: CONTENT
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Welcome to :DANISH+ Welcome to Aarhus Welcome to Denmark About :DANISH+ :DANISH+ showcase map General information :DANISH+ venues :DANISH+ meals Programme Monday April 14th 2008 Programme Tuesday April 15th 2008
THEATRES & PERFORMANCES: 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
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Asterions Hus :THE ILIAD Carte Blanche :KALEJDOSKOP Corona La Balance :LOOKING FOR MY FATHER De Røde Heste :GOODBYE, MR. MUFFIN Det Fortællende Teater :BEOWULF Det Lille Turnéteater :HAMLET Graense-loes :FUCKING ALONE Gruppe 38 :HANS CHRISTIAN, YOU MUST BE AN ANGEL Holbæk Teater :HOSTAGE Møllen :WHISTLE-STOP Odsherred Teater :THE RETURN Rio Rose :BLAH BLAH BLAH Teater Bastard :THE GLASS HOUSE Teater Hund :DENK MAL!/ONCE UPON A THOUGHT Teater My :SONGS FROM ABOVE Teater O/Nørregaards Teater :THE EUROPEAN CHAMPION Teater Reflektion :MAK-VÆRK (BOTCH-UP)
: WELCOME TO
Once there were five and twenty tin soldiers. They were all brothers because they had been made from the same old tin spoon. The soldiers were all exactly alike, excepting one, who had only one leg; he had been left to the last, and then there was not enough of the melted tin to finish him, so they made him to stand firmly on one leg, and this caused him to be very remarkable. This is how H.C Andersen’s fairytale “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” begins. All alike – excepting one. He is imperfect – and that is why we want to hear his story. And we want to hear it, so we’ll never forget it. Stories of the imperfect told so they will take their place in the audience and stay there for a long time. And the strange thing is that even though we show the imperfect, those beings, which are not like us - we find ourselves in them. We look like them – in secret, of course. WELCOME TO :DANISH+ - a showcase, where we have gathered a number of performances, which take up room, which are special, which couldn’t just as well be anything else, and whose stories are so life-strong that they undoubtedly will enrich children as well as adults.
Bodil Alling Artistic director Gruppe 38 Member of the :DANISH+ Board
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: WELCOME TO AARHUS
ÅRHUS ASPIRING TO BECOME EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE As Mayor of Århus, it gives me great pleasure to welcome all :DANISH+ participants and visitors to our city. Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark and at one and the same time a modern city with prospects and visions – and a cosy city where you will feel at ease and safe. The old Viking city has developed into a modern knowledge city with international aspirations. Constantly on the move and developing – something that is evident not least in the city’s strong cultural pulse. Århus has always been characterised specifically by culture, and thus culture contributes to making Århus an attractive city in which to live, work and study. Århus City Council has recently decided to invest significant resources in the cultural life and in this way ensure that Århus has not only the necessary theatres and workshop facilities, but also the foundation for continuously creating new, exciting and challenging dramatic art – both for children and for adults. By staking on culture, it is our aim to see Århus designated European Capital of Culture in 2017. I wish organisers, participants and audiences some exciting and eventful days in Århus during :DANISH+.
Nicolai Wammen The Lord Mayor The Municipality of Aarhus
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: WELCOME TO DENMARK
DEAR GUESTS I am delighted to welcome you to :DANISH+ - an international showcase for Danish theatre for young people supported by the Danish Ministry of Culture. I am proud to say that Danish theatre for young people is something very special. It takes young peoples intelligence and imagination seriously. It offers an intimate and intense dialogue between stage and audience and does not oversimplify the issues and themes brought to life on stage. Furthermore the performances are of a very high artistic quality. Danish theatre for young people is already well-known abroad. Every single day of the year a Danish play for children or young people is performed by a Danish theatre company somewhere in the world. This is in it self amazing and I think Danish theatre for young people has even more potential for exposure. That is also why I so warmly welcome this initiative for an exclusive showcase in Aarhus. And April certainly is the month of theatre for young people in Denmark. One week each year for 38 years The Children's Theatre Festival has taken place. The festival might very well be the biggest children's theatre festival in the world with around a hundred Danish companies participating and performing, around 500 performances in a single week, and an audience of approximately 20.000 kids and families and professionals. And now you are invited to join :DANISH+ - an exclusive showcase with 17 productions of very high quality curated by members of three of our highly respected theatres for young people Gruppe 38, Asterions Hus and Det Lille TurnĂŠteater. I wish you an inspiring and productive showcase and hope you will enjoy the great performances!
Brian Mikkelsen Minister for Culture
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:DANISH+ is organized by GRUPPE 38, DET LILLE TURNÈTEATER and ASTERIONS HUS
:DANISH+ is funded by the Danish Ministry of Culture, Central Denmark Region, the Municipality of Aarhus and Kulturhus Århus
:DANISH+ is sponsored by Scandic Plaza Aarhus, Restaurant Svineriet and Tækker Group
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: ABOUT
WELCOME TO :DANISH+ - HOPEFULLY THE FIRST EVENT OUT OF MANY With this first showcase we want to start a biennale – a returning event, where we invite guests from all over the world to become acquainted with the best in Danish children’s theatre, which is particularly well suited for passing on unforgettable experiences for children as well as adults. For this exclusive showcase a board of representatives from the three Danish theatres Gruppe 38, Det Lille Turnéteater and Asterions Hus have handpicked only 17 productions; some of the best of Danish contemporary performing arts for children and young people. All productions presented at :DANISH+ are considered equally compelling for adults and children/young people, and :DANISH+ will appeal to interested professionals in the performing arts across the board. The process of selecting the presented work has been based on only one sole parameter: quality. Along with quality, Danish performing arts for children and young people is widely acclaimed for creating and conceptualizing the genre, and its productions, from an uncompromising and genuine artistic concern. Danish productions also aim for intense and intimate dialogue on several levels between stage and audience – the latter often with a size of less than 100 spectators. With :DANISH+ we also intend to make it possible to meet in midstream – to meet and discuss quality and children’s theatre. As you can see, the first year’s programme is very dense, and we hope to expand the showcase with one more day in the future, in order to draw breath and exchange experiences, ideas and views. We have been looking forward eagerly and excitedly to this our first meeting with you and we hope that you will enjoy :DANISH+ 2008.
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Århus City
SHOWCASE MAP 1 2 3 4 5
ARCHAUZ Valdemarsgade 1 AUKTIONSSCENEN Mejlgade 45 GRUPPE 38 / :DANISH+ SECRETARY Mejlgade 55 B RIDEHUSET Vester Alle 1 ÅRHUS KUNSTBYGNING / THE AARHUS ART BUILDING J. M. Mørks Gade 13
6 HOTEL SCANDIC PLAZA Banegårdspladsen 14 7 RÅDHUSET / AARHUS CITY TOWN HALL 8 SVINERIET / RESTAURANT (:DANISH+ SHOWCASE CAFÉ) Mejlgade 35, baggården
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: GENERAL INFORMATION :DANISH+ SECRETARIAT c/o Gruppe 38 Mejlgade 55B - the back building DK-8000 Århus C Tel. +45 86 13 53 11 info@danishplus.dk :DANISH+ co-ordinator Stine Kamstrup +45 31 90 39 11 / sk@danishplus.dk :DANISH+ co-ordinator Charlotte Aaby +45 50 53 77 81 / ca@danishplus.dk The showcase-coordinators can - in an emergency - be reached by telephone 24 hours a day. :DANISH+ participant-guide Christian Glahn +45 50 53 78 24 WWW.DANISHPLUS.DK
HOTEL SCANDIC PLAZA ÅRHUS Banegårdspladsen 14 DK-8000 Århus C Tel. +45 87 32 01 00 Mail: plaza.aarhus@scandichotels.com www.scandichotels.dk/plaza The accommodation is included breakfast (every day 6.30-10 am), wireless internet access and free access to the hotel sauna, fitness room and whirlpool. Computer with internet-access is available in the hotel lounge.
