The Orchard Was All White

The Orchard Was All White (1999) by Verk Produksjoner AKA Verk Productions and Bal TeaterThe Orchard Was All White  was based on Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. However, it broke with time, place and the original social context. Four performers were in a very white illuminated room, caught in some kind of time displacement between their own personal time and the time the characters of Chekhov lived in. The characters were able to remember something about a cherry orchard and a mansion being sold under foreclosure. They could remember what had been said, but not by whom and not at all why.

Information

(Objekt ID 2367)
Object type Production
Premiere 1998
Produced by Verk Produksjoner, Bal-teatret
Based on The Cherry Orchard by Anton Tsjekhov
Audience Youth, Adults (from 16)
Language Norwegian
Keywords Theatre
Running period 1998  
Duration 70 minutes
Website verk produksjoner

Requirements to venue

Minimum stage width 10m
Maximum stage width 10m
Minimum stage depth 9m
Maximum stage depth 9m
Minimum stage height 3m
Maximum stage height 3m
More

In the autumn program of Avant Garden in 2005, this was written about The Orchard Was All White by Verk Produksjoner AKA Verk Productions:

"In dazzling white light and a sound montage typical of our century the production revolves around Chekhovian subjects; the absurd in the human search for identity and the problematic in communication between humans. The performance cultivates a Chekhovian mood and indirectly comments theatre as a genre of art. Chekhov’s drama consists mostly of situations and moods. And that is what Bal//Verk conveys the best."

The Orchard Was All White by Verk Produksjoner AKA Verk Productions was supported by Arts Council Norway, The Danish Theatre Council and the municipality of Oslo.

Sources:

Autumn program 2005, Avant Garden.

Verk Produksjoner, balverk.anart.no, 20.01.2011, balverk.anart.no

Contributors (14)
Name Role
Anton Tsjekhov – Playwright
Gritt Ulldal-Jessen – Adapted by
Thomas Storm – Direction
Jørgen Knudsen – Composer
Henrik Vestergaard Pedersen – Dramaturge
Joachim Hamou – Stage design
Hans Henrik Madsen – Stage design
Bente Bredsted – Costume
Anne-Mette Juul – Costume
Fredrik Hannestad – Actor
Saila Hyttinen – Actor
Anders Mossling – Actor
Oskar Skulstad – Actor
Palle Berg – Technician
Performance dates
Navember 4, 2005Teaterhuset Avant Garden Show
Navember 3, 2005Teaterhuset Avant Garden New opening
February 2002 Show
September 23, 2001Lille scene (Vika), Black Box teater Show
September 22, 2001Lille scene (Vika), Black Box teater Show
September 21, 2001Lille scene (Vika), Black Box teater New opening
1998Hallen, The Open Theatre (Det Åpne Teater) Opening night
Festivals (1)
Upop-dager February 2002
Press coverage

"The reproduction puts together pieces of the realist drama in such a way the theatre production simultaneously cultivates a Chekhovian mood and indirectly comments theatre as an art genre. The Orchard Was All White prepares a juicy and releasing theatrical expression, as tasty as big cherries. Orchard Was All White is creating theatre, doing more than reconstruction The Cherry Orchard. The production shows artistic involvement."

Morgenbladet