Øystein Martinsen

The summer of 2004 Øystein Martinsen played the button moulder in Nordnorsk Scenekompani's production of Peer Gynt, and the autumn of 2004 he came to Rogaland Theatre, where he made his debut in Nicholas Nickleby.

At Rogaland Theatre he has acted in The Bacchae by Euripides, Shakespeare's Richard III and Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman, but also in Journey to the Christmas Star, in Harold Pinter's Betrayal, Arne Lygre's Man without purpose and Jon Fosse's The Child. And when Stavanger was a European Capital of Culture in 2008 he took part in one of the main projects, (U)naturlig, naturligvis//et automobilt landskap* ((Un)natural, naturally//an automobile landscape).

Øystein Martinsen was nominated for The Hedda Award 2012 in the category of best supporting actor for the role of Philinte in The Misanthrope, directed by Sigrid Strøm Reibo, Rogaland Theatre.

The complete ensembles of the productions The Lady from the Sea and Perplex at Rogaland Theatre won The Hedda Award 2014 in the special artistic achievement category. Øystein Martinsen acted in Perplex, collaborating with Ragnhild Mønnes, Svein Solenes and Ingrid Rusten. In The Lady from the Sea the performers were Ingrid Rusten, Nina Ellen Ødegård, Cato Skimten Storengen, Helga Guren, Lars Funderud Johannessen and Glenn André Kaada.

The Hedda Jury gave the following reason:

"The jury is free to decide if to give out a Hedda Award in the special artistic achievement category. This year the jury wishes to do so. The award doesn't go to a director, stage designer or playwright. Nor is it given to a single actor. Based on two productions at one and the same theatre the award goes to the full cast for their ensemble play.

The jury wants to honour the interaction between actors; the collective process lifting the individual's strong performance to theatre experiences of particular quality and value. One of the productions is a classic, the other a modern play. In both cases we found in the interaction a clarity and a naturalism demanding generosity and a feeling of security in the cast. This collective is a condition for the theatre.

The special artistic achievement award goes to the full ensembles of the productions The Lady from the Sea and Perplex at Rogaland Theatre."

Sources:

The Hedda Awards, 29.05.2012, http://heddaprisen.no/pub/heddaprisen/main/?&mid=1031&aid=1030

The Hedda Award 2014, www.heddaprisen.no, 16.06.2014, http://www.heddaprisen.no/pub/heddaprisen/main/?aid=1266

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

2001-2004: The National Academy of Theatre, Oslo

• The Hedda Award 2012 - Best supporting actor