TOURIST INFORMATION Visit Aarhus (close to the hotel) Banegårdspladsen 20 DK-8000 Århus C Tel. +45 87 31 50 10 (Mon. 10 am – 6 pm / Thu.-Wed. 10 am – 5 pm) www.visitaarhus.dk
RESTAURANT SVINERIET (:DANISH+ showcase café) Mejlgade 35 - the back building DK - 8000 Århus C Tel. +45 86 12 30 00 Mail: svineriet@svineriet.dk www.svineriet.dk The showcase café will be open: Monday April 14th 10 am – 6.30 pm Tuesday April 15th 10 am – 4.30 pm The restaurant will be open for evening dinner: April 14th-15th 8.30 pm – 12 pm
OPENING HOURS:
RÅDHUSET / AARHUS CITY TOWN HALL Rådhuspladsen 2 DK – 8000 Århus C The Municipality of Aarhus host an official lunch for :DANISH+ delegates: Monday April 14th.
EMERGENCY CALL: 112 TAXI SERVICE: +45 89 48 48 48
Ordinary shops: Mon-Wed 10am-5.30/6.00pm (Extended opening hours in bigger shopping centres) Most shops are closed on Sunday Supermarkets:
Mon-Wed 9 am -8 pm There are several 24hr kiosks in Aarhus, e.g. ‘7-eleven’ in front of the central railway station.
Post offices:
Mon-Wed 10am-6pm (central post office next to the central railway station)
Banks:
Mon-Wed 10am – 4 pm (It’s possible to change money at the hotel, but to an unprofitable rate)
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VENUES
GRUPPE 38 Mejlgade 55B - the back building Aarhus C www.gruppe38.dk
AUKTIONSSCENEN Mejlgade 45 Aarhus C
RIDEHUSET Vester Allé 1 Aarhus C
ARCHAUZ Valdemarsgade 1 Aarhus C www.archauz.dk
ÅRHUS KUNSTBYGNING J. M. Mørks Gade 13 Aarhus C www.aarhuskunstbygning.dk
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MEALS
SUNDAY APRIL 13TH Dinner: At Hotel Scandic Plaza 8 pm – Restaurant Brazil
MONDAY APRIL 14TH Breakfast: At Hotel Scandic Plaza 6.30-10 am Lunch: At Aarhus City Town Hall 12.20-1.20 pm Dinner: At Svineriet at 8.30 pm
TUESDAY APRIL 15TH Breakfast: At Hotel Scandic Plaza 6.30-10 am Lunch: At Svineriet 12.25-1.20 pm Dinner: At Svineriet at 8.30 pm
WEDNESDAY APRIL 16TH Breakfast: At Hotel Scandic Plaza 6.30-10 am
During :DANISH+ free mineral water, coffee/tea, snacks etc. will be served in the showcase café at Svineriet: Monday April 14th 10 am – 6.30 pm Tuesday April 15th 10 am – 4.30 pm and occasionally at the venues.
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Programme
: MONDAY APRIL 14th 2008
TIME
THEATRE
PERFORMANCE
AGE GROUP
DURATION
VENUE
9.00-9.50 am
Gruppe 38
Hans Christian, you must be an angel
7-99 years
50 min.
Gruppe 38
10.05-11.00 am
Teater Bastard
The Glass House
14-99 years
60 min
Auktionsscenen
11.30-12.20 am
Teater Hund
Once Upon a Thought
15-12 years
50 min.
Ridehuset (1)
1.20-2.30 pm
Corona La Balance
Looking for my father
10-99 years
70 min.
Archauz
2.45-4.15 pm
Holbæk Teater
Hostage
14-99 years
90 min.
Bus from Ridehuset
2.45-4.15 pm
Carte Blanche
Kalejdoskop
8-99 years
90 min.
Ridehuset (3)
4.30-5.30 pm
Teater O/Nørregaards Teater
The European Champion
9-99 years
60 min.
Ridehuset (2)
6.00-6.45 pm
De Røde Heste
Goodbye, Mr. Muffin
6-10 years
40 min.
Gruppe 38
7.00-8.25 pm
Det Lille Turnéteater
Hamlet
14-99 years
85 min.
Auktionsscenen
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Programme
: TUESDAY APRIL 15th 2008
TIME
THEATRE
PERFORMANCE
AGE GROUP
DURATION
VENUE
9.00-10.30 am
Holbæk Teater
Hostage
14-99 years
90 min.
Bus from Ridehuset
9.00-10.30 am
Carte Blanche
Kalejdoskop
8-99 years
90 min.
Ridehuset (3)
10.55-11.25 am
Teater My
Songs from above
2-4 years
30 min.
Auktionsscenen
11.40-12.25 am
Teater Refleksion
MAK-VÆRK (Botch-up)
5-9 years
45 min.
Gruppe 38
1.20-2.05 pm
Rio Rose
Blah Blah Blah
12-99 years
45 min.
Archauz
2.20-3.10 pm
Graense-loes
Fucking alone
13-99 years
50 min.
Århus Kunstbygning
2.30-3.00 pm
Teater My
Songs from above
2-4 years
30 min.
Auktionsscenen
3.25-4.15 pm
Odsherred Teater
The Return
11-16 years
50 min.
Ridehuset (1)
4.30-5.20 pm
Møllen
Whistle-stop
8-99 years
50 min.
Ridehuset (2)
5.35-6.45 pm
Asterions Hus
The Iliad
14-99 years
70 min.
Archauz
7.15-8.25 pm
Det fortællende Teater
Beowulf
8-99 years
70 min.
Gruppe 38
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: THEATRES & PERFORMANCES
evt. xxxxxxx
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Asterions Hus
: THE ILIAD TUE 15th - 5:35 PM - ARCHAUZ
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE ‘The Iliad’ is a great story, written by the old Greek poet, Homer. We have heard it before: Prince Paris of Troy has eloped with beautiful Helena of Greece, the most beautiful woman in the world. So the Greeks gather a giant army and march to Troy - to win her back and to destroy Troy. It will become a giant war about something as illusive as beauty. ‘The Iliad’ is about this war. But it is especially about the anger that rages within the extraordinary hero, Achilles.
ABOUT THE THEATRE Theatre ’Asterions Hus’ (House of Asterion) is in progress constantly looking for new ways of performing. We want to explore rather than give answers. We search the co-playing, identification and communication. We work with the grotesque and make it real where by we create a hyper-realm with a certain peculiar twist. The style is physical theatre with language, speech and humour. Confusing and philosophical, simple and recognizable.
