Fest i Norge* (Party in Norway)

Fest i Norge* (Party in Norway) (2008) was a political cabaret by and with Elsa Kvamme. Fest i Norge was about "the lack of hospitality our country has fallen victim to". The cabaret was performed in the theatre boat Innvik anchored by the pier of Langkaia in Oslo.

- Norway has never really confronted its nationalist past. The persecution of Jews, for instance - not only Germans took part in the hunt for Jews. Many Norwegians helped them, but that hasn't been much of a topic, until the most recent years, Kvamme said to the newspaper Dagsavisen.

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

Information

(Objekt ID 11793)
Object type Production
Premiere August 12, 2008
Produced by
Audience Adults
Language Norwegian
Keywords Cabaret, Political Theatre, Theatre
Running period August 12, 2008  

Requirements to venue

Blackout No
More

In the press release for Fest i Norge* (Party in Norway) by Elsa Kvamme the following was written:

"In this satiric cabaret the singer-songwriter Elsa meets her friend and alter ego Erna Lutter Jensen for a duel. Why were refugees more fun at an earlier time, when did the law about bookkeeping become more important than loving thy neighbour, and why did Erna go from being a member of the choir supporting Chile to becoming a municipal master in searching for faults? By many she is regarded as the civil servant from Hell, with absolute faith in her own judgment, no matter the time or place. In vain Erna tries to have the more mysterious-slanting Elsa to hide her attraction to the unknown and to get a dog instead. But Erna's family originally came as work immigrants, too, and what does she really have in her trunk, besides national costumes, Danish pastry and waltz?

The cabaret has been developed in collaboration with the instructors Yngve Sundvor and Birgitte Fjeld Bjørsvik"

In an interview in Dagsavisen 12.08.2008 Elsa Kvamme said the following, among other things:

"– In the cabaret I let two different personalities meet; the singer-songwriter Elsa and the bureaucrat Erna. The latter is a civil servant from Hell, and she keeps trying to cure Elsa's attraction towards «the unknown».

[...]

– Cabaret is an old passion. I have always been fond of writing songs. Last autumn I spent a time in Berlin, and it served as a reminder. After a long period of writing film scripts that haven't been realised I am happy to be back to working on something for which the process from idea to performance is quick. I hope the cabaret may encourage empathy. There is a lot of evil surrounding us, and we can't ignore it, Kvamme says."

Supported by: The Fund for Performing Artists, The Norwegian Actors' Equity Association/NAEA's fund for freelancers, the text writer fund Tekstforfatterfondet and The Audio Visual Fund.

Sources:

Dagsavisen, dagsavisen.no, 11.08.2011, http://www.dagsavisen.no/kultur/article363677.ece

Elsa Kvamme's private archive. Donated by Elsa Kvamme. 03.11.2008

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

Contributors (11)
Name Role
Elsa Kvamme – Script
Elsa Kvamme – Idea
Yngve Sundvor – Concept/Idea
Birgitte Fjeld Bjørsvik – Direction
Yngve Sundvor – Direction
Einar Rusten – Musical arrangement
Ole Jørgen Løvaas – Sound
Ole Jørgen Løvaas – Light
Elsa Kvamme – Actor
Einar Rusten – Musician (Piano)
Åsmund Severe Steinsholm – Musician (Bass)
Performance dates
August 21, 2008MS Innvik, Nordic Black Theatre Show
August 20, 2008MS Innvik, Nordic Black Theatre Show
August 19, 2008MS Innvik, Nordic Black Theatre Show
August 15, 2008MS Innvik, Nordic Black Theatre Show
August 14, 2008MS Innvik, Nordic Black Theatre Show
August 13, 2008MS Innvik, Nordic Black Theatre Show
August 12, 2008MS Innvik, Nordic Black Theatre Worldwide premiere