Røverdronningen* (The Bandit Queen)
Røverdronningen* (The Bandit Queen) by and with Camilla Tostrup from Musidra Teater had its world premiere in The Open Theatre (Det Åpne Teater) the spring of 2003.
Information
(Objekt ID 1929)| Object type | Production |
| Premiere | August 31, 2002 |
| Produced by | Musidra |
| Coproducers | Nordland Visual Theatre |
| Based on | I, Phoolan Devi: The Autobiography of India's Bandit Queen by Phoolan Devi; Røverdronningen* (The Bandit Queen) by Camilla Tostrup |
| Audience | Children, Youth (from 10) |
| Language | Norwegian |
| Keywords | Puppetry, Theatre, Performance for children, Monologue, Storytelling theatre |
| Running period | August 31, 2002 |
| Website | Det Åpne Teater |
Requirements to venue
| Blackout | No |
Røverdronningen* (The Bandit Queen) by Camilla Tostrup in Musidra Teater was about Phoolan Devi, a poor Indian village girl who came to be a bandit queen and who was later elected to the Indian parliament.
In Røverdronningen the audience got to meet an adult Phoolan looking back on her childhood.
"I may have been eleven years old. Mother didn’t know for sure, it wasn’t too important knowing when we were born, we who were girls. We should be married off."
Sources:
Teaternett, teaternett.no, 09.11.2010, http://www.teaternett.no/forum/forestillingskritikker/2003/0306-005.htm
The library Deichmanske bibliotek, deichmanske-bibliotek.oslo.kommune.no, 09.11.2010, http://www.deichmanske-bibliotek.oslo.kommune.no/article16278-5360.html
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Phoolan Devi | – Author |
| Camilla Tostrup | – Dramatised by |
| Barthold Halle | – Direction |
| Camilla Wexels Riser | – Stage design |
| Christine Lohre | – Costume |
| Camilla Tostrup | – Actor |
| Camilla Tostrup | – Puppeteer |
| Camilla Wexels Riser | – Puppet maker |
| March 5, 2003 – Prøvesalen, The Open Theatre (Det Åpne Teater) | New opening |
| August 31, 2002 – Figurteateret i Nordland, Nordland Visual Theatre | Worldwide premiere |
Grete Indahl, date unknown, Review titled Skarpt om Indias røverdronning Phoolan Davis (SIC). (literally: Sharpened about India’s bandit queen Phoolan Devi), Klassekampen [Oslo]:
"From the spartanly equipped stage sideRom in The Open Theatre (Det Åpne Teater) a vulnerable and rich piece of theatre about strong stuff grows: The text is sharpened down to small doses of stories to keep order in the many layers of stories, facts and persons showing up in Phoolan’s life, and precise lines describing who these persons are."
Elisabeth Rygg, 16.02.2003, Spinkelt om røverdronningen (literally: Thin story about the bandit queen),Aftenposten [Oslo]:
"Simple and well-made one woman performance about the backstory of the infamous bandit queen of India. Camilla Tostrup has invented a monologue she now performs with eagerness on the mini stage of The Open Theatre (Det Åpne Teater). Naturally, what she has in her hands is no bad story. In other words, playwright and actress Camilla Tostrup has developed gunpowder into theatre. Hence, it’s strange that she leaves the dramatic story behind to concentrate on the childhood of Phoolan Devi. (...) Røverdronningen* (The Bandit Queen) is reduced to a childhood memoir from an impoverished woman’s life and it could as such have been about any Indian girl. By excluding Devi’s adult life the spectator feels cheated of the real goodies. This doesn’t change that what the audience gets is thoroughly worked through and well-phrased."
Dagsavisen, Bengt Calmeyer (2003, 16.02). Review titled Røverdronning som barn (Bandit Queen as a child): "
Storytelling theatre can be very efficient, and here it is. The little girl's ill fate becomes clear through the text and through the fine scenic adjustments Barthold Halle has made of the material."