Studioteatret
Encyclopedia
Studioteatret is a former Norwegian theatre
. It opened in 1945, shortly after the liberation
, with Claes Gill
as its first theatre director. Studioteatret is regarded as one of the earliest post-war artistic expressions in Norway, and most of its members later played important roles in Norwegian theatre. Studioteatret closed 25 October 1950, due to economic difficulties, and its members were spread to various other theatres.
, theatre director at Trøndelag Teater
in Trondheim, was shot during the martial law in October 1942
, the actors at various theatres, such as the National Theatre
, initiated a silent opposition, which took various forms.
's apartment, were potentially dangerous for the participants, as the Nazi authorities did not tolerate competition. The result of these undercover meetings was the founding of the theatre Studioteatret in 1945. Among the members of the group were the actors Jens Bolling
, Liv Strømsted
and Per Gjersøe from the National Theatre
, and Gunnar Olram from Centralteatret
. Other members of the group were Arne Thomas Olsen
, Julia Back, Beth Borgen, Ingrid Bothner, Edel Eckblad, Johannes Eckhoff
, Lisa Thams Jørgensen, Anne-Cath Schulerud
, Merete Skavlan
and Per Sunderland
. Claes Gill was a literary consultant and inspirator for the group.
in May 1945, the group prepared a performance held 15 June 1945, when they presented two one-acters. They called themselves "Studioteatret". The first productions were adaptions of Thornton Wilder
's The Long Christmas Dinner
, and Eugene O'Neill
's Where the Cross Is Made . Several government ministers were present at the premiere, along with chief editors and theatre critics from most of the Oslo newspapers, and the reception was overwhelming.
, translated by Claes Gill, was a great success. Among the theatre's other productions in 1946 were adaptions of Anton Chekhov
's A Marriage Proposal
, Chekhov's The Wedding, and William Saroyan
's The Beautiful People. 1947 included The Beggar's Opera
and The Respectful Prostitute
.
Studioteatret performed at Søilen Teater and later at Carl Johan Teatret, and its repertoire consisted of plays by playwrights such as Anton Chekhov
, Bertolt Brecht
, Eugene O'Neill
, Shakespeare, Thornton Wilder
, Arthur Miller
and Jean Paul Sartre. Later theatre directors were Gunnar Olram and Ole Oppen. In 1950 the theatre had to close, due to economic difficulties.
, established in 1953 and headed by Arne Thomas Olsen the next ten years, was heavily influenced by the group's working practice. The emerging new theatre institutions , such as Rogaland Teater
(established in 1947), Riksteatret
(established in 1948) and Fjernsynsteatret
(opened in 1960), were influenced by members of the group.
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...
. It opened in 1945, shortly after the liberation
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
, with Claes Gill
Claes Gill
Claes Gill was a Norwegian author, poet and actor.Born in Odda, but spent his childhood years in Bergen, before moving to Oslo permanently....
as its first theatre director. Studioteatret is regarded as one of the earliest post-war artistic expressions in Norway, and most of its members later played important roles in Norwegian theatre. Studioteatret closed 25 October 1950, due to economic difficulties, and its members were spread to various other theatres.
Background
During the German occupation the theatres in Norway were subject to a nazification process by the German occupants and the Nazi collaborationist government. The Nazis established a school called "Statens teaterskole", and demanded it to be mandatory for everybody that wanted to work in a theatre. The school was largely boycotted by students. When the Nazi government took control over the theatres by arresting resistant board members and inserting supporters in leading roles, the theatres experienced a general boycott from the public. When Henry GleditschHenry Gleditsch
Henry Cochrane Williamsen Gleditsch was a Norwegian actor and theatre director.He was born in Kristiania. In his young days he participated in skiing for SFK Lyn....
