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 ar- ticle, and I will not make an attempt to do so. I will concentrate on the independent compa- nies, 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 the- atre, its expression and content. Sometimes the change has lasted only for a moment, oth- er 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 by parochialism, closed- use the terms independent companies and mindedness and anxiety for the unknown. independent performing arts about this part Due to war and post-war rationing Norway of the theatrical landscape. These terms have had been secluded from international cur- existed in Norway since the 1960es. That was rents. Most of what came from abroad was the time where we could first see the sprouts regarded with scepticism, including Nor- of this avant-garde theatre beginning to grow. wegian theatre artists with international During the 1960es the Norwegian theatre education and practice. The conditions were landscape mainly consisted of large institu- provincial and those who dared to attempt in- tions staging classical theatre for the bour- novation were often opposed and ridiculed. geois. The underground was marginal, but it Into this cultural community came an existed. Italian trained in the Polish physical, plastic and visually oriented theatre. The theatrical The 1960es tradition broke with the conform institutions In 1964 Italian Eugenio Barba established dominating our theatre landscape at the time. the company Odin Teatret in Oslo. He had Barba was not well received, even though he arrived in Norway after several years’ work only used Norwegian co-workers – actors at Jerzy Grotowski’s theatre laboratory in Po- not accepted by The National Academy of land. Barba had visited Norway earlier1, and Theatre. Odin Teatret’s stay in Norway was Norway was where he wanted to be. short-lived. In 1965 the company opened its In the beginning of the 1960es Norway first production Ornitofilene, based on Jens was an impoverished culture nation. We were Bjørneboe’s2 The Bird Lovers. After this they still hanging back in the fifties – one of the got no governmental support to continue their most conform and conventional decade the work. However, the company had toured the country has experienced. The cultural circles Nordic countries with Ornitofilene. They had

20 21 22 23 been well received everywhere, in particular decades, was Scene 7 in Oslo. Scene 7 was in Denmark, and the city of Holstebro invited started in 1966 as a subsection of Club 74. them to create a theatre laboratory there. It was a small, open theatre with a breath of Hence Odin Teatret moved to Holstebro in international air. The theatre manager Sossen 1966, a town threatened by depopulation. Krohg phrased the experimental theatre’s pro- Holstebro invited Odin Teatret as a city plan- file as an open theatre; open to new theatre ning initiative, and it turned out to be smart genres, new drama and new actors.5. The po- strategy. Odin Teatret still is located in Hol- litical radicalisation of the sixties was march- stebro, where its presence has contributed to ing into Norway, even reviving the town. though the culturally con- Most of what Norwegian theatre lost a rich resource servative still dominated, came from when Odin Teatret emigrated. This is how and for those hungry for abroad was Jens Bjørneboe described it in an essay in avant-garde theatre and in- regarded with 1970: «The fact is, that the only Scandina- ternational impulses, Scene vian avant-garde theatre achieving European 7/Club 7 was the place to scepticism. reputation, to really has had significance in go. professional international basis; that theatre In the symbolic year of 1968 a new art was founded and developed in Oslo, and un- centre opened, which along with Club 7 con- fortunately, further fact is that young Norwe- tributed to the capital’s countercultural art gian actors and directors never bothered to go environment; The Henie Onstad Art Centre to watch it. The only innovative avant-garde (HOK) in Høvikodden in Bærum (neighbour- theatre arose in Oslo, but it went almost un- ing municipality to Oslo). The scepticism of noticed by.»3 the new art centre was widespread among Another avant-garde theatre, not to go un- young artists, due to it being private persons, noticed by, but rather living for almost two very rich private persons, who were sponsor-

24 25 ing the party.6 But the young artists’ initial radicals of Eastern Norway, the general Nor- scepticism was soon shamed. HOK rapidly wegian cultural community still was charac- became a central venue for contemporary terised by provincial narrow-mindedness and art and culture. The building was filled with conservatism. For a long time these attitudes the most advanced technology for its time were to prove they were deeply rooted in and youth, rock, punk and other countercul- Norwegian mentality. Jan Erik Vold, one of tural expressions were welcomed. In a time Norway’s contemporary poets, explains it where modernism (now history in the rest of the following way: «Høvikodden, along with Europe) still represented something new and Club 7, contributed to the countercultural unknown to the general Norwegian public, golden age of the capital, a golden age bit more radical artists and audience could ex- for bit blown up when market liberalism, perience experimental international visiting plutocracy, vulgar mentality, a tabloid public plays and workshops in HOK. The outside and social-democratic politicians devoid of vi- impulses included the radical shift towards sion set the tone for Oily Norway the last 15 the performative in the arts seen in Europe years of the previous century […] During the and USA during the last half of the 1960es. 1960es, 70es and 80es, Høvikodden was the Interdisciplinary aesthetic was established as institution from the neighbouring municipal- a norm in avant-garde art. Norwegian arts ity which, along with Club 7 in the capital, were brought in contact with important in- made Oslo a fully up-to-date city for interna- ternational trends – in a time where outside tional modernism and avant-garde. The lead impulses were still a rarity in Norway. Hence the other Scandinavian capitals previously HOK gave new inspiration to and became an had held was now closed in on. After the mu- oasis for free experimentation for the avant- nicipality of Oslo struck Club 7 dead in 1985 garde of the Norwegian art circles. Høvikodden for a long time stood alone in Despite the optimism among cultural maintaining this tradition.»7

26 27 The 1970es pendent groups who made sure that the chil- Norway entered the 1970es backed by the dren were allowed to experience theatre. political changes of the 1960es. The country The cultural field in Norway still was small experienced significant shifts in cultural policy and narrow, with conventional institutions on during the early 1970es. Among other things, one side and strong political movements (with the nation started emphasising the periphery, the communist party AKP-ML at a pinnacle) and some decentralisation of performing arts on the other. The political movements created began. This was a necessity, the politicians internal theatre-political opposites, tension thought, considering built and in 1978 it ended in two fractions The independent that most of the field among the actors; the freelancers and those companies rep- of performing arts was wishing to protect steady employment.9 At resented a large located in Oslo and the time 155 freelance actors were registered partly Bergen. For now in Norway, and it was almost impossible for share of the the- it went: Performing arts them to find work. atre activity in the for as many people as The growth and development of indepen- periphery. possible, from all layers dent performing arts scene during the 1970es of society. Decentralisa- were closely connected to the political radical- tion within cultural politics during this time isation of Norway. Many artists sought new emphasised strengthening the regional and ideals and were inspired to work with theatre the local culture on its own terms.8 Regional in new and alternative ways. They wanted theatres were built, touring systems developed to create their own professional tradition; and outreaching theatre was a priority. The to create and convey theatre in other ways independent companies represented a large than was done within the traditional institu- share of the theatre activity in the periphery tional theatre. The anti-institutionalism in the the years to come. It was also mainly the inde- 1970es generation of artists presented in the

28 29 ways they specialised and renewed theatre. It part in the examination of the social aspect of presented in new working methods, new com- theatre. As mentioned above, the independent munication methods and new aesthetics. theatre companies were touring and reaching The working methods often revolved out to its audiences to a larger degree than around a collective process principle. The the institutions. One of the main reasons was organisation of the artistic work was democ- that the artists wanted to break down social ratised – the ideal was a flat organisational and cultural barriers and to renew the stage- structure in which the artists of the group floor correlation. They wanted to blow their worked under equal conditions. Everyone was way out of the bourgeois venue and to exam- to take part in the artistic process as well as ine the social aspect of theatre. They did by other parts of the process. They personally reaching out to new audience groups through did all; they were drivers, riggers, they washed alternative presentation policies, by producing and cleaned. theatre for new target groups and by empha- By experimenting with and researching sising societal criticism in the performances’ new theatrical expressions the independent content.11 groups wanted a break from traditional the- One of the target groups for which the atre expressions. It resulted first and foremost independent theatre groups made a large job with a break with psychological realism and was children. The independent companies’ the fourth wall. It resulted in theatre marked significance for theatre for children was large by three main directions; political theatre at the time and still is today. In other words a inspired by revue/variety, agitation theatre in- significant effort was made to create innova- spired by Brecht and physical theatre inspired tive theatre for children and youth as early as by Grotowski and Artaud among others.10 during the 1970es. One of the theatre com- This exploration of alternative theatre lan- panies central in this early work was named guages, as seen in the 1970es, played a large Musidra. Musidra was established in 1971

32 33 and is said to be the oldest independent the- Perleporten shared this destiny with other atre group in Norway. The company worked central companies, including Tramteatret and on experimenting ‘with new musical drama Saltkompagniet. expressions for children and youth, touring While the members of Perleporten defined with its productions. as socialists and anarchists Tramteatret was Perleporten Teatergruppe also produced associated with the Marxist-Leninists. Tram- performances for children (but mainly for teatret was founded in 1976 in Oslo and the adults). For the «first» time Norwegian 11 members voted always to be on the side children and their parents were exposed to of the weak and the sup- theatre raising difficult subjects, for instance pressed, in reaching out to They wanted to child abuse. Perleporten was established in the full citizenry of Nor- blow their way Oslo in March 1975 by Karl Hoff, Birgit way. This is how the com- out of the bour- Christensen and Catrine Telle. They defined pany introduced itself in geois venue. as socialists and anarchists and wanted to 1978: «Our starting point work with political theatre. They displayed is that we regard Norway significant involvement in community through as a class-divided society and we wish to use their treatment of subjects such as the core the theatre working for the suppressed classes. family, the estranged human being, the bour- We believe that political theatre can contrib- geois, weapon industry, capitalism, war, atom ute to creating discussion and criticism and power and women’s liberation. The company perhaps trace to political action. We are pro was characterised by sharp texts and a mix socialist Norway, against all imperialism, and of acting styles. Perleporten survived for nine we work for a popular, progressive theatre years, shutting down deciding that is was irre- springing out from cooperation with the peo- sponsible to run a theatre under the economic ple and the communities we try to describe.»13 and practical conditions they were left with.12 Tramteatret made political theatre within

34 35 the expression of revue, emphasising music. Grenland Friteater was one of the very However, they were soon performing in one few theatre companies established during the of the large rental venues in Oslo, Chat Noir, 1970es to survive the 1980es (the company and on TV and became object to criticism by still exists). The willingness to produce com- colleagues for selling out, despite the fact that mercial productions bringing income may they mainly made the same kind of theatre have been a reason, but as can insisting on they always had. maintaining the particular project, a project Grenland Friteater was founded in the mid growing by the years. Since 1980 he company 70es, and their ideal and starting point was has been responsible for the most important Brecht.14 In other words, the priority was to part of Porsgrunn’s theatre offering, in terms develop new artistic expressions and to create of own productions and Norwegian and in- its own distinct theatre tradition. Grenland ternational visiting plays. Grenland Friteater Friteater was established in 1976 and quickly has gone from being considered innovative wrote itself into the physical theatre tradition and different to being an example of a the- inspired by Grotowski, Barba, Meyerhold og atre historical tradition. Today the company Ingemar Lindh’s theatre work, among oth- represents something basically different from ers, later also theatre anthropologic inspira- the institutions and from the avant-garde. The tions. Grenland Friteater has been described same development the company shared and both as extremely outré in its expression shares with other companies, like for instance and extremely popular, due to its theatrical Stella Polaris (1985-ongoing) and Saltkom- work having been marked by two different pagniet (1977-1984). directions; 1) performances for adults, being Towards the end of the 1970es the number innovative, narrow and experimental and 2) of companies was still modest and activity market-oriented, popular, physical and comi- still low, compared to the latter decades. Part cal performances.15 of the reason was that the unemployment