Three foaming actors in a tremendous pace act the story of Troy. With more than 30 characters from delicious maidens, radiant heroes, proud kings and bony priests to a pack of gods, goddesses and mighty Zeus, they throw themselves wholeheartedly into the impossible task of vitalizing this epic work in just 70 minutes. ‘The Iliad’ is a bodily and mythical, funny and elegant performance that will get the audience out of breath!
The theatre was founded in 2003 and is currently supported by the Danish Arts Agency.
CAST: Tilde Knudsen, Martin Ammundsen & Peter Kirk DIRECTION, TEXT & SET-DESIGN: Peter Kirk CHOREOGRAPHY & STAGEFIGHT: Thomas Kirk & Tilde Knudsen LIGHT DESIGN: Fabiàn Carvallo COSTUMES: Tora Winther
PRESS QUOTES
AGE GROUP: from 14 years old and up
Usually you are almost bored to death when you are taught Greek and Roman
DURATION: 70 minutes
civilization in school – yesterday you were about to die of laughter, when thea-
LANGUAGE: English
tre House of Asterion performed Homer’s ’Illiad’ as alternative theatre....very
WEBSITE: www.asterionshus.dk
much funnier than when you see Brat Pitt in the film ’Troy’, which is about the same universe. It turned into pure Dario Fo and grand Commedia D’ell’Arte, when the only three performers on the stage – bare empty of any stage design – and with no props at all and with only tights as costumes, cleverly and acrobatically served high—speed body-language to about 36 different but name given characters in the famous epic work of Homer, the Illiad. Kalundborg Folkeblad, the regional newspaper of Kalundborg Three-dimensional shadow play. 30 different characters were yesterday out, in and about in the Sports Centre of Ringsted, when three frothing actors were given full speed to their performance and skills... The formidable battles are being fought with mimic and body acrobatic in the best Hollywood style. The timing is perfect when the blades are crossing and the suits of armour are being torn apart... Dagbladet Ringsted, local Paper of Ringsted
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Carte Blanche
: KALEJDOSKOP MON 14th - 2:45 PM & TUE 15th - 9:00 AM - RIDEHUSET
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE ’Kalejdoskop’ is an installation-performance from 2006. An art chamber where nature, science and poetry meet. The audience is sent on expedition into a labyrinth in small groups. A never-ending universe where questions arise and answers disappear. Where do I come from? Where am I going? Through crooked doors and long tunnels new questions occur while you are searching for the way in - or the way out.
ABOUT THE THEATRE Carte Blanche works with an abstract language where understanding and experience takes place in the irrational, emotional areas of our consciousness. Carte Blanche aims to offer children - and adults - artistically aesthetic and historically absurd experiences by inviting the audience into an imaginative world of performance and visuals. A world that exists beyond all common logic.
PERFORMERS: PRESS QUOTES
Dorte Persson, Cindy Rudel, Kristina Murdin, Ulla Katcher & Connie Tronbjerg
This strange tent is more intricate than the wildest medieval castle [...] for
DIRECTOR: Sara Topsøe-Jensen
grown-ups the experience becomes almost therapeutic. And for the child-
IDEA, STAGING AND REALISATION: Clare Butler & Sara Topsøe-Jensen
ren it’s a dream come true: like extreme sport through your own senses.
TECHNICAL MANAGER: Karsten Nisbeth
Børneteateravisen, The Children’s Theatre Paper, May 2007
COSTUMES: Tanja Bovin SOUND DESIGN: Flemming Bloch
A successful experiment in stage art [...] Puzzling, lovely, surprising and a little bit scary [...] The interaction with the audience is simply both innova-
AGE GROUP: from 8 years and up
tive and challenging.
DURATION: 90 minutes
Folkeskolen.dk, the elementary school Internet portal, 7th of May 2007
LANGUAGE: English WEBSITE: www.cblanche.dk
The children meet a gigantic sense bombardment, as they crawl through narrow tunnels, feel strange fabric against their skin and are surprised by ghastly sounds [...] Under normal conditions 90 minutes is a very long time to be quiet when your 10, but there is complete silence as the children are led through the winding labyrinth [...] It’s a journey through your senses. Viborg Stifts Folkeblad, Local newspaper of Viborg, September 2006
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Corona La Balance
: LOOKING FOR MY FATHER MON 14th - 1:20 PM - ARCHAUZ
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE ‘Looking for my father’ is about Nick who hasn’t seen his father since he was little and can hardly remember him. Nevertheless, he still misses him a great deal and searches incessantly for answers to why his father chose to leave him. He searches for answers everywhere: from other adults, from his friends and deep inside himself. At night, Nick daydreams about his great hero, the football star Zinedine Zidane, and asks him for an answer. He lives in a fantasy world, lying to himself and living on borrowed love and approval from others; he tries to help the weak and overthrow the strong. He does this in order to cope. But his longing for his father eventually compels Nick to find him and results in a crucially important meeting. ‘Looking for my father’ is fiction but the framework of the story is based on real statements by different boys about their fathers. The music is especially composed for this production and the stage design consists solely of lighting effects. The choreography is created in collaboration with the highly respected Italian dance company – Compagnia Abbondanza-Bertoni.
ABOUT THE THEATRE Corona La Balance, Danish National Ensemble for Children’s Theatre. The theatre world is bubbling with life. It has golden moments along with unforeseeable slipups; it is spontaneous and amazing; it is happening right here, right now. It provides answers that pose even greater questions, sometimes we see it clearly and sometimes it seems like an imperceptible quiver in the air…. The theatre means live actors entertaining a live audience. Together, they abandon themselves to the indulgence of an hour or two’s delightful enjoyment. At Corona La Balance, we want to turn the theatre upside down and challenge both our audiences and ourselves with new visionary impressions and perspectives. There are crazy stories, there are many questions to be answered, there is beauty and imperfection, there is anarchy and madness. We revitalize your curiosity, while setting out on voyages of discovery into the unknown, just to keep on telling meaningful stories about the basic feelings and relationships that unite people. Of course, in a quirky, exciting way! We hope you all, both large and small, have a really wonderful time! Corona La Balance ’s artistic management is Jørgen Carlslund, Marc van der Velden and Lotte Faarup
PRESS QUOTES ‘Looking for my father’ is moving without being groping. Nuanced, quick and precise in the opening. The contact to the children in the audience is
CAST: Ernesto Piga Carbone, Andreas Dawe, Kristian Dinesen & Vidar Hansen
good. Several of the lines in ‘Looking for my father’ were cheered loudly
DIRECTOR: Lotte Faarup
by the audience. (…) The show takes up a relatively common and painful
TEXT: Sven Ørnø and Lotte Faarup
problem – a feature which has almost become the trademark of Corona La
CONSULTANS: Compagnia Abbondanza-Bertoni for choreography
Balance. It is admirable.
