nor- Due to the high international mobility of 10 11 Norwegian contemporary companies and forming arts, this booklet will have to refer artists, we saw the need of creating an infor- the reader to the main websites for further mative booklet telling the short story of the investigation and information. Please take independent field, as well as connect you to this opportunity for a guideline into the field what is going on today. of Norwegian contemporary performing art This booklet hopes to give you the infor- landscape. mation needed to investigate the Norwegian Independent Performing arts field. As we started to work with the idea of Oslo, October 2010-09-28 this booklet, the Japanese Professor Emeritus Mitsuya Mori, Seijo University/director of the International Ibsen Festival in Tokyo, TOVE BRATTEN initiated publishing an anthology of Contem- Director of Danse-og teatersentrum/the porary Performing Arts in Nordic Countries Norwegian Association of Performing Arts, for this years’ festival. Knut Ove Arntzen, Supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; associated Professor in Theatre studies, Uni- Norway. versity of Bergen, and adviser in NAPA and Elisabeth Leinslie, Master in Theatre studies from the University of Oslo, were asked to write the Norwegian contribution on dance and theatre. Thanks to Professor Mori’s initiative, we were allowed to use the texts from his publication, slightly adjusted to this new context. Due to the live dynamics and artistic changes of the independent per- 12 13 he Norwegian theatre landscape is vast and heterogeneous; as different T as the cultures and the geographies of this long-stretched country. It is impossible to produce a fair image of it all in one single article, and I will not make an attempt to do so. I will concentrate on the independent companies, or more specifically the part of the field norwegian of independent performing arts emphasising the progressive contemporary theatre we find avant-garde among avant-garde artists. In other words; the artists who break the norms and the rules and innovatively investigate within their ar- theatre tistic field. These are the artists who open for new ways of thinking of and creating theatre, BY ELISABETH LEINSLIE new ways to tell a narrative, new ways to win the audiences’ attention. From time to time this theatre has revolutionised the art of theatre, its expression and content. Sometimes the change has lasted only for a moment, other events have left deep and continuous traces in Norwegian theatre history. The avant-garde theatre always has op- posed the conformist theatre expressions – criticism and challenge of theatre conven- 16 17 tions and institutions are part of the nature of diversity of theatre genres differing from the the avant-garde. These artists have discussed classical psychological-realism in Norwegian the correlation between artistic experiment, institutions. We have seen visually oriented, technologic innovation and societal changes, fragmented, collage-like and interdisciplinary and the relationship between artist, artwork performances reminding of the deconstruction and spectator. Art-internal criticism indirectly of the avant-garde theatre in the 1980es and also includes an element of consensus formu- the 1990es. We encounter hybrid expressions lation, due to the fact that artists can make inside as well as outside institutions today. clear what is central to Theatre expressions arising through explora- Criticism and chal- the dominating theatre tion by smaller independent groups are in lenge of theatre practice: What theatre other words often adapted by the institutions. conventions and is, what the social But it has to be underlined that still it is first situation in the theatre and foremost within the circles outside the institutions are part is, which functions it large institutions exploration is leading art of the nature of has, which aesthetic into new cutting-edge expressions and state- the avant-garde. and dramaturgic sets ments. of rules dominate and A theatre project taking place outside of which kinds of opinion-making rule. In the national or regional institutions will always, Norwegian context the dominating tradition in economic terms, be an impoverished the- has been the psychological-realist bourgeois atre. Unpredictable working conditions (eco- theatre, and Norwegian theatre avant-garde nomically, structurally and organisationally) from an early time demonstrated its wish to always has characterised reality for artists distance itself from it in choice of expression choosing to work outside the institutions. and context. This article will discuss parts of the national During the past 10 years we have seen a ecosystem theatre outside institutions has 18 19 worked and still works in. In Norway we were characterised

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