Den Nationale Scene
Encyclopedia
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Den Nationale Scene is also one of the oldest permanent theatre in Norway.
History
Det norske Theater (Bergen)
Det norske Theater is a former theatre in Bergen, Norway, and regarded as the first pure Norwegian stage theatre. It opened in 1850 by primus motor, violinist Ole Bull, and closed in 1863, after a bankrupty. The theatre's first production was Holberg's comedy Den Vægelsindede, and the opening was...
in 1850, the theatre has roots dating back to its founding on the initiative of the Norwegian violinist Ole Bull
Ole Bull
Ole Bornemann Bull was a Norwegian violinist and composer.-Background:Bull was born in Bergen. He was the eldest of ten children of Johan Storm Bull and Anna Dorothea Borse Geelmuyden . His brother, Georg Andreas Bull became a noted Norwegian architect...
. The theatre was founded to develop Norwegian playwrights. Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
was one of the first writer-in-residences and art-directors of the theatre.
In 1909, The National Theatre moved into the new theater building at Engen. The current theater building was designed by Einar Oscar Schou
Einar Oscar Schou
Einar Oscar Schou was a Norwegian architect. He is most noted for his design of Den Nationale Scene in Bergen, Norway.-Background:...
, and opened 19 February 1909 with a production of Erasmus Montanus by Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian double monarchy, who spent most of his adult life in Denmark. He was influenced by Humanism, the Enlightenment and the Baroque...
. King Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII , known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the personal union with Sweden. He was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
and Queen Maud
Maud of Wales
Princess Maud of Wales was Queen of Norway as spouse of King Haakon VII. She was a member of the British Royal Family as the youngest daughter of Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark and granddaughter of Queen Victoria and also of Christian IX of Denmark. She was the younger sister of George V...
were in attendance. It soon became apparent that the building was too small. In 1913 the company bought Ekserserhuset Jonsvoll to use it as a warehouse. In 1920, an extension was built to the northwest. Over the years the building has undergone major changes, extensions, renovation, restoration and stage technical modernization. The foyer and the hall were destroyed during the Second World War, and only temporarily restored.
The Theatre experienced a pre-war high point during the period 1934-39 under the leadership Hans Jacob Nilsen
Hans Jacob Nilsen
Hans Jacob Nilsen was a Norwegian actor, theatre director and film director. He was a theatre director at Den Nationale Scene, at Folketeatret, and for two separate periods at Det Norske Teatret....
. Especially noteworthy was the 1935 premiere of the play Vår ære og vår makt ("Our Honor and our Power") by Nordahl Grieg.
In 2001 the building was brought almost to its original shape. Today the theatre houses three stages/ venues and presents approximately 20 productions each year, both international and national classics, musicals and contemporary drama, as well as children's theatre. Since 1993, the theatre has been state property.
Directors of the Theatre
- 1890–1895 Johan Irgens-HansenJohan Irgens-HansenJohan Irgens-Hansen was a Norwegian literary critic, theatre critic and theatre director. He wrote theatre critics for the newspapers Norske Intelligenssedler and Dagbladet. He was theatre director of the Bergen theatre Den Nationale Scene from 1890 to 1895.-Further reading:...
- 1895–1898 Olaf Hansson
- 1899–1900 Hans AanrudHans AanrudHans Aanrud was a Norwegian author. He wrote plays, poetry, and stories depicting rural life in his native Gudbrandsdal, Norway.- Life :...
- 1900–1905 Gustav ThomassenGustav ThomassenGustav Thomassen was a Norwegian actor and theatre director. He made his stage debut in 1881 at Den Nationale Scene in Bergen. He worked at Den Nationale Scene until 1905, and served as theatre director from 1900 to 1905. From 1905 to 1929 he worked as an actor and instructor at Nationaltheatret...
- 1905–1907 Anton HeibergAnton HeibergAnton Wilhelm Scheel Heiberg was a Norwegian stage instructor and theatre director. He was the brother of Gunnar Edvard Rode Heiberg. He worked as stage instructor at Nationaltheatret from 1903. He was theatre director of the Bergen theatre Den Nationale Scene from 1905 to 1907. He was in charge...
- 1908–1909 Olaf Mørch HanssonOlaf Mørch HanssonOlaf Mørch Hansson was a Norwegian actor and theatre director, journalist and newspaper editor. He was married to Thora Hansson.-Biography:Olaf Mørch Hansson was born in Eiker, in Buskerud county, Norway...
- 1910–1924 Ludvig BerghLudvig BerghLudvig Bergh was a Norwegian military officer, singer, actor and theatre director. He made his concert debut in Copenhagen in 1890. He worked as an actor in Christiania at Carl Johan-teatret, Christiania Theater, and from 1898 to 1908 at Nationaltheatret. He was chairman of the Norwegian Actors'...
- 1924–1925 Christian SandalChristian SandalChristian Sandal was a Norwegian actor and theatre director.He made his debut at Den Nationale Scene in 1894, and was the director of that theatre from 1924 to 1925. In 1898 he was a co-founder of the trade union Norwegian Actors' Equity Association; he was also the first secretary. In 1943 he...