MUSIC: Jesper Egelund
Weekendavisen, weekly Danish newspaper, March 16th 2007
LIGHTS: Jeppe Lawaetz COSTUMES: Signe Beckmann
Grand and Gripping Show from Corona La Balance. Black and naked lies the stage as a room for the dark, oppressive longing but at the same time also
AGE GROUP: from 10 years and up
as a good abstract launch for the uncompromising simplicity and severity
DURATION: 70 minutes
with which the producer Lotte Faarup tells the story.
LANGUAGE: English
Politiken, daily Danish newspaper, March 19th 2007
WEBSITE: corona-la-balance.dk
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De Røde Heste/Teater Refleksion
: GOODBYE, MR. MUFFIN MON 14th - 6:00 PM - GRUPPE 38
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE Mr. Muffin has a stomach ache. He makes a list: He had a good life, better than many others. One very wise and kind wife. One little house with its own mail box. Four little, furry children. And sometimes mail in the mail box. Once upon a time Mr. Muffin was young, strong and proud. He could carry a whole cucumber on his back! Now he is tired and grey. And he sits alone in his house remembering. ’Goodbye Mr. Muffin’ is a storytelling performance with three performers: the cellist, the actor and a puppeteer, and last but not least the puppet Mr. Muffin
ABOUT THE THEATRE De Røde Heste (The Red Horses) was founded in 1990 by Claus Mandoe. The company has a special focus on the narrative element within theatre. The company has produced eight shows since its foundation, most of them solo shows performed by Claus Mandoe, except for ‘Goodbye Mr. Muffin’, which is performed together with the cellist Else Anker-Moeller. Claus Mandoe performs also with the Danish theatre GRUPPE 38. Aside from the shows, De Røde Heste has produced manuscripts for film, televison and other theatres. De Røde Heste has been supported by the Danish Arts Council several times during its existence.
PERFORMERS: Claus Mandøe & Else Anker Møller DIRECTOR: Bjarne Sandborg PRESS QUOTES
MANUSCRIPT: Claus Mandøe – based on a children’s book by Ulf Nilsson
Puppet theatre of the absolute finest kind about big issues in life that we
PUPPETS/SET DESIGN: Mariann Aagaard, assistant Sille Heltoft
all can relate to. About life and death. See it!!
TEQHNICIAN: Steen Molls Rasmussen
Politiken, daily Danish newspaper AGE GROUP: 5-9 year-old children and adults ‘Mr. Muffin’ has an altogether healthy and down to earth approach to
DURATION: 40 minutes
death, a fine storyline, breathless tranquillity and is refreshingly high
LANGUAGE: English
spirited. In just 40 min. you receive a lot to share afterwards
WEBSITE: www.deroedeheste.dk
Børneteateravisen, The Children’s Theatre Paper
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Det Fortællende Teater
: BEOWULF
TUE 15th - 7:15 PM - GRUPPE 38
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE Beowulf. Imagine how you would feel if you where the King of Denmark in the 700th century with gold, glory and a big reputation. Your only problem was a 500 pound ugly and fetid troll, named Grendel, killing your men at random.
ABOUT THE THEATRE The Telling Theatre is a touring theatre company based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The company was founded in 1996 by Jesper la Cour Andersen and has been touring all over Denmark performing for groups of children, youth and adults.
Maybe you would call it a true nightmare, but storytellers 1300 years later call it the magnificent beginning of a great story.
We are exploring the meeting point between theatre and its origin: The storytelling. All of our productions start by telling a story, then adding physical characters and developing the actions.
Sitting face to face around the Viking ship, the distance between the action and the audience is minimal - you feel like you take part in the thrilling tale - and who knows, maybe suddenly you do…
PRESS QUOTES
Our performances have simple sets and costumes; we use primitive instruments, which are used as props occasionally. Through expressive physical and vocal acting, mime, music and direct communication we spur the imagination of the audience, who on their part are involved in a fantasy journey of the story told.
This stripped-down and child-friendly version of the Old English epic ’Beowulf’ is perfect post-Lord Of The Rings fare. It’s full of monsters, courageous men and plenty of stage magic. Adapted and narrated by Denmark’s Jesper la Cour Andersen , the production is so evocative, you’ll swear you can smell the roasted boar, taste the mead and hear the troll Grendel stomping through the thicket. All of this is done economically. Black curtains mark off the intimate performing space and the sole prop is a tin watering can, which becomes everything from a horn to a TV camera. Andersen
During the past 11 years we have produced eight performances, played more than 1000 shows for about 90.000 kids and 10.000 grown-ups. We have performed in schools, libraries, theatres, communities, corporations, at festivals, on the street and in nature all over Denmark and also in Sweden, Norway, Germany and in English in Ireland, India, USA and Canada. We received Horsens Award of Children’s theatre in 2006.
and Troels Kirk Ejsing make terrific storytellers, combining horror, whimsy and broad laughs, and drawing on the audience in always inventive ways. NowToronto
We have a passion for myths, legends and tales. Stories that open a door to insight, and let us peak into why we do as we do and are as we are.
My 85 year old mother-in-law was especially delighted by the performance. Her difficulty with vision did not hamper her one bit and we thank you for graciously allowing us to sit in the front row reserved for the young ones.
IDEA, SCRIPT AND PERFORMER: Jesper la Cour Andersen
She described the performance as delightful and said she hadn’t laughed so
MUSIC, LIGHT DESIGN AND PERFORMER: Troels Kirk Ejsing
hard in a very long time. Your playfulness and spontaneity was exuberant
SET DESIGN: Bettina Schori
and contageous. It was so wonderfully innovative. The weaving of move-
COSTUMES: Lone Buhl Villaume and Charlotte Østergaard
ment, mime, music, drama and words created a rich experience. Comment by Marilyn, Whithorse; Yukon
AGE GROUP: from 8 years DURATION: 70 minutes LANGUAGE: English WEBSITE: www.thetellingtheatre.com
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Det lille Turnéteater
: HAMLET
MON 14th - 7:00 PM - AUKTIONSSCENEN
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE ’Hamlet’, the ultimate piece. An ultimate challenge. Shakespeare’s undying classic transformed into a tour de force of minimalistic theatre. Stunning, simple and seductive. It sounds impossible but two double-bass players, two actors and a wild imagination is all it takes. “Once upon a time there was a happy prince of Denmark”, Horatio begins his story about Hamlet. However fortune comes to an abrupt end when Hamlet’s father, the king of Denmark, is assassinated. On the threshold to adulthood the death of the father puts an end to infancy. Freedom from care fades away as the world of grown-ups absorbs the two fellow sufferers. Hamlet and Horatio decide to reveal and avenge the killing. A dramatic tragedy set in the twilight zone between child- and adulthood. Det lille Turnéteater’s adaptation of Hamlet in English has been approved with the American theatre award, the Victor Award. It has toured the international scene extensively.