, theatre director at Trøndelag Teater
Trøndelag Teater
Trøndelag Teater is a large theater in the city of Trondheim, in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway.-Background:Trøndelag Teater stages large-scale dance and musical performances. Originally built in 1816, the theater is the oldest stage in Scandinavia in continuous use...
in Trondheim, was shot during the martial law in October 1942
Martial law in Trondheim in 1942
During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, the occupying powers imposed martial law in Trondheim and surrounding areas effective October 6, 1942 through October 12, 1942. During this time, 34 Norwegians were murdered by extrajudicial execution...
, the actors at various theatres, such as the National Theatre
Nationaltheatret
The National Theatre in Oslo is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts.The theatre had its first performance on 1 September 1899 but can trace its origins to Christiania Theatre, which was founded in 1829...
, initiated a silent opposition, which took various forms.
The Stanislavski Group
A group of actors and students in Oslo started underground meetings where they secretly studied Stanislavski's system, named after the Russian actor and theatre director Constantin Stanislavski's theories of theatre. These meetings, often held in Jens BollingJens Bolling
Jens Bolling was a Norwegian actor and theatre director. He was among the founders of Studioteatret, and a well-known interpreter of Norwegian fairy-tales.-Early and personal life:...
's apartment, were potentially dangerous for the participants, as the Nazi authorities did not tolerate competition. The result of these undercover meetings was the founding of the theatre Studioteatret in 1945. Among the members of the group were the actors Jens Bolling
Jens Bolling
Jens Bolling was a Norwegian actor and theatre director. He was among the founders of Studioteatret, and a well-known interpreter of Norwegian fairy-tales.-Early and personal life:...
, Liv Strømsted
Liv Dommersnes
Liv Dommersnes is a Norwegian actress and reciter of poetry. She was a member of group that founded Studioteatret in 1945.-Early and personal life:...
and Per Gjersøe from the National Theatre
Nationaltheatret
The National Theatre in Oslo is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts.The theatre had its first performance on 1 September 1899 but can trace its origins to Christiania Theatre, which was founded in 1829...
, and Gunnar Olram from Centralteatret
Centralteatret
Centralteatret is a theatre in Akersgata, Oslo, Norway.Centralteatret was established by the Alma Isabella Bosse Fahlstrøm and Johan Peter Broust Fahlstrøm in 1897. From 1902, Harald Otto was the theater manager and owner. His son, Reidar Otto, subsequently ran it, while his son, Harald Otto...
. Other members of the group were Arne Thomas Olsen
Arne Thomas Olsen
Arne Thomas Olsen was a Norwegian actor, stage producer and theatre director. He was a driving force at Studioteatret, as both actor and producer.-Early and personal life:...
, Julia Back, Beth Borgen, Ingrid Bothner, Edel Eckblad, Johannes Eckhoff
Johannes Eckhoff
Johannes Eckhoff was a Norwegian actor. He made his stage debut at Trøndelag Teater in 1939, and has later worked for Centralteatret, Det Nye Teater and Riksteatret. He participated in the film Englandsfarere in 1946, and in Kampen om tungtvannet from 1948...
, Lisa Thams Jørgensen, Anne-Cath Schulerud
Anne-Catharina Vestly
Anne-Cath. Vestly , was a Norwegian author of children’s literature whose stature in Norwegian society can somewhat be compared to Sweden's famous children's book author Astrid Lindgren among Swedish people....
, Merete Skavlan
Merete Skavlan
Merete Skavlan is a Norwegian actress, theatre instructor and director.She was the daughter of newspaper editor and theatre director Einar Skavlan and music educator Margrethe Bartholdy....
and Per Sunderland
Per Sunderland
Per Sunderland is a Norwegian stage actor and film actor. He made his stage debut at Studioteatret in 1945. He performed at Det Norske Teatret from 1949, at Det Nye Teater from 1951, at Folketeatret from 1952, and at Nationaltheatret from 1957...
. Claes Gill was a literary consultant and inspirator for the group.