- 1925–1931 Thomas ThomassenThomas ThomassenThomas Thomassen was a Norwegian actor and theatre director. He made his stage debut in 1900 at Centralteatret. He served as theatre director of Stavanger Faste Scene from 1918 to 1921, and of Den Nationale Scene in Bergen from 1925 to 1931....
- 1931–1934 Karl BergmannKarl BergmannKarl Bergmann was a Norwegian actor and theatre director. He made his stage debut in 1901 at Den Nationale Scene in Bergen. He served as theatre director of Den Nationale Scene from 1931 to 1934.-References:...
- 1934–1939 Hans Jacob NilsenHans Jacob NilsenHans Jacob Nilsen was a Norwegian actor, theatre director and film director. He was a theatre director at Den Nationale Scene, at Folketeatret, and for two separate periods at Det Norske Teatret....
- 1939–1946 Egil Hjorth-JenssenEgil Hjorth-JenssenEgil Hjorth-Jenssen was a Norwegian actor and theatre director. He made his stage debut in 1914 at Stavanger Teater, and later played at several Oslo theatres, including at Nationaltheatret from 1934 to 1937...
- 1946–1948 Stein BuggeStein BuggeStein Bugge was a Norwegian playwright, theatre theorist and theatre director. He was theatre director of the Bergen theatre Den Nationale Scene from 1946 to 1948.-References:...
- 1948–1952 Georg Løkkeberg
- 1952–1961 Per SchwabPer SchwabPer Schwab was a Swedish / Norwegian painter, scenographer and theatre director.He worked as a scene painter at Den Nationale Scene in Bergen from 1934, and served as theatre director from 1952 to 1961. From 1961 he worked as a scenographer at Nationaltheatret.-References:...
- 1961–1963 Bjarne AndersenBjarne AndersenBjarne Andersen was a Norwegian actor, stage producer and theatre director.He was born in Stavanger. He worked for Det Norske Teatret from 1944 to 1951. He served as theatre director at Rogaland Teater from 1958 to 1960, and at Den Nationale Scene from 1961 to 1963...
- 1963–1967 Gisle StraumeGisle StraumeGisle Straume was a Norwegian actor and theatre director.He was born in Holla. He was employed at Det Norske Teatret from 1945 to 1951, at Den Nationale Scene from 1951 to 1952, and again at Det Norske Teatret from 1952 to 1955...
- 1967–1976 Knut ThomassenKnut ThomassenKnut Thomassen was a Norwegian actor and theatre director. He made his stage debut at Det Nye Teater in Oslo in 1941. He served as theatre director of Den Nationale Scene from 1967 to 1976. He was an active participant in organizational work, and chaired National and Scandinavian theatre...
- 1976–1982 Sven HenningSven HenningSven Henning is a Norwegian theatre instructor and director.He was born in Trondheim, and started his instructor career at Trøndelag Teater from 1966 to 1969. He moved on to instruct at Den Nationale Scene from 1971 to 1972, and was then director of the Bergen International Festival and Bergen...
- 1982–1986 Kjetil Bang-HansenKjetil Bang-HansenKjetil Bang-Hansen is a Norwegian actor, dancer, stage producer and theatre director.-Early and personal life:Bang-Hansen was born in Oslo as the son of writer Odd Bang-Hansen and physician Elise Aas. He married dancer and choreographer Inger Johanne Rütter in 1967...
- 1986–1996 Tom RemlovTom RemlovTom Remlov is a Norwegian actor, dramaturg, film procucer, theatre director, and opera manager.He served as theatre director of Den Nationale Scene from 1986 to 1995, and was manager of Norsk Film from 1996 to 2001. He is manager of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet from 2008.-References:...
- 1996–1997 Ketil EggeKetil EggeKetil Egge is a Norwegian actor and theatre director.Egge was born in Oslo as a son of composer Klaus Egge. He made his stage debut at Trøndelag Teater in 1971, and was then hired at Teatret Vårt in 1973 and Rogaland Teater in 1975. He was the director of Rogaland Teater from 1991 to 1994 and Den...
- 1997 Aksel-Otto Bull
- 1998 Lars Arrhed
- 1998–2001 Bentein BaardsonBentein BaardsonBentein Baardson is Norwegian actor, instructor and theatre director.Bentein Baardson graduated from Teaterhøyskolen in 1975. He has set up plays at a number of theatres, including Nationaltheatret, Det Norske Teatret, Den Nationale Scene and Agder Teater...
- 2001–2007 Morten BorgersenMorten BorgersenMorten Borgersen is a Norwegian actor, theatre instructor and theatre director. He has worked for various theatres, including Trøndelag Teater, Riksteatret, Teatret Vårt, Telemark Teater, Oslo Nye Teater, Fjernsynsteatret and Den Nationale Scene...
- 2008– Bjarte HjelmelandBjarte HjelmelandBjarte Hjelmeland is a Norwegian actor and theatre director.He was born in Bergen. He made his stage debut in 1991 at Oslo Nye Teater, and also had notable roles at the National Theatre, Rogaland Teater, Torshovteatret, Den Nationale Scene and Chateau Neuf...