36 37 38 39 among actors was very low at the time. Dur- ganisation for independent theatre and ballet ing the 1970es The National Academy of companies in Norway. Including other things, Theatre was the only education option within Teatersentrum was to work for a govern- performing arts in Norway, and the academy mental support system for the independent educated the exact number of actors to cover companies in particular. The organisational the needs of the institutions. Few actors were model was inspired by corresponding organ- educated abroad for later to return to Nor- isations in Sweden and Denmark. Among way. Several of the groups established during the companies behind Teatersentrum were the 1970es sprang out from amateur and stu- Collage Dansekompani, Danseloftet, Duk- dent theatres, and many artists were without keteaterverkstedet, Filiokus formal theatre education. This led to the field Teatret, Fri Ballett (Free In February 1977 being involuntarily branded as amateurs, a Ballet), Grenland Friteater, Teatersentrum stigma taking a long time to shake off. Hovik Ballet, Musidra, was established. In 1977 the approximately 16 independent Perleporten Teatergruppe, theatre and dance companies existing at the Saltkompagniet, Teater 4, Teater Rundt-Om- time gathered. They had several wishes and kring, Thesbiteatret (The Thesbi Theatre) and needs in common; awareness and increased Tramteatret.16 The same summer the compa- status of the field of independent performing nies arranged the first theatre festival for inde- arts, presentation of performances, collabora- pendent companies in Norway.17 tion across companies and fortifying of the economy. In February 1977 Teatersentrum The 1980es was established (later it changed its name to During the 1980es the number of indepen- Danse- og teatersentrum and got its official dent performing artists increased significantly. English name: The Norwegian Association This is connected to the fact that independent of Performing Arts/NAPA) – an interest or- performing groups were accepted into the na-

40 41 tional budget in 1982, with support to man- agement and production. In 1988 the system was changed into a three-part system divided between three-year and one-year management support, plus singular projects support. An- other element was initiated in 1988; the qual- ity of the artistic work of the companies was to be considered. During the 1980es we could see a sig- nificant shift from company organisation towards project organisation. Several of the predominant companies established during the 1970es shut down (as described above). Some of the artists, however, continued their work through singular projects. Alas, the project theatre increased its importance towards the end of the decade (project the- atre is defined as persons gathering for the purpose of one project). With the project theatre director’s theatre also grew within Norwegian experimental theatre. We also saw another working method growing – one reminding of the flat structure held as an ideal during the 1970es. Now, however, not just theatre artists and musicians gathered

42 43 to make a theatre or musical theatre pro- text) plus hierarchies come to effects. Hence duction, now visual artists as well as sound the avant-garde theatre was led into post- artists, video artists, literature artists and dramatic dramaturgy – a way to consider performing artists came together to produce theatre being significant to parts of the field works in which the interdisciplinary was the of independent performing arts in Norway very idea. Formal experiments across media until today. and artistic genres made the focal point of this theatre work. Inspiration was clearly Other dramaturgies found in performance In Norway, the term likestilt dramaturgi, The avant-garde art, conceptual art and meaning equivalent dramaturgy, is used re- theatre was led minimalism. In other ferring to postdramatic theatre, in which all into postdramatic words the sprout of the means of expression are put on equal footing. inter-aesthetic shift in Regularly the term is criticised for being uto- dramaturgy. Norwegian theatre, be- pian and near useless in the field of practice. ginning to grow in the This criticism is founded in a misunderstand- Henie Onstad Art Centre avant-garde during ing; the term does not mean that all means of the 1960es, grew stronger during the 1980es. expression has to be equivalent in practically The postmodernist ideas of deconstruction every production, all productions will empha- had only reached a marginal theatre field in sise some elements more than others. Rather Norway. The ideals within deconstruction the term refers to an equivalent mindset based consisted of dissolving hierarchies; process in an interdisciplinary approach (as described hierarchies (a tendency in reality seen since above). Under this approach it is not given the first groups’ democratisation of the work that the text rules the theatre work and the- process) and opinion hierarchies (within the- atre expression, any element can be ruling. In atre this led to breaking down the rule of the other words, the equal status reflects a kind of

44 45 democratisation of the theatre work – also re- The avant-garde theatre of the 1980es flected in laboratory-based working methods often was strongly visually oriented (despite and organisational models. emphasising the inter-aesthetics); the picto- Aesthetically the term equivalent refers to rial effect as such being the central effect, a dramaturgic structure in which the elements which led to experimenting with the frontal- are connected under an equal-status mindset. ity of the space, or two-dimensionality. One It is no longer so that the visual, corporal, wished to present the performance space as a technological or audible elements are to cede two-dimensional image rather than a three- for the dramatic text. Rather the theatre work dimensional space. A consequence of treating and the textual work enter a synthesis in the room as two-dimensional was that the which development goes parallel. Postdramat- dimension of time was expanded. The rela- ic theatre has broken away from the dramatic tively limited movement in different space narration and the epic drama, meaning that dimensions opened for an expanded move- it rejects the linear story structure being the ment in different time dimensions. Due to this fundament of our classical theatre. In other emphasis of the visual in the work the term words this theatre challenges the text-based visual dramaturgy18 arouse towards the end of theatre tradition, not in terms of assassinating the 1980es.19 the theatre text, rather in terms of expanding the understanding of the text. Text collage New arenas may be the most precise term. This kind of In the 80es, Oslo International Theatre Fes- theatre text is not solely based on dialogue, tival provided important artistic influences but mixes all kinds of texts: monologues, dia- to the independent performing arts scene in logues, poetry, theoretical arguments and text Oslo/Norway. In Bergen, in the middle of the fragments from a diversity of fiction and non- 1980es, there was a very fruitful artistic and fiction genres. academic cultural environment of large sig-

46 47 48 49 nificance for the development and innovation guard. The name was ironic – as an attempt within Norwegian contemporary theatre. Art- to recycle the classic avant-garde in a post- ists and academics contributed to pioneering modernist perspective. In other words, Bak- in the establishment of Bergen International truppen was among the first companies to Theatre Festival in 1983; an annual festival introduce a post-modernist mindset in Nor- programming Norwegian and international wegian theatre. The company worked fol- performing arts. In 1990 BIT became a full- lowing an equal-footing mindset, in process year venue; BIT Teatergarasjen. Like Black and aesthetics. Baktruppen developed per- Box Teater20 in Oslo and Avant Garden21 in formances through spon- Trondheim, BIT has for a number of years taneous games with the They are among been responsible for co-producing and pre- text material and used text the best ex- senting high-quality visiting performances in new and experimental amples of inter- by Norwegian and international productions manners. The company is disciplinary work and companies. The foundation of the three known for working with venues led to more and better performing op- irony and playing with within Norwegian tions for independent companies and project recycling the avant-garde theatre. theatres. approaches to theatre and performance art. Baktruppen mixes acting Front guards styles and has among other things developed The company Baktruppen grew out of the an acting consciousness regarding imperfec- cultural circles in Bergen during the mid- tion, dilettantism and no-point theatre23. The 1980es. Some people claim it all began with self-inflicted «amateurism» questions what is Baktruppen.22 Baktruppen was established «correct» theatre, commenting the assump- in Bergen in 1986. The name indicated the tions and the practices seen in the theatre’s opposite of avant-garde, meaning the rear conventional craft tradition. Baktruppen’s

50 51 theatre left the assumptions of what is popu- of Baktruppen. The production opened in lar and what is high-brow dead. In other Henie Onstad Art Centre the spring of 1988, words, Baktruppen’s work contained discus- later touring in Denmark, Finland, Germany, sion of the traditional craft theatre – criti- Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland.24 cism the group contributed to introducing to Baktruppen took interest in Norway’s Norway, still seen in its work today. drama canon Henrik Ibsen from an early When the aesthetic quality of the experi- stage. But obviously they didn’t stage his ence as such is no longer the core of the dramas in the traditional way: In 1988 Bak- issue, but the conceptual quality of the expe- truppen used Brand as a foundation for the rience, we arrive to question what theatre is production Everything in which Brand’s con- meant to be. The opposition between theatre flict was manifested in a 5,5 meter tall tower as a meeting between people and theatre of steel. In 1990 the company performed as purely cultivated aesthetic perfection be- When we dead awaken, based on Ibsen’s comes a central issue. Alas, Baktruppen does drama. In the latter they attempted to stage not work under an ideal of aesthetic perfec- it in a manner not requiring understanding tion, but rather a mindset emphasising the of Norwegian. The text was structured in social meeting between work and spectator sequences, movement patterns and sound. – in which the idea of theatre as situation is a The same year Baktruppen arranged a theat- fundamental principle. rical football match between Ibsen’s women Baktruppen is one of several Norwegian and Strindberg’s men in Treptower Park in companies whose international activity level Berlin. Baktruppen’s early Ibsen work is now is high, through visiting performances and regarded as an introduction on how to inter- workshops (as early as 1990 the company pret Ibsen anew.25 was based in Berlin). Germania Tod in Berlin Another front guard working at an inter- (1988) was the international breakthrough national level, springing out from the Bergen

52 53 circles from the 1980es is Verdensteatret (es- New Norwegian drama and tablished by Lisbeth Bodd and Asle Nilsen in text-based theatre 1986). Bodd and Nilsen had experience from The independent theatre companies have at theatre science and visual arts respectively, all times been champions for developing new and they still are artistic directors for the texts for the theatre, through staging con- company. Verdensteatret defines as an artist temporary drama and through developing collective rather than a theatre company, and texts in the process of production. Anne-May is among the best examples of interdisciplin- Nilsen was a burning soul in this for many ary work within Norway’s theatre avant- years. Among other things, she started the garde. Verdensteatret got its breakthrough workshop project Det Åpne Teater (The Open when beginning to purely cultivate an in- Theatre) in 1983. Nilsen wanted to create a terdisciplinary expression in combination counterpoint to the inflexible attitudes con- with a distinct work in using and developing cerning use of drama on Norwegian stages. At new technology. This particular work broke the time the theatres mainly staged Ibsen and through to the audience with the produc- international classics, plus international con- tion Concert for Greenland in 2004 (which temporary drama already succeeding abroad. they got the Bessie Award for in 2006), but The workshop model provided an option for we had seen the initiation of it already in the playwrights to test and discuss their plays 2000 and 2001 in the productions Régla and (including plays already refused by other the- TSALAL. Mixing the interdisciplinary and atres) in workshops and open readings with new technology has been a trademark of the actors and directors. Det Åpne Teater was work ever since, and today Verdensteatret is the first and for long the only workshop the- at the pinnacle of this expression internation- atre in the Nordic countries for new drama. ally.26 27 In 1986 the three-year project was remade a foundation, and in 2010 Det Åpne Teater