Initial reception
Following the liberationVictory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
in May 1945, the group prepared a performance held 15 June 1945, when they presented two one-acters. They called themselves "Studioteatret". The first productions were adaptions of Thornton Wilder
Thornton Wilder
Thornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes, one for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and two for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a National Book Award for his novel The Eighth Day.-Early years:Wilder was born in Madison,...
's The Long Christmas Dinner
The Long Christmas Dinner
The Long Christmas Dinner is a play in one act written by American novelist and playwright Thornton Wilder in 1931. In its first published form, it was included in the volume The Long Christmas Dinner and Other Plays in One Act.-Characters:...
, and Eugene O'Neill
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
's Where the Cross Is Made . Several government ministers were present at the premiere, along with chief editors and theatre critics from most of the Oslo newspapers, and the reception was overwhelming.
Later repertoire
Studioteatret existed from 1945 to 1950. Its first theatre director was Claes Gill. Their production in 1946 of Wilder's play Our TownOur Town
Our Town is a three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. It is a character story about an average town's citizens in the early twentieth century as depicted through their everyday lives...
, translated by Claes Gill, was a great success. Among the theatre's other productions in 1946 were adaptions of Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
's A Marriage Proposal
A Marriage Proposal
A Marriage Proposal is a one-act farce by Anton Chekhov, written in 1888-1889 and first performed in 1890...
, Chekhov's The Wedding, and William Saroyan
William Saroyan
William Saroyan was an Armenian American dramatist and author. The setting of many of his stories and plays is the center of Armenian-American life in California in his native Fresno.-Early years:...
's The Beautiful People. 1947 included The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satirical ballad opera to remain popular today...
and The Respectful Prostitute
The Respectful Prostitute
The Respectful Prostitute is a French play by Jean-Paul Sartre, written in 1946, which observes a woman, a prostitute, caught up in a racially tense period of American history. The audience understands that there has been an incident on a train with said woman involved, but also a black man of...
.
Studioteatret performed at Søilen Teater and later at Carl Johan Teatret, and its repertoire consisted of plays by playwrights such as Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
, Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
, Eugene O'Neill
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
, Shakespeare, Thornton Wilder
Thornton Wilder
Thornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes, one for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and two for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a National Book Award for his novel The Eighth Day.-Early years:Wilder was born in Madison,...
, Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
and Jean Paul Sartre. Later theatre directors were Gunnar Olram and Ole Oppen. In 1950 the theatre had to close, due to economic difficulties.
Impact
Most of the members of Studioteatret later had central roles in Norwegian theatre. Claes Gill, Arne Thomas Olsen, Jens Bolling and Merete Skavlan were all later theatre directors. Others worked as stage producers and actors. The Norwegian National Academy of TheatreNorwegian National Academy of Theatre
The Norwegian National Academy of Theatre was established as a three-year theater-education in 1953, under the name of Statens teaterskole.The school was given collegiate status in 1982...
, established in 1953 and headed by Arne Thomas Olsen the next ten years, was heavily influenced by the group's working practice. The emerging new theatre institutions , such as Rogaland Teater
Rogaland Teater
Rogaland Teater is a theatre in Stavanger, Norway.-Background:The theatre building was built in 1883, on a parcel of Kannik prestegård. It was designed by architect Hartvig Sverdrup Eckhoff, and had initially almost 500 seats. The building housed Stavanger Faste Scene from 1914 to 1921, and...
(established in 1947), Riksteatret
Riksteatret
Riksteatret is a Norwegian touring theatre. It was established by law in 1948. Its first performance was in Kirkenes in 1949, with Sigurd Christiansen's play En reise i natten. The theatre plays on about 200 different stages throughout the country. Its first theatre director was Fritz von der...
(established in 1948) and Fjernsynsteatret
Fjernsynsteatret
Fjernsynsteatret was a department of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation which produced plays for television broadcasting. It opened in 1960 , and operated until 1990, when a major reorganisation of NRK took place.Its first leader was Arild Brinchmann, who headed the theatre from its start...
(opened in 1960), were influenced by members of the group.