Black Box Teater

Black Box teater presents and co-produces independent artists and companies, across genres. The programme includes both new and well established artists and companies. Several Norwegian performing artists and companies use Black Box teater as their venue for premieres. Black Box teater also maintains an international profile, and regularly presents leading performers and companies from abroad. 

Black Box teater has two stages; Store scene (The main stage) and Lille scene (The small stage). The foyer has a bar that is open before and after performances.

Black Box teater has since Spring 2011 regularly arranged the art concept Plus plus.

Black Box teater’s website presents the following information about the theatre:

"The theatre receives financial support from the City of Oslo and from the government. In 1993 it became a member of the Association of Norwegian Theatres and Orchestras (NTO).

[...]

Black Box teater was established by Performing Arts Hub Norway as a venue for independent dance and theatre companies. To begin with it was organised as a venue that was rented out to performing companies, and it was located for many years at Aker Brygge. In 1991 the administrative director of Performing Arts Hub Norway, former choreographer and dancer Inger Buresund, was appointed artistic head of the theatre, and in 1994 she became its director. During this time the theatre began to move in the direction of becoming a programming theatre.

In 1991, Black Box teater, BIT Teatergarasjen in Bergen and Avant Garden in Trondheim joined forces to create Performing Arts Network (of Norway), a touring collaboration platform whose aim was to organise performances by international visiting companies in the three cities.

In 2001 Kristian Seltun became the new theatre director. Seltun had studied Theatre Studies at The University of Bergen, and had earlier held positions as dramaturge at Trøndelag Theatre and artistic director of Avant Garden. During his term as director, Seltun worked to focus the international and contemporary profile of the theatre. Among his priorities were recruiting new talents and developing Norwegian theatre artists and companies. He also established the performing arts festival Marstrand.

In 2009 Jon Refsdal Moe, who also had an academic theatre studies background, took over as director. Refsdal Moe has put an emphasis on increasing the theatre's dramaturgical work and helping the Norwegian companies that the theatre co-produces. He has also established a third performing venue in the theatre's foyer, a venue for art events, concerts and seminars. In 2013 the festival Marstrand changed its name to Oslo International Theatre Festival."

Black Box teater has organised the following festivals and events:

2013-YTD: Oslo International Theatre Festival previously Marstrand)

2009-2012: Marstrand 

1998: Intermesso '98

SOURCES:

Black Box Teater, blackbox.no, 22.08.2010, http://www.blackbox.no/content/infoPresentation.php?id=9001

Black Box teater’s archive, 2025

Store norske leksikon, http://snl.no/Black_Box_Teater, 13.05.2013

• Natt&Dag-prisen. Årets Beste 2011 - Årets navn. Oslo 2011

• Gulljerven 2021 - Pris til godt vertskap