54 55 transformed into Dramatikkens Hus (literally: Friteater, Baktruppen and Verdensteatret all The House of Drama); a national competence either created their own texts, processed text and development centre for stage texts. collage, staged new drama or developed texts In 1985 Foreningen Norsk Samtidsdrama- through process work. In Northern Norway tikk (The Association for Norwegian Con- (Tromsø) a company was founded in 1983 temporary Drama) started The Norwegian with working for creating new drama as Drama Festival (NDF) to stimulate produc- one of its purposes. The company was To- tion of new Norwegian drama. To begin with, talteatret, acknowledged NDF is a one-act competition for Norwegian already after its first pro- Within this field playwrights. The winners have their plays duction. In 2001 Totalt- we have seen staged or presented during The Norwegian eatret ceased to exist, but the largest de- Drama Festival28. Another effort is Den Unge the company’s two most gree of develop- Scenen (DUS, a new platform for youth and central and stable artists ment and stag- drama, literally: The Young Stage). DUS was (Kristin Eriksen Bjørn and established in 2004 to increase the level of Bernt Bjørn) started a new ing of new texts. theatre for youth in Norway. DUS commis- company with a vision to sions and develops drama written for youth premiere contemporary playwrights; Ferske by professional playwrights. The texts are Scener, in 2003. On its webpage the company performed by youth in regional festivals and a describes its work: «Ferske Scener is a text- national festival.29 based contemporary company. Our produc- Despite the above-mentioned efforts (NDF tions are developed in close cooperation with and DUS) it is within the independent theatre the writers. We examine what a stage text is, companies we have seen the largest degree of or can be, and work with epic as well as rea- development and staging of new texts. Per- soning texts.»30 leporten Teatergruppe, Tramteatret, Grenland

58 59 The periphery blossoms these centres, but they also contained power- Surviving as a small theatre company in the ful international shifts – as seen for instance at institutionalised and conformist Theatre-Oslo Bergen International Theatre. was not easy at the time. We have seen that several of the groups establishing during the The 1990es 1970es ceased to exist during the mid-1980es, During the 1990es individualism flowed over this despite the fact that supporting systems Norway. Artistically and organisatorically the went their way. In 1988 a small female-domi- collective mindset fell apart – now the indi- nated company, Sampo Teater31, moved from vidual was to realize him/herself. This spread Oslo to Tromsø. Anitta Suikkari explained to the theatre as well; individual artists’ ideas, it like this: «We had reached the point when visions and creativity became the central part we had to leave Oslo, get away from the sup- of developing performances. pressing power mechanics, the ruling culture In 1998 the field of independent perform- perspective and the silence about to make us ing arts again experienced political reform paranoid. Through several visiting perfor- regarding governmental culture funds. Arts mance (…) we knew that there was a North- Council Norway’s support to manage com- ern Norway audience not yet having lost its panies ceased and all funds were assigned to ability to experience, be delighted and think singular projects. The following criteria had independently.»32 to be met to be assigned support: high artistic Strong centres for performing arts and cul- quality and artistic potential. Whether the ture established in the periphery the latter half project could signify potentially innovative of the 1980es – in Bergen, Tromsø, Trond- work also had to be considered. The project heim and Porsgrunn. These are contemporary theatre model had grown within the field art centres remaining today. Often artists were of independent performing arts during the geographically and culturally anchored in 1980es and 1990es, parallel to the increased

60 61 number of artists within the field, and this of new festivals and project theatre nationally was one of the reasons funding systems were and abroad was a reason to as well as a con- changed. At the same time the reform led to sequence of the increasing internationalisa- the project model becom- tion in Norwegian performing arts during the The artists mas- ing the working model of 1990es. tering recycling priority after 1998. The Post-modernism reached Norwegian avant- were tradition- new system sought for garde theatre widely during the 1990es. As a artistry to a larger degree consequence artists reflected deconstruction conscious and rich than before. The model and recycling in working models and aesthet- in knowledge. also reflected the public ics. Deconstruction we had encountered in a view of the field; it con- smaller number of artists and companies dur- sisted of actors and production units popping ing the 1970es and 80es. During the 1990es, out and disappearing. This was later to be dis- however, deconstruction was directed towards proved by the companies, and the Ministry of reconstruction. The artist deconstructed the Culture added that artists should be allowed classic, modernist and avant-garde theatre to apply for project support over years. and their means of expression, to put them together (reconstructing) in new manners The arrival of post-modernism in Nor- (making new compositions). We here refer wegian contemporary theatre to the traditional effects being given a return During the 1980es and 90es the artists began through new connections and compositions to realize the significance of globalisation. – a consequence of artists’ fundamentally To a larger degree they opened to a world carefree attitude to art tradition. Strategies, outside of Norway, by travelling more and by expressions and content from the rich reser- reflecting other cultures and new information/ voir of art tradition were shopped, processed communication channels in art. The growth and sampled. These strategies maintained the

62 63 heritage and served it a generous helping of the strings, transforming the sound. The im- challenges.33 age backdrop created when the figures on the Theatre art develops in correlation to for- platform were moved by the actors reminded mer art expressions, and being in dialogue of noise music. As with the piano, Verdenste- with the contemporary age is among other atret used the tradition’s means of expression things about understanding the past. This was in a somewhat changed manner – in which what artists reflected in their works through the technology was mainly what stood for recycling historic material. The artists master- the transformation of the image backdrop. ing recycling were, in other words, tradition- Further we encountered references to the mu- conscious and rich in knowledge. There are sical tradition’s minimalism, including Steve long series of productions using recycling Reich’s phase compositions and Brian Eno’s as artistic strategy, but I will here jump to ambient music/soundscapes. The work also 2004 – when the Norwegian audience was took use of a shadow theatre of sorts, remi- introduced to a work blowing the ground out niscent of Asian shadow theatres (Java, Bali of former recycling attempts. The production and the like). The expression was yet again was Concert for Greenland by Verdensteatret. transformed; the stage was turned and the In Concert for Greenland we were met by figures were placed fully visible in front of the a series of references to the art traditions of shadows. the previous century. In particular we found This way artistic inheritance is revived elements from avant-garde tendencies: the through intertextual strategies. The conse- piano (standing onstage throughout the per- quence is a game of past and presence. Pro- formance) was a clear reference to Cage and cessing and re-contextualisation of old art his prepared piano. The piano in Concert elements lead in other words to the old being for Greenland was not just equipped with presented as a presence in the new. Such a sid- objects; it also had electric cords attached to ing of historic expressions as seen in the pro-

66 67 duction of Verdensteatret illuminates the idea The consequence of art references hav- that art traditions are connected in a network ing explicit resonance in the work is that the of groups, attaching to and interacting with spectator does not have to wonder where one another. the elements originate, and can let him/her In Concert for Greenland an intertextual be moved associatively and emotionally to a game was created, a game which could from larger degree. Of course, this depends on the time to time be considered as an attempt to spectator’s knowledge of the subject. Recon- surpass tradition, in the regard that in this textualisation still contains a meta-perspective work’s intertextual game the references were by putting the old elements transformed to such a degree they no longer in play with the content of Artistic inheri- referred to the original expression. An ex- the new work. For instance tance is revived ample of the opposite, that the references are the Apocalypse Now se- through intertex- close to copied, but still recontextualised, we quence (presented in the tual strategies. encountered in Iphigeneia by Verk Produk- very beginning, before sjoner (written by Finn Iunker, opening in the actors have entered 2006). In this work many of the references the stage) is from a party sequence from the were openly laid out. The artists picked frag- military base. If regarded in the context of the ments from other artists and put them directly action onstage, where there is also a drinking into their work. We found unprocessed scenes party in a base, the movie sequence gives a from the movies Contempt (original title: Le forewarning on what will happen later in the Mépris) (Jean-Luc Godard, 1963) and Apoca- play. lypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979) and The theatre production Iphigeneia was in the program texts about the artists inspir- fragmented, detached from time and room ing the ensemble in the work of the produc- and it avoided conventions such as realistic tion were printed. role interpretations, classic dramatic structure

68 69 and a concluding end. In this regard it worked Verk Produksjoner put the modern refer- as criticism of the so-called well-shaped play, ences in play with the age-old, but rewritten criticism latent in Iunker’s text. In the text story about Agamemnon and his army. Hence Iunker critically views the madness of war. Its the modern references also included archaic motives and the individuals’ failing idea fun- layers, connected to earlier traditions. The dament are questioned and put in a timeless spectator was invited into a tradition, or context. Verk Produksjoner chose to follow several traditions, and was offered a way to and to fortify these aspects of Iunker’s text in read the work’s depth and roots. By moving the performance. They demonstrated how an between different geographic spheres, ages age-old problem repeats throughout a series and realities in this manner Verk commented of references to war in our contemporary on the repetitive in the Iphigeneia situation. In age and close history. In addition to film se- other words the composition opened for free quences and music from Apocalypse Now, it association to similar events in past and pres- included images of Rambo and George Bush ence. History repeats itself, and the characters (on the hat of Achilles) – a man from our very are stuck in their ambitions, conflicts and situ- near past seemingly delighted in justifying ations.34 mad war actions having lost their motive. The production also referred to powerful Nor- Post-dramatic theatre wegian men. Images of His Royal Highness Even though the term post-dramatic theatre Haakon and Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg did not reach Norway widely before the mil- were glued to the panties of the choir. In the lennium in retrospect we see that a large share stage design were images from Guantánamo. of the contemporary theatre explored in par- There was made parallels from all this to the ticular during the 1990es was post-dramatic Hollywood industry, often going easy in its theatre. The term was established late in treatment of war and war heroes. the 1990es by the German theatre scholar

72 73 Hans-Thies Lehmann35, and is in many ways Rather than regarding the post-dramatic as descriptive of large parts of the stage prac- opposed to theatre based in drama, Lehmann tices we still see in contemporary theatre in underlines that it is about visualising the per- Norway today. Lehmann draws lines between forming arts’ many meetings between theatre the European contemporary theatre and the and performance art via positives – as a natu- American neo-avant-garde’s aesthetic and ral development of theatre tradition. Use of socio-political experiments for then to con- text is not excluded, but the text is included in nect this to a larger theoretic discourse with- new dramaturgic constel- out leaving the theatre. Hence he establishes lations. In most kinds of It demands a a platform to describe a wide range of today’s post-dramatic theatre there contemplating performing arts, and the genres of dance, is no story in the classic ability breaking theatre and performance can all be described Aristotelian manner. Plot with the dramat- with basis in the term. is rejected, and instead we ic and the epic- Lehmann emphasises how the theatre’s his- encounter a dramaturgic tory differs from the drama’s history through- concept basically fragmen- logic perception. out the performative shift of the 1960es, tal, cultivating a multi-per- while his focus is on the here and now of the spective come to forming opinions, expression theatre’s situation. In addition he describes and historicity. how a new kind of dramaturgy has grown, Further Lehmann considers performativity founded in the avant-garde’s experiments, and post-dramatic theatre’s most important ele- how detachment from the text as the funda- ment. Within this context it means that the ment of theatre, globalisation, the growth of theatre situation and the context are regarded the media society and the entrance of media as part of the dramaturgy, to be prioritised technology in the field of art all are central prior to dramatic fiction. This wandering characteristics. from a dramatic structure to a situational and

74 75 contextual structure signifies that the work’s Innovative modernism? focal point for communication can be shifted. Early in the 1990es two distinct companies Post-dramatic theatre is based as much on the were founded, The Theatre of Cruelty and spectator’s own experiences and references for Lofoten Teater (later Teater NOR)37. In a interpretation, as on the opinions stated by time where most predominant artists moved the work. in the theatre landscape described above, The The multi-structure of post-dramatic the- Theatre of Cruelty and Lofoten Teater/Teater atre demands a contemplating ability break- NOR established their enterprises rooted in ing with the dramatic respectively French Antonin Artaud and Pol- These companies and the epic-logic per- ish Jerzy Grotowski and Gardzience. In the championed a ception. In other words (Norwegian) golden age of post-modernism, resurrection of the the works encourage where the great narratives had fallen and the the spectator to change grand visions were banned from the art stage, great narratives. perception from a the two companies started their modernist linear/successive man- avant-garde projects. With a fundamental ner to a contemporary and multi-perspective view seemingly (for many) belonging in the manner. Accepting breaks with and holes in 1950es/60es; with its orientation towards the the narrative and the meaning production of great narratives we can say that these cham- the work is encouraged, as is accepting that pioned a resurrection of the great narratives. the current aspect of the works hinders one Whether this was a reaction to the rest of the regime of understanding in the works. Hence contemporary theatre landscape of the time is this theatre art can’t deliver final answers, but uncertain, but that the companies represented it can open a more freely associating room for re-orientation towards modernism and some cognition and action.36 of its content: challenging the meaninglessness through art, is certain.38 We have only now,