PRESS QUOTES Det lille Turnéteater has launched an excellent interpretation of Shake-
ABOUT THE THEATRE Det lille Turnéteater (The Small Touring Theatre) is a small but widely acclaimed children’s and youth theatre. It currently resides in Favregaarden, an abandoned farm with a beautiful setting in the middle of Zealand, Denmark. Det lille Turnéteater was founded in 1990 by director and actor Peter Holst and moved into its present location in 2002. An unbeatable, both distinctive and sophisticated, dramatic yet intimate storytelling, bridging the gap between stage and audience, is one of Det lille Turnéteater’s most significant hallmarks. One of the basic elements in Det lille Turnéteater’s work is to spur the audience actively to form their own personal images and empathetic emotions and in a very elegant way, Det lille Turnéteater transforms amazing stories into immediately recognizable images. The stories are the beginning of all great theatre experiences and as true raconteurs Det lille Turnéteater breathes new life into these stories, while preserving their original intent and inner soul. Small of size but with huge ambitions, Det lille Turnéteater has toured extensively on the international scene for many years. Asia and Australia as well as several European countries are just some of the many destinations the theatre has travelled to.
speare, performed as a combination of drama and story-telling. One is impressed, delighted and thrilled along the way. And leaves again dizzy with the spell of the play inside.
CAST: Morten Bo Koch, Sune Kofoed, Andreas Barsøe Bennetzen & Claus Kaarsgaard
Kirsten Dahl, Børneteateravisen, The Children’s Theatre Paper
DIRECTION: Marc van der Velden IDEA: Peter Holst
Even Peter Brook’s ‘Hamlet’ I have seen recently has not made such an
DRAMATIZATION: Jesper B. Karlsen – freely adapted from Shakespeare
impression on me.
SET DESIGN: Julie Forchammer
Halina Machulska, President of the Polish Centre of ASSITEJ
MUSIC: Jesper Egelund
The music is superb, the simple design is brilliant and the style of the
AGE GROUP: 10 years and older
performance is outwardly casual but, in fact, profoundly precise and dis-
DURATION: 80-85 minutes
ciplined. Only a couple of hundred young people will see this wonderful
LANGUAGE: English
introduction to Hamlet in Edinburgh but they will be laying the foundations
WEBSITE: www.detlilleturneteater.dk
of a passionate relationship with Shakespeare that could last a lifetime. Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman
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Graense-loes
: FUCKING ALONE TUE 15th - 2:20 PM - ÅRHUS KUNSTBYGNING
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE Fucking Alone…. Friday 22.34 Stopped talking. No one listened anyway. 0 Comments. Fucking Alone is an audio visual theatre production about loneliness which puts focus on the use of technology as a s(t)imulating alternative to the real (?) world. The production is performed in a subtle and peculiar multimedia puppet theatre universe with video projections and virtual media as co-actors. Produced by GRAENSE-LOES in cooperation with actress Katrine Karlsen and stage designer Sissel Romme Christensen.
PRESS QUOTES Fucking Amazing Børneteateravisen, The Children’s Theatre Paper, May 2007
ABOUT THE THEATRE GRAENSE-LOES is a three year old art collaboration, which aims to create contemporary stage art with an experimental and audiovisual expression. We have a particular interest in investigating the line of production. GRAENSE-LOES has a nonhierarchic structure where all participants involved contribute and support each others artistic skills and knowledge. GRAENSE-LOES aims to develop a peculiar confronting stage language which does not compromise neither verbally, visually nor with the use of technology to express its message. As an art & theatre production company GRAENSE-LOES aims to support the ‘risk taking’ stage art as a necessary production form to push boundaries and develop the modern theatre. With the multi-media performance ‘Fucking Alone’ - GRAENSELOES contributed to the positive focus of the Danish theatre in 2007 – in particular both teen-agers and adults ‘rediscovered the possibilities’, the aesthetics and the artistic language of the modern contemporary puppet theatre.
Peculiar, fascinating and different performance. Full of original and beautiful images.
IDEA AND PERFORMER: Katrine Karlsen
Jyllandsposten, daily Danish newspaper, February 2007
IDEA AND SET-DESIGN: Sissel Romme Christensen TECHNIQUE/PICTURES: Simon Moe
Fucking Alone creates distance through presence and presence through
SOUND: Lydsiden.dk
distance … this play undoubtedly announce a new epoch in multimedia
DRAMATURG: Jette Lund
theatre”...”gives thought-provoking nauseous days after. The melancholy
MUSIC: Thomas Knark & G:L
is uttermost – unlimited.
CONSULTANT: Catherine Poher
Information, daily Danish Newspaper February 2007 AGE GROUP: from 13 years Exciting and entertaining puppettheatre-performanceinstallation.
DURATION: 50 minutes
A great mixture of impressions in a consequent use of modern technology.
LANGUAGE: English
ByenKalder, Webportal for entertainment and culture, February 2007
WEBSITE: www.graense-loes.dk
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Gruppe 38
: HANS CHRISTIAN, YOU MUST BE AN ANGEL MON 14th - 9:00 AM - GRUPPE 38
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE It is necessary for a human being to be seen, as well as seen through, and being loved in spite of everything. Hans Christian Andersen saw that. A long table is set for a birthday party and two waiters are on the job of their life: To wait on a table of fantastic personalities. Each one with their own peculiar whims and needs, created by Andersen himself. With an absorbing seriousness and free-and-easy cheerfulness, Gruppe 38 celebrates the greatest writer of fairytales ever. A different and challenging theatre experience. A lively theatre-installation of life, light, sound, music and pictures, in which the audience is not allowed to sit – for the real guests are the ones from the fairytales… Gruppe 38 was awarded the most prestigious Danish theatre award, Reumert of the Year, in 2006 for ‘Hans Christian, you must be an angel’.
PRESS QUOTES This is not just for children and this is not just theatre. An enchanting installation for fairytale lovers of all ages.
ABOUT THE THEATRE Gruppe 38 is a professional and award-winning theatre resident in Aarhus - the second largest city in Denmark. When not performing at our own charming stage in Denmark – we are touring all over the country or abroad. We present our performances all over the world - USA, Canada, Australia, Japan and most countries in Europe. Gruppe 38’s performances can all be performed in English, some in German and a one single in French. It’s Gruppe 38’s purpose to create performances, which challenge their audience whether they are children or adults. We try to find complexity and sophistication in simplicity, and thus create unpredictable experiences with a few and simple means. The basis of an idea is often an ultra short tale or narrative, where life itself is at stake - in spite of the fact, that our audience are mostly children – or perhaps exactly for that reason. We do not insert extenuating circumstances to spare the children. A story can be as cruel, as highly dangerous and infinitely sad as it lays claim to, in order to convey the strongest emotional experience. After all, reality is highly dangerous…
ªªªªª Politiken, daily Danish newspaper How wonderful! Finally to be in a Danish children’s theatre, where Hans
CAST: Bodil Alling, Joakim Eggert, Steen Molls Rasmussen, Jakob Kirkegaard and
Christian Andersen has inspired such a subtle and intelligent interpretation
Søren Søndberg
that the adults must exert themselves in order to keep up. And the children?
CREATED BY: Catherine Poher, Paolo Cardona, Philippe LeFêbvre, Claus Helbo,
No, nobody act patronizing to anybody here at Gruppe 38. (…) The film ‘Toy
Bodil Alling, Joakim Eggert, Sille Heltoft, Kim Kirkeby, Jakob Kirkegaard and
Story’ is digital baby food compared to this ‘fairytale unplugged’.
Arne Fich.
Information, daily Danish newspaper AGE GROUP: School Performance: From 8 years What a birthday party. A marvellous display of sensuality and imagination!
