Øystein Røger

In 1988 Øystein Røger was hired by The National Stage, where he stayed until he in 1993 started working for The National Theatre. He has worked there since then.

Johannes Rosmer in Rosmersholm (1991), Oswald in Ghosts (1992) and the title role of Erasmus Montanus (1991) are among his memorable roles at The National Stage.

At The National Theatre his roles include Septimus Hodge in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia (1995), and Sir Robert Chiltern in An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde (1996).

Øystein Røger also is one of our best Jon Fosse interpreters and he has had leading roles in seven of The National Theatre's Fosse productions, The Child (1996), Mother and Child and The Son (both in 1997), Dream of Autumn (1999), Winter (2003), Sleep (2005) and Melancholia (2005). The latter he also directed, in collaboration with Morten Cranner.

He was part of the artistic management of The Torshov Theatre in 2000-2003 and had great success with Kåre Conradi in Stones in his pockets (opening in 2001).

He had the role of Christian in The National Theatre's version of The Celebration (2003), and played Pastor Manders in the tango version of Ghosts, called TanGhosts, in 2004.

Øystein Røger was alone as an actor in the production Come!, based on Allan Edwall's music and texts, and produced in collaboration between The National Theatre and POS Theatre Company in 2007. In 2008 he played the visitor in Eric Emmanuel Schmitt's The Visitor. He played Dr. Rank in A Doll's House (2010), the director in Woodcutters AKA Cutting Timber (2011) and the wolf in the musical production Rock'n Roll Wolf (2011).

A complete list of Øystein Røger's roles at The National Theatre can be found in the theatre s database.

He has also taken part in several fiction films, including Oslo August 31st (2011), TV series, including Taxi (2011) and Lilyhammer (2012), plus radio productions.

Øystein Røger won The Hedda Award 2006 in the best leading actor category for the role of The Unknown in The Road to Damascus, produced by The National Theatre in 2006, and based on a play by August Strindberg.

The Hedda Jury gave the following reason:

"This year's winner is a versatile actor, who has excelled in range ever since he started his career 20 years ago: He is a versatile character actor while mastering the genre of comedy, and - not least - he is one of our foremost interpreters of Jon Fosse's drama. During this season he has made his mark with a tour de force in which he expands his superior understanding of text with a brave, expressively physical expression.

The best leading actor award goes to Øystein Røger for his interpretation of the unknown in The Road to Damascus at The National Theatre."

Øystein Røger also was awarded The Norwegian Critics' Award the same year for the same production.

Jon Refsdal Moe said the following, among other things, in his award ceremony speech on behalf of Norwegian Critics' Association:

"Rarely is our faith in the theatre met so well as in our meeting with the unknown in Oskaras Koršunovas' production of The Road to Damascus at The National Theatre the spring of 2006. Rarely are we given better reasons to keep visiting the theatre. Rarely are we met with such an uncompromised faith in the particular character of the theatre, and such an uncompromised demand to reciprocate this faith. For without this faith theatre would collapse. Just this uncompromised demand for faith, from the actor as well as the spectator, is what makes the theatre the most vulnerable art form we have, but it also makes it the scene of some of the most beautiful, powerful moments we may experience. In art and in life. Rarely are we met with greater demands, and rarely do we find better reasons to renew this faith, than in the meeting with Øystein Røger's competent, confidence-awakening and let me use as strong a word as mesmerising acting in the role of the unknown."

The complete speech can be read at the webpage of Norwegian Critics' Association.

In 2002 he got the award of The National Theatre's friend association.

Sources:

The Hedda Award

The National Theatre

Norwegian Critics' Association, kritikerlaget.no, 29.09.2011, http://www.kritikerlaget.no/pages/nor/236-teaterkritikerprisen_200506_gis_til_oeystein_roeger

The National Academy of Theatre (graduated 1986).

• Avgangsklassen på skuespillerlinjen 1986-87 - Actor (from 1987 to )
• The League of Youth - Actor (from 1987 to )

• The Hedda Award 2006 - Best leading actor
• Norwegian Critics' Award 2005/06 - Norwegian Critics' Award (theatre)
• Norsk Teaterleder-Forenings pris 1992 - Yngre utøvende kunstnere

• The Hedda Award 2006 - Best leading actor