76 77 in 2010, come so far past post-modernism in a wish to improve and adjust the presenta- Norway we are able to say without shame tion methods for its work. The stronger and that this kind of contemporary theatre also larger the independent field grew, the clearer belongs in the landscape. The great narratives became the need for someone to take respon- have won back a place in Norwegian contem- sibility for the situation. In 1995, backed by porary theatre, if on equal footing with the the field of independent arts, The Norwegian fragmented stories. Association of Performing Arts started The National Touring Network for the Perform- Innovative performing arts for ing Arts (NTNPA) – a test project with the children and youth following purposes: 1) to stimulate the inter- Already in the 1970es the independent com- est for and to reflect the range of performing panies were the largest provider of theatre for arts produced outside the institutions and children and youth, in particular of other the- 2) to discover different models for presenta- atre expressions than the psychological-realist tion, anchored in local needs and wishes. The and/or classics for children. The production model included a refund system, meaning that of theatre for children and youth increased the arrangers could take risks in selection of with the number of theatre artists within the productions. The aim was among other things independent field. As of today the indepen- that the arrangers could present avant-garde dent companies still make most production theatre without fearing to lose income. Hence for children and youth and they also tour the NTNPA had a two-part aim. The project was most. to contribute to improving the conditions for A lot of time and resources have been spent presenting independent performing arts, in in the companies to convey productions. quality and quantity, and it was supposed to Already when establishing Teatersentrum in increase the competence in and interest for in- 1977 the independent companies had stated dependent performing artists on a local level,

80 81 on the terms of the local community.39 NT- priority, but they do have an expanded option NPA became a success and was accepted into to present their productions. However, a new the national budget already in 1999. funding body for artists working on innova- Today NTNPA introduces itself in the fol- tive art for children was established in 2008, lowing way: «NTNPA is the largest national when Arts Council Norway established the promotion system for the performing arts in three-year project Kunstløftet, offering project the age group 0-20 years. NTNPA also acts support to art projects which among other as the national mediator between performing things have the ability to add new perspec- arts productions and The Cultural Rucksack. tives to the field. NTNPA watches and considers the quality of productions in cooperation with the artistic 2000-2010 council, and in dialogue with the networks The project funding system established in Arts in the county. Artistic quality is emphasised, Council Norway in 1997 demanded the art- as is diversity of expressions and formats in ist’s work rather than the companies’ work. the repertoire. From 2009 the management of However it turned out to The Cultural Rucksack’s production means be difficult to divide singu- Several the- to performing arts for children and youth has lar artists and companies atre companies been moved from Arts Council Norway to like this. Today it is com- choose a no- NTNPA.»40 mon to see ensembles stay madic working NTNPA has no aesthetic profile, no de- together over years, often process. mands come to innovation, but considers the with a stable core of a few quality of every production applying to take artists hiring others when required. At the part in the system. In this regard the theatre beginning of the century a need among several companies working on experimenting with of these (well-established) artists and com- new expressions in theatre for children has no panies to plan ahead related to artistic work,

82 83 collaboration partners, company members the artistic leader, is not a superior person in and international visiting performances. In the process, rather a coach carrying the final 2006 Arts Council Norway introduced a new artistic responsibility. Other companies work funding system for independent performing under more hierarchic models – in which for arts; Basisfinansieringen or the basic funding. instance the artistic leader of the company en- Under funding scheme independent perform- ters the role of the auteur. ing arts companies can apply for funding over Today we observe that several theatre com- years to cover the need for more stable financ- panies choose a nomadic working process. ing in regard to management, production, They seek inspiration and artistic material networking and presenting. Five companies in different cultures and geographic sites. have been accepted within the scheme today, Teater NOR in Stamsund in Lofoten has al- a small number compared to the demand. ways worked with a social anthropological approach to art. The company has travelled Cultural nomads – a working method along the coast, gathering old instruments, Several companies have developed a work- myths, legends, true stories and music, con- shop-like working method in which artists versations, objects and rituals. This has been from different fields and communities come processed to be returned to the audiences together to work across professional borders. through the performance. In this regard the In other words they work in the intersection finished work can be considered as a response between different disciplines and often the to the working process as well as the artistic works become distinctly interdisciplinary. material. The method can be compared to These working processes are often character- Verdensteatret’s approach in TSALAL, Con- ised by a non-hierarchic collective mindset cert for Greenland and louder. – which we recognise from the first theatre While working with these productions the companies during the 1970es. The director, or ensemble started its working process with

84 85 86 87 travels to Eastern Europe, Greenland and cesses illuminate and discuss this by working Vietnam respectively – where the members as nomads in field studies, incorporating the gathered material; sound and video record- research within new areas of the work. It is ings, souvenirs, natural objects, moods, about always examining new phenomena myths, stories and conversations with the and places, near and far. Everything the artist locals. In other words the social, political, relates to underway is potential artistic mate- historical, geographical and cultural realities rial. in these countries functioned as nutrition for the process and the work. Stage design Stage design Further the material was During the 1980es we experienced the con- as large poetic put together with a large solidation of visual theatre in Norwegian machines oper- amount of other poten- avant-garde theatre. This was visually orient- tially useful artistic mate- ed theatre in two-dimensional regard. During ated by actors or rial. The material then the 1990es the visual theatre developed in a technology. when through a digestion more spatial direction, and during the 2000es and excretion process; it we have observed several examples of how was broken down, transformed, recycled and the stage design has surpassed the 1980es and put together in new ways in new composi- 90es by entering the stage as an element of its tions. own in shape of an installation. We here refer To travel across cultures, geographies, ages to stage design working on its own terms, and identities successively or contemporary almost as large poetic machines operated by is more and more common for the general actors or technology. This kind of design is public, whether physically or cognitively both part of the work and a force transform- assisted by technologies and media. Teater ing the work. NOR’s and Verdensteatret’s working pro- In Concert for Greenland such an installa-

88 89 tion was part of the work. Mid-stage stood an Another theatre company working with electro-mechanic construction functioning as large constructions onstage through several an audio visual machine. By taking use of new productions is Teater NOR. The company’s technology, robotics and human power the performance Biomechanics (2001) was a machine was started. The machine can be said demonstration of Meyerhold’s scenic princi- to be a meeting between rusty mechanics and ples combined with inspiration from Russian new technology – where the technology was constructivism (we have also seen inspiration well hidden behind a «primitive» wood and from constructivism in the mentioned works metal construction. When this poetic rattling by Verdensteatret). The production was a machine was put into play by computers and tribute to the machine and the human giving actors, figures and objects started moving and it life. Three persons build a large machine images, video and sound was sent into the of steel and iron, while showing the audience room. The installation stage design in Concert what it can do – a way to recycle the con- for Greenland became a success, and in 2005 structivist aesthetic of the 1920es (retro futur- the company made a work of its own out ism). In its previous production H2O (2009) of it; The Telling Orchestra – an installation Teater NOR also raised a kind of installation run by computers only. The installation has in the room. The company recreated the cycle been presented in several museums all over of water by making its own ecosystem on- the world. Verdensteatret carried on this stage stage; a lake, pouring rain and clouds on the design working method in the productions sky. louder (2007) and And All the Question- When writing about innovative stage marks Started to Sing (2010). In the latter, the design in Norway, one can’t get past an art- company’s newest composition, the opposite ist couple who has since 2006 (in Norway) chronology was chosen; the installation was blown the boundaries for what stage design produced first and the performance last. is and what it can be used for; Vegard Vinge

90 91 and Ida Müller. Particularly in their last pro- media, new technology, popular culture and duction The Wild Duck part 2 – Director’s hybridisation have created a new context Cut (2010, based in Henrik Ibsen’s The Wild for the field of art. These elements also have, Duck from 1884) the stage design developed within a short span of time, gotten great in direction of an installation with a character significance in daily life and entertainment, and a power formerly unknown in Norwe- and they can be said to be the backdrop for a gian theatre. The stage design transformed new experience reality. from a two-floor building with six rooms (the The media society’s new experience reali- home of Werle) to another home (of Ekdal), ties effect and develop the spectator’s percep- now with three rooms, to a revolving stage tion. Through TV zapping and web surfing installation growing to an organism of its we have adjusted to quick changes of scene, own. The stage design’s distinction of being breaks and jumps in time, room and mood. a condition of its own and a force within the We easily relate to several media at the time; work made it function as a totally integrated it is common to sit with the laptop in one’s part of the work as well as a force transform- lap while the TV is on and the newspaper is ing it. It was framed by the work and framing open in the sofa. The vast flow of informa- the work. tion we are daily exposed to has developed our abilities to efficiently process several Pop culture and the media society layers and kinds of information at the same In the post-dramatic theatre a key perspec- time. tive is contextual transformation. In par- Several artists discuss our navigation ticular globalisation and the growth of the through the media society by reflecting the multimedia world are emphasised. Increased strategies for navigation in the artwork. cultural complexity, movement across coun- Among other places we have seen this in the try borders, limitless information flow, mass satires made by the duo Sons of Liberty41.

92 93

Sons of Liberty creates collages of material company called for cultural consciousness mainly found in popular cultural phenom- and socio-politic awakening. ena such as Satan movies, games, cartoons, Vegard Vinge and Ida Müller’s A Doll’s children’s toys and Hollywood musicals. In House (2006, based on Henrik Ibsen’s A the production God Hates Scandinavia: Sons Doll’s House from 1879) also is a good ex- of Liberty III (2006) pop cultural references ample of a work loaded with pop cultural like these were put together with help of references: Coca Cola, Superman, Sim- dramaturgic strategies found in other me- one de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex, Toralv dia. The company eagerly cut and sampled, Maurstad, Wenche Foss, hara-kiri, Ibsen, singular moments were rarely dwelled upon, Liv Ullmann and The Dynasty. These are rather the artists zapped between different just some of the many references included in stories, subjects, ages, rooms and moods. the artists’ parasite-like transformation. The This pop cultural sampling of a performance elements were made theatrical, twisted and took use of a series of well-known drama- turned and put into new contexts. Hence the turgic and aesthetic strategies from reality. artists also produced new and commenting We were bombarded with headlines and ap- opinions out of old recycled material. In A parent simplification – and hence an efficient Doll’s House brand names were staged as imitation of the mass media’s strategies grew part of the characters’ identity. In particular forth. But under all the effects the work the use of Coca Cola pointed itself out: the offered an alternative basis for cognition, brand was put in a context the concern most contrasting the unnuanced presentations of likely would not like to be identified with – a the world the way we often encounter it in world filled with murder, violence, abuse and popular culture and media society. Sons of suicide. In other words this was no tribute to Liberty’s alternative was critical to this very the concern and its success in implementing development. With its terror cabaret the its brand names into society.