FAMILY PERFORMANCE: Adults and children from 7 years
HHHHHH Århus Stiftstidende, regional Danish newspaper
DURATION: 50 minutes LANGUAGE: English WEBSITE: www.gruppe38.dk
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Holbæk Teater
: HOSTAGE MON 14th - 2:45 PM & TUE 15th - 9:00 AM - BUS FROM RIDEHUSET
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE In the play ‘Hostage’ the audience is being picked up by bus and invited on a guided tour – a story of reality! The physical boundaries are moved from the theatre to a bus. The play focuses on an overseen problem; men with ethnic backgrounds who are forced into marriage. Samir, with Pakistani roots, and Danish Sally love each other. They try to hold on to each other and the dream of a life together. But the demands of reality are not to be overseen. ‘Hostage’ is both an escape and a confrontation with reality at the same time.
PRESS QUOTES Impressive real-life theatre in a driving bus. HHHHH Jyllands-Posten, daily Danish newspaper
ABOUT THE THEATRE Holbæk Theatre’s 25th anniversary is in August 2008. It resides in the town’s old cinema and can seat 324 guests. The theatre produces at least four professional plays a year, which are performed both at the theatre and on tour. In the last three years Holbæk Theatre has played in China, New York, Sweden and Greenland, and it is always out and about looking for new contacts, i.e. international theatre festivals and opportunities for co-productions and interdisciplinary co-operations. Holbæk Theatre is in that way experimenting both with shape, substance and relevant topics: Sexual assault, prostitution, forced marriages, abuse of alcohol and cocaine are the themes of the theatre’s youth related plays, which are still on tour in Denmark and other countries. Performances and plays taken from the more traditional known theatre, will always find new forms – for example when the theatre once a year moves to Løvenborg Castle where the audiences can enjoy a play in open air.
Holbæk Theatre has shown the ability to handle the big driving licence in a close race with reality. ªªªªª Politiken, daily Danish newspaper
CAST: Morten Nielsen, Henriette Rosenbeck and Rasmus Haxen TEXT: Jesper B. Karlsen
Well done research and great performance.
DIRECTION: Frede Gulbrandsen
Information, daily Danish newspaper AGE GROUP: from 14 years old DURATION: 90 minutes LANGUAGE: An introduction in English; the play in Danish (the performance will be translated into English before international touring) WEBSITE: www.het.dk
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Møllen
: WHISTLE-STOP TUE 15th - 4:30 PM - RIDEHUSET
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE A small, deserted station, with time for reflection. A place without a name. Magical. Dreamlike. Where strange and unexplainable things happen. A place where the train doesn’t always stop. It is here that we meet a traveller - at the small whistle-stop. He is looking for his wife, Ingrid, who has fallen into the water. On the shore their son is standing - waiting. The traveller is all by himself. Except, of course, for the station-master and his wife - an odd couple. They seem to know everything about him. They remind him of things long-forgotten - the good and the bad. They recall his past. Relive his moments. Words spoken and songs sung. Times that has gone past. A story about love between a man and wife, father and son. About having to choose between life and death, and why one should choose life. A story of a small whistle-stop, which lasts only a moment in real life.
PRESS QUOTES Distilled, and yet light. Filled with music and humour, but never senti-
ABOUT THE THEATRE Since 1974, Teatret Møllen (Theatre of the Mill) has been the regional theatre making venue for Haderslev and Southern Jutland. The company has residence in an old water mill in the centre of Haderslev and over the past 30 years has established itself as one of the most significant producers of Danish theatre for children and young people, and more recently as an exciting alternative on the adult scene. Teatret Møllen performs in theatres, schools and cultural institutions across Denmark and the work is very sought-after by international theatre festivals. Teatret Møllen is an intimate ensemble renowned for creating theatre of high artistic quality. Productions are characterised by their visual aesthetic, illusory atmosphere and strong musicality, together with subtle theatre composition and an unusual, epic narrative style. Presence at stage, an open set design and a conception of the present, all create an engaged and responsive audience. For Teatret Møllen, telling a classic story successfully involves finding the core element - the conflict and the vulnerability. Cutting it down and cutting it out, daring to do without, and from almost nothing, managing to tell it all.
mental, pathetic or vaguely educating. Well suited for children developing curiosity towards the larger questions in life. HHHHH Jydske Vestkysten, regional Danish newspaper
CAST: Klaus Andersen, Finn Rye and Ragnhild Kaasgaard DIRECTION: Ole Sørensen SET-DESIGN: Gitte Kath AGE GROUP: 8 years and up DURATION: 45 minutes LANGUAGE: English WEBSITE: www.teatretmoellen.dk
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Odsherred Teater
: THE RETURN TUE 15th - 3:25 PM - RIDEHUSET
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE The boy: ‘My mother disappeared the day the civil war broke out. My father searched all over for her, and when he was killed in a minefield, I started looking for her. I waited for her. For a long time. At first in my own country. Later on here in Denmark. She must be dead…My grandfather is all I have left. He’s not with us. He’s with them. The others. The enemy. Those that killed my family. His own family. That’s the way it is. I hate him. I want to kill him. I have to find him.’ The Mother: ‘Help me to get back home, dad. Now. I have to. My son and my husband. They don’t know where I am. They’re your family, too.’ The Grandfather: ‘There’s a civil war going on. Haven’t you discovered that? I can’t let you go just because you’re my daughter?’ ‘The Return’ is a tale about the ghosts of past and present, revenge and forgiveness. It is a free adaptation of Ad de Bont’s ‘Mirad and his mother’, which is an independent sequel to Mirad of which Odsherred Theatre did another Reumert Prize nominated production in 2004.
ABOUT THE THEATRE Odsherred Theatre is located 100 kms north west of Copenhagen in Nykøbing Sj. in beautiful surroundings. It shares buildings with Odsherred Theatre School, a training centre for the professional theatre environment, in a former mental hospital. Since the start in ‘96 OTs artistic direction has been in the hands of actor Simon Vagn Jensen. All members of the theatre´s management have many years of experience within the Danish theatre environment working professionally with theatre for children and young people. From the very beginning OTs activities were not based on an ensemble, since it was OTs aim to attract young and newly educated actors, directors and set designers to work with theatre for children and young people. Already from early on this strategy has resulted in strong and remarkable productions. It is OTs aim to create theatre productions of high artistic quality that confront, touch and amuse its audience. All of OTs productions are thematically based on issues that are topical and relevant for its audience. After 12 years of existence OT has a history of a remarkable line of very well received and well reviewed productions.
PRESS QUOTES
CAST: Mei Oulund and Henrik Ipsen
An astonishingly well acted drama…( )… which the staging so brilliantly
DIRECTION: Simon Vagn Jensen
unifies to a whole...
MANUSCRIPT: Adapted from Ad de Bont’s ”Mirad and his mother”
Børneteateravisen, The Children's Theatre Paper
TRANSLATION: Simon Vagn Jensen ADAPTATION: Mei Oulund, Henrik Ipsen og Simon Vagn Jensen
A little straw in a traumatic world.
