Christopher Nielsen

Christopher Nielsen's theatre debut took place in 2008, with the script for The National Theatre's Worthless Men, based on his brother Joachim "Jokke" Nielsen's music and lyrics. The production was first performed at The Torshov Theatre, then transferred to The National Theatre's main stage as it became a huge audience success.

Christopher Nielsen won The Hedda Award 2008 in the category of debut of the year.

The Hedda Jury reasoned as follows:

"Only in the world of theatre can this year's winner be said to be a newcomer. In at least two other areas he is an experienced artist enjoying great acclaim.

This spring he made his debut with a theatre text writing a way out of the traditional theatre mindset, something as rare as an anti-drama text. There are situations, but no action and hardly any progress. In return there is a description of an environment so realistic it almost becomes mythical, and strong, desperate characters described without sentimentality, but also without superficial irony.

The debut of the year award goes to Christopher Nielsen for the text of Worthless Men at The National Theatre/The Torshov Theatre the spring of 2007."

Christopher Nielsen also won The Ibsen Prize AKA The Norwegian Ibsen Award in 2009 for Worthless Men.

The jury gave the following reason:

"Christopher Nielsen is nominated for the play Worthless Men. The play opened at The Torshov Theatre March 5 2008. In his play Worthless Men Christopher Nielsen describes the outcasts of society with dark comedy and great concern. In a socially involved cabaret tradition that in Norway may be traced back to Jens Bjørneboe’s Happy Birthday, Christopher Nielsen provides a nice section showing four persons on the bottom of the social latter. This way he fills out the already known songs the production has been built around. The songs were written by his brother, the rock musician Joachim Nielsen, who lived from 1964 to 2000."

More recently, Christopher Nielsen has written the plays Hustyrannen* (The House Tyrant) (2010) and Entropy – The Staphylococcus Trilogy II (2012), both with world premieres at The National Theatre.

Christopher Nielsen was nominated for The Norwegian Ibsen Award AKA The Ibsen Prize 2013 for Entropy. 

The jury gave the following reason:

"In Christopher Nielsen's Entropy we meet three drug addicts and one therapist in a treatment room. The process the four plan to go through cracks when a fourth drug addict is included in the group. In a luscious, surplus-filled and energetic language the playwright pokes fun with the well-meaning therapist society, and creates a number of absurd situations illuminating the chaos/entropy of human life. Nielsen aims to treat large themes in an unpretentious manner, without removing the danger. This way his dramas make their mark as a contribution to public debate and thus they also represent a suggestion for contemporary political theatre anno 2012. That is a rare thing."

Sources:

Sceneweb on The Norwegian Ibsen Award AKA The Ibsen Prize, http://www.sceneweb.no/en/award/11725/The_Norwegian_Ibsen_Award_AKA_The_Ibsen_Prize

Ibsen Awards, www.ibsenawards.com, 26.11.2013, http://www.ibsenawards.com/ia/vinnere/christopher-nielsen/

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The Hedda Award

*Not yet translated into English. The title within parentheses is the Norwegian title's literal meaning.

• The Ibsen Prize AKA The Norwegian Ibsen Award 2009 - The Ibsen Prize AKA The Norwegian Ibsen Award 2009
• The Hedda Award 2008 - Debut of the year
• Oslo bys kunstnerpris 2007 - Oslo bys kunstnerpris

• The Norwegian Ibsen Award AKA The Ibsen Prize - The Norwegian Ibsen Award AKA The Ibsen Prize 2013