96 97 Rebirth of the political theatre for a stronger emphasis on meaning produc- Context is an important factor in which tion. Phenomena such as new technology, stories the artists choose to tell. Context media and entertainment culture, individuali- often is connected to a sphere or historic sation and globalisation no longer is uncriti- reality. Today we live in the wake of post- cally embraced, but has been assigned a new modernism – an age in which fragmenting, function in the theatre – as tools and objects diversity and instability blossomed. The for critical reflection and communication of world is not necessarily any more discernible meaning. In other words we observe that the today, but we sense art field to a large degree is opening for dis- The art field is and relate critically cussion and reflection regarding our contem- opening for discus- to the consequences porary age, but also – still – theatre art. We sion and reflection of the local, national can refer to it as a politicisation of the theatre and global changes we presented through expression and content. regarding our con- experienced during the Hence we experience revitalisation of the temporary age. 1980es and 90es. This socially and politically oriented theatre. It is also presents itself in not about a resurrection of the political and Norwegian avant-garde theatre. Through pro- pedagogic program art of the 1960es and found and misanthropic criticism of societal 70es. Since then we have experienced post- mechanisms and the consequences of such the modernism, a period in which avant-garde Norwegian avant-garde theatre of today pres- theatre was characterised by diverse and ents motivation to explore connections and from time to time self-centred structural ex- create more stable identities. periments, dissolving of meaning and genre In other words the structurally experimen- transgressions. Because these strategies prac- tal and meaning-dissolving art experienced tically dominated the experimental theatre during the 1980es and 90es is about to yield field in Norway during the 1980es and 90es,

98 99 post-modernism led many into scepticism art’s critical potential soon leads into a su- concerning the critical potential of art. Today perficial consensus-oriented mindset. In other it seems as if aesthetic and critical reality ex- words it doesn’t maintain the thinking specta- aminations have a central position in the art tor’s own reflection and potential for action, field – in which societal subjects are presented and it limits the opportunity her attitudes will metaphorically, widely understandable or survive the journey from the theatre venue to agitating. The new involvement for critically real life. commenting and telling stories about the The traditional understanding of political age we live in contributes to revitalising the theatre is limiting in regard to avant-garde perception of art’s potential to break down theatre. Here the emphasis is on theatre ex- widely accepted assumptions and discourses, pressions avoiding the kind of illusion we to open for nuanced thinking. find in the psychological-realist theatre. These Except for Brecht’s Lehrstück aesthetic, or works surpass and expand the traditional epic drama, political theatre is still understood understanding of theatre communication, as theatre asking the audience to adapt a spe- based on sending a message to a recipient. In cific attitude. This understanding is built on this context communication must be regarded the purely content-oriented illusion theatre, in as dynamic, open and process-oriented op- which the political attitudes and actions are portunities for dialogue, relation building and played out in a unified drama producing ca- exchange of opinions. In other words, theatre tharsis in Aristotelian regard – again with the creating a room for ambiguous options and purpose to generate satisfaction in the specta- interpretations. The central is how a work tor. This reflects an art view resting on the produces alternative perceptions of the world idea that the spectator’s identification with the and its many different institutions. Rather ethical actions and attitudes reflected onstage than repeating existing perceptions, being is enough in itself. But such a perspective on only apparently political art. In other words

100 101 it is central that the work presents (with all bition of the theatre company the following effects) another world. Criticising consensus way: «The idea that the stage arts is like a with a consensus-aesthetic only leads us into monad, a particular and self-supplied universe affirmative criticism. of art production and art communication, «Change the theatre, it needs it!»42 says the is a widespread but yet dangerous (for the front page of Tore Vagn Lid/Transiteatret-Ber- theatre) self-understanding deeply rooted in gen’s webpage. Since the foundation in 2001 Norwegian theatre. The fear of the untimely the company has worked ambitiously with academic, the intellectual, the prosaic and contemporary, critically experimental theatre. the unfamiliar to art The company has revived Brecht’s Lehrstück is an attitude having – The traditional dialectic. Norwegian institutional theatre has however much it can be understanding of long been inspired by Brecht, one can say as understood and defended political theatre is a parallel tradition the psychological-realist – over time brought limiting in regard tradition mentioned earlier. But even though Norwegian stage arts to Brecht is part of Norwegian theatre tradition, the border zone of the to avant-garde it is more often an archaic tribute to Brecht governing public. Rarely theatre. than theatre in the spirit of Brecht. When Tore – very rarely – does the Vagn Lid brings Brecht’s Lehrstück dialectic theatre set the premises for an ethical, es- into Norwegian theatre, he brings in Brecht in thetical or political discussion. As rarely the a new way. By taking the dialectic dimension theatre takes an equal-footed dialogue role seriously, among other things, Transiteatret- in such ongoing discussions, or works as an Bergen creates political theatre with real am- impulse initiating sociological, psychologi- bitions to discuss the subjects. Lid underlines cal or philosophical (fundamental) research. this dimension by personally debating and (As a theatre artist one can see oneself more writing. On the webpage he phrases the am- often than not standing with the back to the

104 105 parentheses the theatre has created around in the production, the others were «real per- itself.) A curious situation arises when such sons»; a corruption hunter, a radical priest, a a shielded (and shielding) stage art yet again whistleblower, an executive director, a revolu- after decades of ironic exile will join society tionary art activist, a meta-physician and Pol- in debate and play an important political role. ish building workers. The actors were invited The society of knowledge is now more open to the theatre to convey their experiences in than ever. The development of media arts and regard to power and weakness – which the communication has long ago broken down actor also did by staging conflicts between the artistic cognitive monopolies of the singu- the independent field of performing arts and lar high-brow art forms; stage arts are not im- the theatre institutions. The whole thing hap- portant, not significant – a priori. Relevance, pened as a dialogic challenging appeal, in whether scientific or politically societal – can which conflicts often denied in the consensus no longer be claimed or demanded, but has society were brought to the surface. to be proved, step by step, performance after performance.»43 Ibsen revitalised Two other theatre artists working with Ibsen was a theatre avant-gardist, and several dialectic political theatre are Pia Maria Roll of his works was, in his time, controversial & Marius Kolbenstvedt – last seen in Over salon dramas dealing with cultural and socio- Ævne III (2010, based in Bjørnstjerne Bjørn- political taboos. Today his theatre revolt has son’s Beyond Human Power II from 1895). turned into tradition, cemented institutionally In the work with the production Roll and in a bourgeois manner, and the dramas have Kolbenstvedt found documentary parallels lost their provocative powers. But the artistic to Bjørnson’s characters in our age, revitalis- partners Vinge and Müller have brought his ing the political force of one of our national power to provoke back to life. In their work skalds. Roll was the only professional actor with A Doll’s House, Ghosts and The Wild

106 107 Duck they have no less than revised the recep- in the consequences. Actualisation of these tionist history of Ibsen. They consider the in- issues has to lead the stories further - to illu- dividual’s psychology, daily life and the ideo- mination of the consequences – the way Vinge logical, societal and socio- and cultural politi- and Müller do in their works. Perhaps is it cal structures governing today. Among other exactly by taking hold of the consequences things, it is about violence, war, abuse of Vinge and Müller has rediscovered the pro- power, suppression, folly, the Ibsen tradition vocative powers of these works. in theatre art, entertainment culture, turbo The performances of Vinge and Müller are capitalism, destruction, cold and misanthropic just as much as they By taking hold of individualism, divorce, are warm and poetical. The effects are about the consequences fragmenting and how critically examining, commenting, making they have redis- the above touch and metaphors, parodying and challenging indi- effect our lives. Their viduals, our Western contemporary reality, covered the pro- productions are over- Ibsen’s works and the strong realism and text vocative powers of loaded with themes and tradition hanging over the Norwegian the- Ibsen’s works. commentaries. atre. The cursed conventional inheritance is Ibsen’s stories are eating us. The social inheritance, the cultural just starting points, they present some rea- inheritance, theatre inheritance, family inheri- sons. But they don’t mention the consequenc- tance – all is infested and all is impossible to es for the involved. Perhaps this is where flee. By staging these subjects Vinge and Mül- Ibsen’s drama loses much of its contemporary ler elevate them to public discourse. In other relevance in today’s Norway. The adults and words they place themselves and their work perhaps in particular the young adults in to- in connection with the development in the day’s Norway are generations having grown surrounding culture, enforcing the art’s ties to up in the ruins of the adult issues Ibsen raises, the context surrounding it. They also invade

108 109 the audience, insisting to touch the spectator. ics. They communicate from more than one They take us into some kind of meditation perspective, to more than one homogeneous penetrating the skin and eating its way to the group, about more than one reality and with roots of the nerves – insisting that the specta- many different aesthetics. tor shall bring the thoughts from the theatre In art it is possible to put together expres- venue to life. Vinge and Müller’s theatre work sions and reflections in ways we rarely see in resonates in the avant-garde traditions. By other social, cultural or political contexts in trying to liberate from and visualise authori- which classical logic dominates. By expansive tarian forms for experience avant-garde has use of different kinds of symbolic logic and always used art as a room for rational criti- representation artists can function as intercul- cism and criticism of power structures. tural translators, achieving freedom to read and reflect far beyond what we encounter Conclusion elsewhere in society. Artists working to understand and stand criti- Anno 2010 I still encounter many spec- cal to development in society in many ways tators of different character regarding the are insiders and outsiders at the same time. avant-garde theatre as incomprehensive They become experts in discovering the outer experimentation and/or pubertal agitation. limits of culture and to cross them. They take This bears witness to conservatism and lack on the role of cultural nomads. Nomads wan- of knowledge. True enough we do find these dering across geographical, social, political categories in the theatre, but they are far from and cultural fields. They tie to the large un- dominant. Avant-gardist performing arts of derlying structures binding the world together, today rather carry identities surpassing the examining, surpassing, interpreting, redefin- one-sided emphasis on art as aesthetic experi- ing, connecting and inter-relating this com- ment. A consequence of what we see within plex, expansive web of realities and aesthet- Norwegian avant-garde theatre today is that

110 111 art can function as a factor affecting the spec- Notes tator’s perspectives on the world. At the same 1 Eugenio Barba ended a beginning career in the mili- time it can give us new experiences by chal- tary and in 1954 he emigrated to Norway to work as lenging our perceptions and communicating a welder and a sailor. Meanwhile he studied French, something essential about us, our history and Norwegian literature and religion history at The Uni- our contemporary age. Not that the art has versity of Oslo. For more on Barba and Odin Teatret: www.odinteatret.dk great political powers and creates revolution. 2 Eugenio Barba and Jens Bjørneboe had been in touch But it has authority in force of the symbolic for many years prior to this, during Barba’s former capital gained through all of the 20eth cen- stay in Norway as well as the years he was working with Grotowski in Poland. Neither of them was ac- tury through modernist, post-modernist and cepted within Norwegian theatre. Bjørneboe fought a avant-garde currents. A closer examination hard battle to have his dramatic works performed by of the new (and old) strategies can be worth the large institutions – without much result. 3 Jens Bjørneboe, 1996 (1976/1970):59. Originally pub­ the trouble for any spectator interested in the lished in Dagbladet June 19th 1970, later re­published in theatre. the essay collection «Om teater» (On theatre). 4 Club 7: Established in 1963 as an interdisciplinary venue Translated by Lillian Bikset and bar. It went bankrupt in 1985. 5 Tor Egil Førland 1998 6 Sonja Henie and Niels Onstad 7 Jan Erik Vold in: Ugelstad, 2007:245-247 8 Ellen K. Aslaksen 2000 9 Anne-May Nilsen 2009:69 10 Anne­Britt Gran in: Inger Buresund and Anne­Britt Gran (ed.) 1996 11 Bergsgard and Røyseng 2001:16 12 Karl Hoff 2009 13 The sale catalogue of Teatersentrum (The Norwegian As­ sociation for Performing Arts) 1978:14 14 Ursin and Vik 1990