SET DESIGN AND COSTUMES: Marie Rosendahl Chemnitz
Venstrebladet, local Danish newspaper
LIGHT DESIGN: Peter Løkke SOUND DESIGN: Jørgen Høj Nielsen TEKNICIAN: Morten Birch Nielsen, Rune Rømer Claësson AGE GROUP: From 12 years DURATION: 50 minutes LANGUAGE: English WEBSITE: www.odsherredteater.dk
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Rio Rose
: BLAH BLAH BLAH TUE 15th - 1:20 PM - ARCHAUZ
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BLAH BLAH BLAH is a theatre performance about a man with an alcohol addiction who tells so many lies that he believes them himself. He refuses to look at himself and take responsibility for his own life, and he blames everybody else for his defeats. He has lost, he has experienced great pain, and deep down maybe he knows that something is very wrong. All the same, he stubbornly clings to his delusion. He hides behind a facade of ‘honest lies’ and refuses to receive help from others. This man’s lonely struggle and his vague hope of finding the way back to honesty is portrayed with love and humour.
ABOUT THE THEATRE The Rio Rose Theatre produces internationally recognized and award-winning art theatre. Our performances have a conventionalized idiom that centres on the human being. We create theatre pictures through light, music, choreography, objects, fragments of text and dialogue. Tableau follows tableau, and it is up to the audience to piece the sense of the performance together. This allows the audience to make use of their own imagination and creates room for reflection. We aim for a comic, absurd and human expression.
PERFORMER: Folmer Kristensen TECHNICIAN: Poul Jepsen DIRECTOR: Tove Bornhøft
PRESS QUOTES Beautiful bottle blessings - Tove Bornhøft has fully earned the prize she
AGE GROUP FOR SCHOOLS: from 12 years
won from The Danish Arts Foundation for directing this performance.
AGE GROUP FOR FAMILIES: from 10 years
The expression is so unpredictable, a dynamic and unsentimental, powerful
DURATION: 45 minutes
wall of sound, a single room depopulated and populated with white fold-
LANGUAGE: English
away chairs, beautiful old camping tables in strong colours, a plate with
WEBSITE: www.teaterriorose.dk
a rhinoceros and, yes, bottles en masse, as well as an elegant mixture of comic and tragic – these are among the great qualities of this performance. Close to the dream. Close to the game. A melting pot of art and life. This is real - almost happy - theatre. HHHH Århus Stiftstidende, regional Danish newspaper, Sep. 2007
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Teater Bastard
: THE GLASS HOUSE MON 14th - 10:05 AM - AUKTIONSSCENEN
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE ‘The Glasshouse’ takes place in the classroom during the summer holiday, where Dan has been hiding for three weeks. Dan has escaped from an institution, a place called “The Glasshouse”. He is waiting for his former classmate Kenneth. When Kenneth arrives it becomes clear that Dan has done something to Kenneth. Something he wishes to apologise for, something, which has forced him to live at ‘the Glasshouse’. But Kenneth completely rejects his attempt to receive forgiveness; he feels that Dan deserves to be locked up forever.
ABOUT THE THEATRE A small theatre based in Valby, Copenhagen. It is runn by Jarl Schach and has two performances on tour.
CAST: Jarl Schacht and Sune Kofoed DIRECTION: Lars Henning TEXT: Andreas Garfield AGE GROUP: 14 – 99 years DURATION: 55 minutes LANGUAGE: English
PRESS QUOTES
WEBSITE: www.teaterbastard.dk
Dan is played incredibly convincing by Jarl Schacht, who contains the hissing rage and contained aggression, which is necessary to draw a convincing portrait of a young guy, who became a murderer. Because of his trauma: He can’t come to an end with his classmate Kenneth, who’s head he smashed into the radiator, again and again, on the last day of school. The dead Kenneth is played provocatively by Sune Kofoed, and he is the ghostlike companion, which Dan can’t get out of his mind. Politiken, daily Danish newspaper
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Teater Hund
: DENK MAL! / ONCE UPON A THOUGHT MON 14th - 11:30 AM - RIDEHUSET
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE English title: Once Upon a Thought - a humorous play on the power of the mind. German title: DENK mal! – ein humoristisches Spiel über die Kraft der Gedanken. Why are some people more emotionally affected by negative experiences than others? Why do some meet life’s challenges with optimism while others are bogged down by them? A humorous, colourful, and thought-provoking piece about an important subject: Our thoughts colour our lives. They can think us up, and they can think us down. We were taught a way of thinking. Maybe we can learn others? We invite you on a tour inside and out of Anne’s head in a show that mixes words, physique, visual scenes, choreographic elements, lots of humour, and new input for the brain. About what goes on inside our heads, and what consequences it can have. Inspired by the book ‘Learned Optimism’, by the former president of the American Psychological Association, Martin Seligman. With ‘Once Upon a Thought’ we create a show that is an artistic experience in itself, but that also makes a difference by reaching further with concrete food for thought and talk.
PRESS QUOTES
ABOUT THE THEATRE Teater Hund is a Copenhagen-based theatre for children and their grown-ups founded in 2003 by experienced artists from the Danish theatre and performance scene. The theatre’s first four productions have achieved great acclaim and respect from audiences, colleagues, and the press. The theatre performs both at a local venue in Copenhagen and on tour – national and international. One of our defining characteristics is that we take humour very seriously. We believe in humour as a transforming power; an important social competence. Our productions utilize both a director and a choreographer which results in a physical acting style. It is especially through the physical/visual that we achieve the moments where children and adults laugh, experience, and understand human behavioural patterns together on a deeper level. Moments that provide seeds for later dialogue in the family and in the classroom. We believe in the existence of a universal human humour that is understood by small as well as big ones and that can help break down age barriers and set the stage for fruitful dialogues about important subjects.
PERFORMERS: Anne Dalsgaard, Birgitte Prins and Flemming Bang
There is something to laugh at and wonder about at Teater Hund. Once
DIRECTION: Methe Bendix
Upon a Thought is a fun and poignantly simple representation of the hope-
CONCEPT: Methe Bendix - and the performers
less drama that we experience each and every day. It is a great achievement
CHOREOGRAPHY: Erik Pold
that Teater Hund can wonder with such clear expression over the unwieldy,
SET DESIGN: Jacob Langaa-Sennek
abstract subject. A clear facilitator. Politiken, daily Danish Newspaper
LIGHT DESIGN: Jacob Langaa-Sennek and Morten Riis TECHNICIAN: David Schärfe
Self-confidence building theater story told with linguistic and scenic inge-
COSTUME DESIGN: Thomas Winkler
nuity. Director Methe Bendix has a delightfully creative imagination. ‘Once Upon a Thought’ is a wonderfully Monty Python-esque show with a true and
AGE GROUP: 5-12 years – and adults
confidence-building moral. Jyllands-Posten, daily Danish newspaper
DURATION: 50 minutes LANGUAGE: German with leaflet with a description of the scenes in English.
