1950 - The Spy

1950 - The Spy (2017) is a production by Statsteatret. The text for it was written by Yngve Sundvor in collaboration with the ensemble. The production had its world premiere at Rogaland Theatre's main stage, after which it was performed in Oslo Nye Teater (Oslo New Theatre)'s venue Trikkestallen and on tour.

Yngve Sundvor directed it.

1950 - The Spy is the seventh production in Statsteatret's Norwegian history cycle of ten. It brings up CIA, KGB, cold war, communism and anxiety within The Norwegian Labour Party.

Information

(Objekt ID 70695)
Object type Production
Premiere April 3, 2017
Produced by Statsteatret
Coproducers Rogaland Theatre
Audience Adults
Language Norwegian
Keywords Theatre
Running period April 3, 2017  
Website Rogaland Teater
More

At the webpage of Statsteatret the following, among other things, is written about 1950 - The Spy:

"Time shows 1950. Music sounds from an apartment. Astrid Høyer sits by the piano. At the same time, the vacuum cleaner salesman Frank Øye pulls himself together outside of her door. He rings the bell. She stops playing, goes to the door, then stops. Should she open it or not? At this time, she could not possibly have an inkling of an idea, of the terrible consequences opening the door would have. Only a disturbed mind, paranoid bordering on madness, could sense the consequences.

Not even her doctor, Carl Jakobsen, human mind specialist, and an eager advocate for hallucinogens and lobotomy, could sense which dark rooms would come to light if the door was opened.

At the other side of town sits Ronald Olsen from the police's surveillance department. He listens and takes notes, takes notes and listens. He stops for one moment, as if he realised that something definitive, important, was about to happen, something irretractable.

At this point, Astrid Høyer opens the door. Time has turned 1959, and outside, the weather is cold and dark. A large American car drives by, fast, and a dead cat lies left in the road."

SOURCES:

Import from the Scenekunst.no list of openings 22.02.2017

Rogaland Theatre, rogalandteater.no, 22.02.2017, http://www.rogaland-teater.no/program/1950-spionen

Statsteatret, www.statsteatret.no, 15.12.2017, http://statsteatret.no/forestillinger/1950-spionen/

Contributors (7)
Name Role
Yngve Sundvor – Script (i samarbeid med ensemblet)
Yngve Sundvor – Direction
Morten Kjerstad – Dramaturge
Gard B. Eidsvold – Actor
Per Kjerstad – Actor
Karoline Krüger – Actor
Kim Sørensen – Actor
Performance dates
Festivals (1)
Press coverage

Lillian Bikset, Underholdende overvåkningsfabel fra 1950-tallets Norge (literally: Entertaining surveillance fable from Norway of the 1950es), Dagbladet April 19 2017:

"Personal dynamics and describing details are characterised by the same quick formal consciousness we have seen in Statsteatret's former six productions, even though the story is a bit simpler and not with as many contemporary parallels as the former. In the stage area, to a large degree left dark and with attention-leading zones of light, masculine costumes (suits, long coats, hats, suspenders, glasses) and a stage design drawing on black and white movies, quick episodes play out, bound together by explaining, observing comments (think of radio theatre, in joint with sober read-throughs of official files). At a whole, sound surveillance, with recordings and playing of recordings, is a much-used effect, with meaning in form as well as it is in the way its content develops. Central are also elements from agent movies and aspects from Filmavisen (historical documentary cinema), mixed with the idealising future optimism of commercials, and medicine's faith in its own excellency. The faith in freedom is contrasted with hidden control."