112 113 15 Vik and Ursin 1997 31 The core members of Sampo Teater were Mette Brantzeg 16 Karl Hoff 2009 and Anitta Suikkari. 17 Camilla Tostrup 2007 32 Anitta Suikkari in Eilertsen 2005:254 18 On visual dramaturgy, consult: Knut Ove Arntzen 33 Elisabeth Leinslie 2004 «Visual Performance: Workshops and pictoral orien- 34 Elisabeth Leinslie in: Berg, Høyland and Leinslie 2007 tation» in a special issue of the journal Spillerom Nr. 35 Hans­Thies Lehmann 2006 1(0) 1990, s.1-9 36 Elisabeth Leinslie in: Berg, Høyland and Leinslie 2007 19 Elisabeth Leinslie 2004 37 The Theatre of Cruelty was established in 1992. Lofoten 20 Established by NAPA in 1985 Teater was established in 1990, and in 1997 the company 21 Established by the theatre companies Magna Vox (for­ split when Teater NOR broke out. merly: Det lille musikkteater), Petrujska Teater and Studio 38 Jon Refsdal Moe in: Gabrielsen 2002 Teater in 1984. 39 Ellen K. Aslaksen 2000 22 Knut Ove Arntzen in: Baktruppen going beyond aesthetics 40 scenekunstbruket.no, 20.09.2010, http:// !"#$%&'$'()$*+',"%'-./.012'30'+(($4'"0'5$6!%7))+08('9%(!' www.scenekunstbruket.no/pub/nskb/ decade 1986­1996/97, in Performance Art by Baktruppen, omscenekunstbruket/?&mid=34. The excerpt quoted is First Part, Kontur Publishing, edited by Knut Ove Arntzen only written in Norwegian on the webpage, and is trans­ and Camilla Eeg­Tverbakk 2009 lated by Lillian Bikset for this article. 23 Knut Ove Arntzen in: Arntzen and Eeg 2009 41 The company Sons of Liberty consists of the artists Stina 24 Arntzen and Eeg 2009 Kajaso and Lisa Charlotte Baudouin Lie. 25 Knut Ove Arntzen in: Arntzen and Eeg 2009 42 transiteatret.com, 29.09.2010, www.transiteatret.com 26 Verdensteatret regularly tours Europe, America and Asia. 43 transiteatret.com, 20.09.2010, http://www.transite- In 2006 the company got the prestigious American Bessie atret.com/Relevans.html, the quoted excerpt is only Award, New York Dance and Performance Awards, for written in Norwegian on the webpage and has been Concert for Greenland, in the category of Performance, translated for this article by Lillian Bikset. Installation and New Media. 27 Anne­May Nilsen 2009 28 For more on Norwegian Drama Festival: www.dramatik­ kfestivalen.no 29 For more on Den Unge Scenen: www.dus.as 30 http://www.ferskescener.no/om_oss . The excerpt only exists in Norwegian and is translated by Lillian Bikset for this article.

114 115

1. Historical background for dance in an historical Norway Norway has like the other Scandinavian coun- outline of tries a folklore tradition of dance going back to the middle ages. However, the Norwegian dance in ballet tradition is not so old. It goes back to the Swedish choreographer Augusta Johan- norway nesén at Christiania Theatre in the 1890es, and after the opening of the National Theatre with a comment on (in Norwegian: Nationaltheatret) in Kristi- ania/Oslo (Kristiania was renamed Oslo in postmodern 1924). Augusta Johannesén worked with the Opera Comique boulevard theatre. Another choreography and professional choreographer of this period was Tora Hals Olsen who worked with the Na- the notion of tional Theatre as well as Centralteatret (liter- ally: The Central Theatre) in Kristiania. How- «contemporary ever, the interest in dance goes further back. There were already dance instructors to dance» serve amateur interest, working in different Norwegian towns since the end of the 18th BY KNUT OVE ARNTZEN Century. One of whom was Johan Ludvig Strømberg, a Swede by whose initiative Chris- tiania Teater (the public theatre of Kristiania) was founded in 1827. This theatre soon be-

118 119 came dominated by Danish Actors coming to 1949, productions from the New Norwegian Norway from Copenhagen, a situation ending Ballet were included in their touring network. in 1863. And one eager visitor to Norway This way professional dance could be seen in the first half of the 19th century was the outside the urban centres in Norway since founder of Danish romantic ballet Auguste shortly after the Second World War, a fact Bournonville. However it is difficult to tell which may have contributed to a certain whether he left traces. Later on there certainly interest in opera and ballet in smaller Nor- were visiting productions to Norway from wegian cities and towns. the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen where the The Norwegian Ballet (in Professional dance Frenchman Bournonville had created his fa- Norwegian: Den norske could be seen out- mous school. ballet) became the new side the urban cen- A proper Norwegian ballet tradition in the name of the New Nor- tres in Norway since strict sense was not founded until the Opera wegian Ballet in 1954, shortly after the and the Opera ballet was established in 1958, and soon Fokine’s Les Second World War. catching up the heritage from the company Sylphides opened to be- New Norwegian Ballet (Ny Norsk Ballett) come one of its largest artistic successes. founded in 1948, based in a company found- An ongoing exchange was established first ed by Gerd Kjølås and British choreographer with the Stockholm Opera and then with The Louise Brown in 1945. When Louise Brown Birgit Cullberg Company, visiting Norway left Norway in 1950, Gerd Kjølås started a on a very regular basis. Historically there was co-operation with the Swedish dancer and a tradition of a shared Danish-Norwegian choreographer Ivo Cramér who also made cultural heritage, which gradually became some productions for the revue theatres. After replaced by a very active Norwegian-Swedish the Norwegian Touring Theatre Company (in relationship. But to understand some of the Norwegian: Riksteatret) had been founded in greatest successes of the Opera Ballet in Oslo

120 121 since the 1960es, we have to examine the rich beginning of a modern tradition combin- growth of a professional modern dance milieu ing classical ballet and modern dance, as we in Norway, dating back to Gyda Christensen also know it from the narrative dance chore- who became a professional dancer in Berlin, ographies by Birgit Cullberg, who as I have being periodically engaged by Max Rein- already mentioned visited Norway regularly; hardt’s theatre in Berlin. Christensen took Oslo but also and not least the Bergen Fes- over the position as house choreographer at tival, until the 1970es. All these tendencies the National Theatre in 1910, establishing an would be included in the Norwegian Opera in-theatre school taking inspiration from visit- Ballet (Den Norske Opera og Ballett) under ing pedagogues like Danish Emilie Walbom. the direction of Joan Harris from 1961 to Through her friendship with Fokine she got to 1965, significantly increasing the techni- know Diagilev and Les Ballets Russe in Mon- cal level of the dancers. Hence the company te Carlo, and through these connections Ivan which was led by Ane Borg in the periods of Tarasov was engaged as a pedagogue in Gyda 1971-77 and 1983-88 became a company of Christensen´s school for modern dance. high esteem, domestically and internation- As a pedagogue German-Norwegian Inga ally. A very original and highly regarded Jacobi contributed significantly to introduc- production at the Norwegian Ballet was Glen ing modern dance in Oslo in the 1920es, and Tetley´s The Tempest after Shakespeare in through her some influences form German 1979, with new music by electronic composer expressionist dance seeped in. She was by the Arne Nordheim, produced during the period way also inspired by Jacques-Dalcroze and his of Brenda Last as an artistic director. She was rhythmic dance. succeeded by Jens Graff, 1980-83, and from Another school of modern dance opened 1980 Danish Dinna Bjørn led the company in 1937 in Oslo under the direction of Rita for quite some time. The present day the ar- Tori, and all together this contributed to a tistic director is Espen Giljane, whose artistic

122 123 background is from New York’s vital dance Anne Borg, Jens Graff, Jessica Iwanson and community. Karen Foss, and later on Arne Fagerholt and By the 1980es and early 1990es, a new at present Belgian Bruno Heynderickx. The generation of independent dance companies company would profit from a generation of had come about, profiting from the possibil- postmodern young choreographers, all of ity of governmental support at least for some whom originated from the independent dance years at the time, like the case with Ingun scene in Norway. Some of them had in the Bjørnsgaard, Ina Christel Johannessen and 1980es been studying at the Martha Gra- Jo Strømgren of the ham School in New York, like for instance The company late 1990es and early Ingun Bjørnsgaard who slightly grew into a profited from a 2000s. Choreographers neo-classical style. Some, like Jo Strømgren generation of rising from this milieu and Ina Christel Johannessen, were educated in the 1980es were Kari at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, postmodern young Blakstad, Lise Nordahl, formerly The National Academy of Ballet choreographers. Merete Engebretsen School. Many of them have toured abroad and Kjersti Alveberg with success, upon which they have been among others, all of them to be defined within invited to create original choreographies for the aesthetic context of modern dance. Very Carte Blanche in Bergen. significant was the foundation of a fixed com- The Bergen milieu also profited from hav- pany for modern dance, fully state supported, ing an audience whose level of orientation is established in Bergen in 1988, based in a jazz high from having been exposed to interna- dance company and later on taking the name tional visiting dance productions presented of New Carte Blanche (Nye Carte Blanche) by the Bergen Festival since the 1950es, and until yet again renaming it Carte Blanche. especially during the late 1970es and early Among its artistic directors can be mentioned 1980es. At the time German Ausdrucktanz by

124 125 126 127 Susanne Linke alongside with American post- 2. New influences in modern and post- modern dance by Trisha Brown were present- modern dance ed. Since 1983 a significant source of inspira- Japanese Butoh Dance was also introduced tion for young dance in Norway has been in Norway in the 1980es, due to productions Bergen International Theatre, with an exten- visiting Scandinavia, including Carlotta Ikeda sive international network. BIT, also referred and workshops by the Butoh dancer Min to as BIT Teatergarasjen, went into all-year Tanaka, inspiring the Nordic milieu of young programming in the famed venue Teatergaras- dancers, such as Norwegians Monica Emilie jen (literally: The Theatre Garage) in Bergen, Herstad, Runa Rebne and Øyvind Jørgensen. a venue which has unfortunately recently been A distinct element of Butoh can be seen in the pulled down. The BIT organisation has had to work of Herstad in which she has applied Bu- use differ rental venues, including sharing the toh technique related to monodramatic dance rehearsal site and performance venue of Carte portraits of female Ibsen drama figures. Blanche, Studio Bergen, with Carte Blanche. An exile community of young Norwe- BIT organises an October biennial, The Octo- gian dance artists and choreographers exists, ber Dance Festival. among them the punk-inspired Eva Cecilie In Oslo a more mainstream Dance Festival Richardsen, who has been invited to make has been established in the Coda festival and choreographic works for the Bergen Festival at recently, in 2009, Dansens Hus (literally: The several occasions (including 2003 and 2006), House of Dance) opened as a major venue for and Heine Avdal, who for many years lived modern and postmodern dance. Independent and worked in Brussels, working conceptually dance also is presented in Black Box Teater in in his choreographies. Oslo, run by The Norwegian Association of To deal with contemporary dance in Performing Arts, the association of indepen- Norway on a more analytical level requires dent theatre and dance companies. knowledge to some aesthetic terms, like the