’Once Upon a Thought’ is something to experience. This is due to a smashing visual design with lots of quirky fun details, three energetic and clever actors, a good choreographic expression, and a number of humorous high points. Folkeskolen, magazine for school teachers
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WEBSITE: www.teaterhund.dk
Teater My/Teater Reflektion
: SONGS FROM ABOVE TUE 15th - 10:55 AM & 2:30 PM - AUKTIONSSCENEN
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE ‘Songs from above’ - small musical and image-rich stories form the framework of a flow of intense and lyrical moments. A theatre performance about being little, in a perfectly remarkable world.
ABOUT THE THEATRE In Danish ’My’ means ’Micron’, and Theatre My specializes in productions on a micro scale for children aged four and under. These visually rich plays are notable for a simplicity that charm children and fascinate grown-ups.
‘Songs from above’ is a co-production between Teater Refleksion and Teater My, and is supported by the Danish Arts Council and the Municipality of Århus.
At the heart of these productions is artistic director and actor Mette Rosleff, spellbinding audiences with her quiet charisma and warm presence. With their sure sense for storytelling her plays demonstrate a great respect for the importance of their role: representing the child’s very first encounter with the magic of the theatre. The stories they tell us focus on themes all small children can relate to: this wonderful life, in which anything can happen and where the big can be found within the very small.
PRESS QUOTES Performance theatre for toddlers with adult appeal. More please! Politiken, daily Danish newspaper Bliss upon bliss - An intense meeting with two theatres that understand how to meet children with a marvellous artistic expression that the little ones obviously enjoyed. And so did the adults. Århus Stiftstidende, regional daily Danish newspaper
Theatre My possesses a rare gift for generating an air of intimacy in its productions, all of which last for about 30 minutes. By doing so it creates a safe atmosphere for the children, while stimulating their spirits of adventure and their capacities for wonder at the same time. Stage-sets from which spring sudden surprises, objects brought to life – which all together weave a magic guarantee to leave tiny theatregoers wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
PERFORMER: Mette Rosleff TECHNICIAN: Vibeke Pagh Schulz TEXT: Mette Rosleff DIRECTOR: Bjarne Sandborg MUSIC: Martin Vognsen SET DESIGN AND PUPPETS: Mariann Aagaard AGE GROUP: 2 – 4 year DURATION: 30 minutes LANGUAGE: English (can be performed in French or German as well) WEBSITE: www.refleksion.dk
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Teater O/Nørregaards Teater
: THE EUROPEAN CHAMPION MON 14th - 4:30 PM - RIDEHUSET
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE ‘The European Champion’, written and played by Lars Dammark and Anders Valentinus Dam. The year is 1992. Denmark wins the European Football Championship! Karl and Patrick are two 13-year-olds: Karl is half Danish and half Yugoslavian and Yugoslavia is in the middle of a civil war. ‘The European Champion’ is an authentic story about friendship. A strong friendship; about being Danish and being almost Danish. About fellowship and triumph, but also about big and small defeats and how it feels when injustice strikes. ‘The European Champion’ is a performance about how it feels to be alone in a world that appears to be too big. It is about living in Paradise when the world turns upside down.
ABOUT THE THEATRE Theatre O is a new theatre in the Danish group theatre scene. Our declared aim is to tell significant stories, to participate in the creation of inspiring and relevant theatre that speaks directly to the audience. We can’t wait! We create text performances with a fresh narrative that is designed specifically to sweep the audience into the universe of the performance. Broadly speaking it could be said that we create performances for boys that the girls are allowed to watch too. Anders Valentinus Dam and Lars Dammark are the founders and creative directors of Theatre O.
CAST AND TEXT: Lars Dammark and Anders Valentinus Dam
The performance is a co-operation between Theatre O and Nørregaard’s Theatre.
DIRECTION: Hans Rønne CONSULTANTS: Hans Nørregaard and Jaques Matthiessen SET DESIGN: Anders Valentinus Dam
PRESS QUOTES
AGE GROUP:
Football-fan or not, young people are sucked into and lifted up by ‘The
SCHOOLS: from 10 years and up
European Champion’. Great energy, no theatre finesse filled barriers con-
FAMILIES: minimum 8 years
structed by adults and at the same time a good story with many different
DURATION: 60 minutes
facets – and the way is paved for ‘a performance for the boys that the girls
LANGUAGE: partly English, partly Danish. English summary of the Danish parts
will love to watch too. Lars Dammark and Anders Valentinus Dam jump in
will be projected (the performance will be translated into English before inter-
and out of the all the parts.
national touring)
With its details and nuances ‘The European Champion’ tells a very cre-
WEBSITE: www.nrt.dk
dible story. A story with highs and lows, trials and victories. The pulse and musicality of the play really hits the spot. It is a performance which young people talk about excitedly, even ‘after the curtain has gone down’. Børneteateravisen, The Children’s Theatre Paper, May 2007
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Teater Refleksion
: MAK-VÆRK (BOTCH-UP) TUE 15th - 11:40 AM - GRUPPE 38
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE ‘Mak-Værk’ (Botch-up) On stage is a woman wearing a big blue dress, pulling a trolley full of things. A letter with water An umbrella that snows A fish with false teeth A hat with a forest inside it A mouse that knows everything Her head is full of stories, riddles up her sleeves, drinking light, dancing on four legs – and much more. In front of the audience, bits and pieces of tales and objects, light, dance and music merge into a new creation. ‘Mak-Værk’ (Botch-up) is a production created in the amalgamation between Tina Andersen’s performance language, Teater Refleksion’s animated universe and writer Louis Jensen’s wonderfully crooked tales. The show is designed for the 5-9 year olds – and anyone else who wishes to marvel.
ABOUT THE THEATRE Teater Refleksion was established in 1990. The idea was to establish permanent workshop and production facilities for puppet and animation theatre for adults as well as for children. Over the years we have staged 11 shows, two of which were nominated for the Danish award Best Children’s Show (“Arthur and the angel” in 1999 and “The prince and the servant” in 2001). The theatre has carried through several school projects and courses in puppet making. In recent years, Teater Refleksion has won a strong reputation for organizing annual guest plays boasting a truly international standard. Fine representatives here of are Stuffed Puppet Theatre, Compani Jordi Bertran, Teatro Hugo & Inez. However versatile, the production of new, original animation theatre is still our main activity. Our productions are characterized by mixing different genres and media to a crossover form, involving puppet- and object theatre, performance art, visual art, dance, mime, film and music. Despite this diversity of input, the aspiration for all our performances is to obtain a unity in form and content. Teater Refleksion is supported by the Danish Arts Council and the Municipality of Aarhus.
PRESS QUOTES The strength of the show lies in its appeal to your imagination. The wonderful thing is that we cannot guess what is going to happen next,
PERFORMER: Tina Andersen
not even for a second - and that what does happen completely thwarts the
TEXT: Adapted from Louis Jensen’s 100 stories’
boredom of normalcy.
DIRECTOR: Bjarne Sandborg
Århus Stiftstidende, regional daily Danish newspaper
SET DESIGN: Mariann Aagaard and Anna Maria Olby Bertouch Lehn MUSIC: Kronos Quartet and Martin Vognsen LIGHT DESIGN: Morten Ladefoged TECHNICIANS: Kay Büchner and Morten Meilvang Laursen AGE GROUP: 5 - 9 years DURATION: 45 minutes LANGUAGE: English WEBSITE: www.refleksion.dk
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