128 129 above explained visual kind of dramaturgy in- in the work of American Robert Wilson in the corporated in new dance and theatre since the 1970es and 1980es. 1980es and 1990es, and one could also add I would say that a visual kind of dramaturgy ambient or more atmospheric ways of work- could be described as if means of expressions ing, including the audience in some kind of such as space, frontality, textuality and frontal- shared space, which is very much the particu- ity no longer were organised in hierarchic sys- lar quality of the quite famous young and very tems but have been, as indicated above, put on conceptual choreographer Hooman Sharifi an equal footing. In Scandinavia project groups who came to Norway from Iran as a teenager. like Billedstofteater, Remote He was accepted by The National Academy Control Productions, Hotel Visual perfor- of Ballet in Oslo. He also has been aiming Pro Forma and Baktruppen mance had its towards strictly-formalised conceptual art, as have worked on different outspring in the has Mia Habib. aspects of visual perfor- performance Visual performance had its outspring in the mance and a visual kind performance art wave beginning in the late of dramaturgy, also using art wave begin- 1960es, anticipating a visual kind of drama- features from dance. It is ning in the late turgy connected to what was called a «Theatre astonishing how many ex- 1960es. of Images». It indicated a development in amples can be found in the dramaturgy in which the expression in the aes- Nordic countries. This can to some extent be thetic sense of the word was drawn towards explained by the fact of governmental funding visuality while the visual and textual elements of independent groups made possible through were put on equal footing. This development Arts Council Norway. stood close to conceptual art, minimalism The fact that new international impulses and multimedia and the workshop way of came about, was very much due to Bergen organising work. This was not least the case International Theatre, The Bergen Festival

130 131 and later on Black Box Teater and the Coda getting away from the supremacy of linear Festival. A visual kind of dramaturgy with the dramaturgy or the traditional narratives. means of expression put on an equal footing I would now like to draw attention to can be seen alongside postmodern deconstruc- image and memory as allegorical as well as tionist theories, pulling down the hierarchies metaphorical concepts, which can be valu- of traditional narration. These were replaced able in describing dramaturgical processes in by dance marked by theatrical expressions of new dance work. Imagery is formal, referring new images and energies, breaking ground for to frontal versus spatial organisation of tab- dance in recycling different styles and in find- leaux effects to be seen in the mix of spatial ing new ways of telling the world. In reflecting and frontal images. Memory can be under- upon arbitrariness, it is interesting to remark stood as something individual and collective that the non-hierarchic working process has at the same time. If we put together image been corresponding fully to what has been and memory, we have a possible analytical observed in recent postmodern Norwegian tool to approach some of the choreographic dance, like in already mentioned work by In- work of Bjørnsgaard, Johannessen as well as gun Bjørnsgaard and Jo Strømgren, as well as Strømgren. The latter is especially famous for Ina Christel Johannessen. In her company the his special use of language referred to as «gib- dancers often have worked in a playful way, berish», a nonsense language based on the being given the opportunity to develop their tonality of existing languages. parts according to personal material. It also corresponds to a general search for 3. Memory to neurotic experiences: ways to develop the energies of individual and IBP to Jo Strømgren cultural identities characterised by the drive Ingun Bjørnsgaard Project (IBP) was founded towards emancipation and breaking away in 1992, and has played an active part in put- from hierarchical dominance, comparable to ting Norwegian and Scandinavian postmod-

132 133 134 135 ern dance on the map. After choreographer expression, while responding to improvisa- Ingun Bjørnsgaard won the Nordic Choreog- tion and personal private material with its raphy prize in 1992 her artistic work has been ostensibly floating quality. This is established increasing. Together with her company she through the use of deconstructed fragments established a new way of delineating dance. put together in new and unexpected modes Ingun Bjørnsgaard has been operating within within the choreographic composition. The a neo-epic ironic dramaturgy, instead of the dramaturgy is constructed from the personal classical narrative or epic structure used by anecdotes generally related to a larger theme, modern dance. In this rearranged dramaturgy, or macro-dramaturgy. Consequently personal narrative structures are commented and para- experiences and expressions from within the phrased through clichés from classical and dancers become part of the composition. The romantic representation. These have been dancers are enacting themselves in a kind transformed into, as well as used in, what of freewheeling game with postmodernity. could be called a characteristic artistic land- A recycling effect emerges when a game of scape, a world of references closely related circulated elements from the modern and the to mythological Nordic landscapes. Virgins postmodern is given a new and imperfect, or in Norwegian Landscapes from 1992 was a even arbitrary, expression. clear example of these strategies. The formal language developing from In later work she has developed her vi- these strategies requires multi-layered per- sual dramaturgy in a direction deconstruct- sonal input from the dancers, who have to ing or fragmenting formal and processual provide parts of a personal realm to stabilise elements in her choreographic language. an insecure and floating performance field. The transformed dramaturgy creates ad- The choreographer is letting the dancers loose ditional choreographic clichés transgressing in an unfamiliar landscape. In this sense the the consummate and perfect postmodern development which has taken place within

136 137 the aesthetics is closely connected to accom- production by the name Except That I Would plishments in theatre, fine arts and music. Like to Get Rid of It (1997). The dancers The setting also plays a part in creating the were to some extent moving in the real time scenic context, actively involving personal as- of performance art. This production was signments. Accordingly the choreographer´s based upon mixed, recycled styles form the vocation includes compositional processing of 1980es and 1990es in direction of the ambi- the impulsive realm of a contemporary artistic ent expression of sharing the atmosphere with landscape, a landscape created from a mutual the audience. The hybrid character of mixed liaison between identity, geography and re- dance, performance art cycling of aesthetic elements. This awareness and theatrical effects in her The choreogra- signifies change of atmosphere, which is mag- work is striking. This way pher is letting ic. It necessitates personal commitment and she has been corresponding the dancers requires the curious eye of a choreographer to the image and memory- loose in an unfa- such as Ingun Bjørnsgaard, as in her The Soli- reflections. In the more tary Shame Announced by a Piano (1997). recent work White Wall/ miliar landscape. The work contained many ironic layers pre- Black Hole Johannessen sented by dancers recycling classical ballet as emphasised faces and expressions - white skin well as mime gestures. and black eyes with a very ironic effect. In her choreographic work Ina Christel Jo Strømgren originally worked mostly as a Johannessen and her company Zero Visibil- solo dancer, before starting a company more ity has had an approach to dance more like of the theatrical kind. Before that, however, performance art than Ingun Bjørnsgaard has on a personal level he would develop stand had. Johannessen has mixed elements from up techniques and entertainment oriented performance art and installation work with approaches, as when he and his company strong elements of house music, as seen in the did a production on football. In Schizzo

138 139 Stories (1995) while dealing with neurotic settings, the way the company Dansdesign (es- experiences he was standing exactly mid- tablished 1978), under the direction of Anne way between dance and theatre, even using Grete Eriksen and Leif Hernes, has been pro- textual elements. In this late monodramatic ducing it at many occasions. One of the most performance he kept up a dialogue with the watched productions of Norwegian dance toilet cistern and doing situationist gags in a may have been the opening ceremony for the standup comedian manner. He used his body Olympic Winter Games at Lillehammer in in a theatrical deconstructed manner, in place 1994, broadcasted on TV all over the world. of the more floating ener- Dansdesign produced their open air or land- He used his getic movements of dance scape-based production by connecting differ- body in a theatri- choreography. This way ent artists from project to project. Another cal deconstruct- Norwegian postmodern company sometimes also working under open dance of the 1990es and air is Stellaris Dance Theatre (in Norwegian: ed manner. onwards was researching Stellaris Dans Teater, est. 1980), probably the new marginal areas, relat- northernmost dance company in the world, ed to genre but also in regard of the identity based in Hammerfest, which is labelled the question. Who is the dancing body? Hence northernmost city in the world. There also are Norwegian dance developed from catching up dance productions made by choreographers internationally in the 1950es to the 1960es, from the Norwegian minority population The stabilising itself and getting more independent Sami, in different parts of Northern Norway. from the 1970es to the 1980es, becoming real But it remains yet to be seen a distinct com- innovative since the 1990es. pany being established, except for the fact Another aspect of Norwegian contempo- that there is a Sami dance group connected rary dance is, as mentioned, the site-specific to Sydsamisk Teater (literally: The Southern or dance connected to landscape in open air Sami Theatre) in the county of Nordland.

140 141

4. Commenting on the most present and Hooman Sharifi. The paradox lies in the situation fact that they perform more abroad than do- In an article in the Oslo newspaper Aften- mestically. All the mentioned choreographers posten (April 29th 2010), Ine Therese Berg receive their basic financial founding from Arts and Randi Urdal, consultant and administra- Council Norway, meaning that they are artisti- tive director for Dance Information Norway cally recognised on the highest artistic level. respectively, jointly commented on the celebra- This may be referred to as production for ex- tion of the International Day of Dance in Nor- portation. Not much is being done to reach a way on April 29th. In this article they stated larger Norwegian audience, that in 1997 there were 30 dance companies in caused by there being few The number of Norway presenting 62 productions in a total of venues for dance in Nor- Norwegian pro- 503 performances. By 2008 the numbers had way. This is partly due to ductions per- grown significantly: There were 123 companies the young tradition in Nor- formed abroad performing 197 productions in a total of 1324 way, quite different from performances. At the same time the number of the case of theatre. Dansens has multiplied Norwegian productions performed abroad has Hus (literally: House of more than tenfold. multiplied more than tenfold, from 26 produc- Dance) in Oslo opened in tions performed abroad 1997 to 276 being 2009, after being formally established as a the same in 2008. Berg and Urdal explain the project in 2003 with support from The Norwe- international result by referring to the net- gian Ministry of Culture. The intention was to working the Bergen International Theatre has increase the focus on dance in Norway. been at the pinnacle of. Both of them underline Postmodern Norwegian dance has contin- names of choreographers touring extensively, ued into the new millennium, and many of emphasizing choreographers like Jo Strømgren, the mentioned names from the 1990es stay Ina Christel Johannessen, Ingun Bjørnsgaard centrally positioned in the making of dance in

144 145 Norway today. Of course there are also new der Rybak in the Eurovison Song Context in people entering, perhaps after graduating from Moscow in 2009. I started this presentation by the Faculty of Performing Arts in The National mentioning long folk traditions and now folk Academy of the Arts in Oslo, into which the traditions are merging into the concept of con- National Academy of Ballet established in 1979 temporary dance. I will conclude by stating that was merged. This education was established by a short history of dance sometimes can create Henny Mürer (1925 – 1997), a most famous new energy. This is clearly the case with Nor- Norwegian choreographer and dancer of her wegian postmodern dance, which I hope this time. Since the 1990es the classical and contem- article has managed to show some highlights of, porary dance study has contained four direc- in addition to the general historical outline. tions, for becoming a professional dancer in classical ballet or modern/contemporary dance, References: for becoming a professional choreographer and Arntzen, K. O., «New Norwegian Dance in the Even New- for becoming a dance pedagogue. The notion er Mimetic Mirror», in ballet international/tanz aktuell of contemporary dance is much debated, since in Berlin, ed. A. Wesemann, Nr 12/1997. Arntzen, K. O., «A Visual kind of Dramaturgy: Project one could say that any time has its contempo- Theatre in Scandinavia», Small is Beautiful, Small raneity. Countries Theatre Conference in Glasgow 1990, ed. C. Schumacher and D. Fogg, Theatre Studies Publications, However, modern dance is in the tradition Department of Theatre Studies, Glasgow, Scotland, of Isadora Duncan, and since then postmod- 1991. ern dance has changed into merging with new Hansteen, V. d.y., Historien om norsk ballett, Oslo 1989 (The History of Norwegian Ballett). directions like folk and ethnic elements. This Historical outlines and smaller biographies about Nor- is an ongoing process, not least marked by the wegian dance are also to be found in the Norwegian National Encyclopaedia; Store Norske leksikon, which widespread impressions created by the folklore can be searched on the net: . dance company Frikar, known to all of Europe Eeg, C. (ed.), Dans i samtiden (Contemporary Dance), Oslo 2006: Spartacus Publishing Company. after the performance accompanying Alexan-

146 147 litterature

Arntzen, Knut Ove: A Visual kind of Dramaturgy: Proj- Bjørkli, Anita: Kystteater i Nord-Norge – en gjennom- ect Theatre in Scandinavia, Small is Beautiful, Small gang av geografisk bestemt scenekunst. University of Countries Theatre Conference in Glasgow 1990, ed. Bergen, Bergen 2007 C. Schumacher and D. Fogg, Theatre Studies Pub- Bjørneboe, Jens: Samlede essays. Teater. Pax Forlag as, lications, Department of Theatre Studies, Glasgow, Oslo 1996 Scotland, 1991 Buresund, Inger og Anne-Britt Gran (red.): Frie grupper Arntzen, Knut Ove: New Norwegian Dance in the Even og Black Box Teater. Historiske, estetiske og kultur- Newer Mimetic Mirror, in ballet international/tanz politiske perspektiver på frie danse- og teatergrupper i aktuell in Berlin, ed. A. Wesemann, Nr 12/1997 Norge 1970-1995. Ad Notam Gyldendal, Oslo 1996. Arntzen, Knut Ove: Det marginale teater. Et nordisk Eeg-Tverbakk, Camilla (ed.): Dans i samtiden (Contem- blikk på regikunst og ambiente forsøk. Alvheim & porary Dance), Spartacus Publishing Company, Oslo Eide Akademisk Forlag, Laksevåg 2007 2006. Artnzen, Knut Ove og Camilla Eeg-Tverbakk (red.): Per- Eilertsen, Jens Harald: Polare scener. Nordnorsk teater- formance Art by Baktruppen first part. Kontur Forlag historie fra 1971-2000. Orkana forlag as, Stamsund A/S, Oslo 2009 2005. Aslaksen, Ellen K.: Teater ut til bygd og by? Scenekun- Førland, Tor Egil: Club 7. Pax Forlag as, Oslo 1998 stformidling på 90-tallet – to forsøksprosjekter og to Gabrielsen, Thorbjørn: Teater NOR. Mass For Bad tenkemåter. Art Council Norway, Oslo 2000 Weather. Teater NOR Forlag, Stamsund 2002 Berg, Ine Therese, Elin Høyland og Elisabeth Leinslie: Hansteen, V. d.y.: Historien om norsk ballett, Oslo 1989 Scenekunst NÅ. Teaterscenen som arena for (The History of Norwegian Ballett). samtidskunsten. Spartacus Forlag as, Oslo 2007 Hoff, Karl: Perleporten Teatergruppe. Gruppas historie. Bergsgard, Nils Asle og Sigrid Røyseng: Ny støtteord- Oslo april 2009 ning – gamle skillelinjer. Evaluering av ordningen med Kvamme, Elsa: Kjære Jens, Kjære Eugenio. Om Jens tilskudd til fri scenekunst. Art Council Norway, Oslo Bjørneboe, Eugenio Barba og opprørernes teater. Pax 2001 Forlag A/S, Oslo 2004

148 149 Leinslie, Elisabeth: Performance-teater og dramaturgi. Eksemplifisert ved Verdensteatrets forestilling Konsert For Grønland. Universitetet i Oslo, Oslo 2004 Lehmann, Hans-Thies: Postdramatic Theatre. Translated by Karen Jürs-Munby. Routledge, London & New York 2006 Nilsen, Anne-May: Å ri en tiger, en selvbiografisk teater- historie fra USA til Det Åpne Teater. Kolofon, Oslo 2009 Tostrup, Camilla: Danse- og teatersentrum 30 år.i: Stik- kordet nr 2-2007, Norsk Skuespillerforbund Ugelstad, Caroline M.(red.): HØVIKODDEN LIVE 1968-2007. Henie Onstad Kunstsenter som tverr- kunstnerisk arena. Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Kolo- fon, Oslo 2007 Ursin, Tor Arne og Lars Vik (red.): Grenland Friteater: Et norsk gruppeteater. Friteatrets Forlag, Porsgrunn 1990 Vik, Lars og Tor Arne Ursin: Øyeblikk. 20 år med Gren- land Friteater. Friteatrets Forlag, Porsgrunn 1997. Teatersentrums Salgskatalog 1978

Historical outlines and smaller biographies about Nor- wegian dance are also to be found in the Norwegian Na- tional Encyclopedia; Store Norske leksikon, which can be searched on the net: www.snl.no.

150 151 152 153 Presentation of the writers The Union of Norwegian Dance Artists (Oslo) norske- dansekunstnere.no Knut Ove Arntzen is an associate professor in theatre The Norwegian Union of Stage Directors (Oslo) nscf.no studies at the University of Bergen, and he is a mem- Writers’ Guild of Norway (Oslo) dramatiker.no ber of the Norwegian Critics Association. He has participated widely in international conferences, pub- lished books and many articles internationaly, and he Programming theatres in Norway gives workshops in postmodern theatre. BIT Teatergarasjen (Bergen) www.bit-teatergarasjen.no Black Box Teater (Oslo) www.blackbox.no Elisabeth Leinslie is a theatre scholar and a writer. She Dansens Hus (Oslo) www.dansenshus.com is steadily employed as an advisor in The Norwegian Dramatikkens hus/The house of drama (Oslo) Association of Performing Arts (NAPA). In NAPA she www.dramatikkenshus.no works mainly as a theatre scholar, writer and project Grusomhetens Teater (Oslo) www.grusomhetensteater.no manager for Sceneweb. Elisabeth Leinslie also works Rådstua Teaterhus (Tromsø) www.raadstua.no as a freelance writer and critic and does research Teaterhuset Avant Garden (Trondheim) within the field of practice-theory. www.avantgarden.no Tou Scene (Stavanger) www.touscene.com Norwegian performing arts organisations Arts council Norway (Oslo) kulturrad.no Festivals in Norway Association of Norwegian Theatres and Orchestras Arts Festival of North Norway (Oslo) nto.no Festival for music, theatre, dance, visual arts, and Dance Information Norway (Oslo) dance.no performances for children. http://festspillnn.no/ Norwegian Association for Performing Arts (Oslo) dan- seogteatersentrum.no Bastard Norwegian Stage Designers’ Association (Oslo) sceno- Festival for performing arts. graf.no www.avantgarden.no/index.php?parent=0&groupid=497 Proscen (Bergen) proscen.no RadArt (Tromsø) radart.ning.com Bergen International Festival The National Touring Network for the Performing Arts Music, theatre, dans and artfestival in Bergen. (Oslo) scenekunstbruket.no www.fib.no The Norwegian Actors’ Equity Association (Oslo) skue- spillerforbund.no

154 155 CODA Oslo International Dance Festival The Circus Village International biennale on contemporary dance. Contemporary Circus Festival. www.codadancefest.no http://www.cirkusxanti.no/en/sirkuslandsby/

Ibsen Festival/ The Contemporary Stage Festival The International Puppet Theatre Festival International biennales in Oslo. International festival for puppet theatre. www.nationaltheatret.no www.agderteater.no

Marstrand Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival Festival for contemporary performing arts. Contemporary music and performing art festival in Oslo. www.blackbox.no/ www.ultima.no

METEOR International biennale on contemporary theatre in Bergen . www.bit-teatergarasjen.no

Oktoberdans International biennale on contemporary dance in Bergen. www.bit-teatergarasjen.no

Porsgrunn International Theatre Festival International theatre festival in Porsgrunn. www.pit.no

Showbox Festival for performing arts for youths and children. www.scenekunstbruket.no

Stamsund International Theatre Festival International theatre- and dancefestival in Stamsund/ Lofoten. www.stamsund-internasjonale.no

156 157 Photos p.4: The Wild Duck p.30-31: Drømmen om p.56-57: Vi hever våre p.86-87: H20 (2009). Pro- (2009). Production: Elin (1984). Actors: hoder i skam (2010). duction: TeaterNOR. Vinge & Müller. Pho- Helge Winther Larsen, Actors: Håkon Math- Photo: Geir Sire to: Magnhild Nordahl Elsa Lystad and Anne ias Vassvik, Nanna Nyutstumo. Produc- Elisabeth Berntsen, p.94-95: louder (2008). p.6-7: ..it’s only a re- tion: Tramteatret. Anneli Drecker, Bernt Production: Verden- hearsal (2003). Chore- Photo: unknown Bjørn, Espen Østman steatret. Photo: Asle ographer: Ina Christel and Rune Larsen. Nilsen Johannessen. Dancers: p.38-39: Harde Tak Production: Ferske Line Tørmoen and (2000). Actors: Terje Scener. Photo: Ingun A. p.102-103:The Wild Duck Dimitri Jourde. Pro- Sødal, Anne-Sophie Mæhlum (2009). Production: duction: zero visibility Erichsen, Bjørn Tore Vinge & Müller. Pho- corp.. Photo: Erik Berg Moen, Cecilie p.64-65: Super – Per to: Magnus Skrede Fretheim, Lars Vik and (1994). Production: p.14-15: And All the Tommy Henriksen. Baktruppen. Photo: p.116-117: It was Novem- Questionmarks Started Direction: Tor Arne Marit Anna Evanger ber (2008). Choreog- to Sing (2010). Produc- Ursin. Photo: Danny rapher: Ina Christel Jo- tion: Verdensteatret. Twang p.70-71: Concert for hannessen. Production: Photo: Asle Nilsen Greenland (2004), Carte Blanche. Photo: p.43: The Wild Duck Production: Verden- Erik Berg p.22-23: Er det sant det (2009). Production: steatret. Photo: Asle vi ser? (1982). Actor: Vinge & Müller. Pho- Nilsen p.126-127: White Wall Karl Hoff. Production: to: Magnhild Nordahl Black Hole (1997). Perleporten teatergrup- p.78-79: Biomechanics Choreographer: Ina per. Photo: unknown p.48-49: Germania Tod in (2001). Production: Christel Johannessen. Berlin (1988). Actors: TeaterNOR. Photo: Production: Carte Worm Winther and Michael Bry Blanche. Photo: Carte Trine Falch. Produc- Blanche tion: Baktruppen. Photo: unknown

158 159 p.134-135: Poppea (2009). Choreogra- pher: Ingun Bjørs- gaard. Dancers: Mat- tias Ekholm (front), Ida Wigdel, Lone Torvik and Erik Rulin. Production: Ingun Bjørnsgaard Prosjekt. Photo: Erik Berg p.142-143: TO (2010). Choreographer: Karen Foss. Production: karen foss quiet works. Photo: Marit Anna Evanger p.152-153: Atlas (2010), Choreographer: Eva- Cecilie Richardsen. Production: Eva-Ceci- lie Richardsen. Photo: Tom Sinding Larsen

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