Spill* (Play/Game)
Spill* (Play/Game) by Levende Dukker was a musical theatre performance in which two musicians and one puppeteer played with sounds, figures and words. Verbally we made word plays with words having double and triple meanings. For instance, the title Spill* (Play/Game) can refer to playing music, playing theatre, playing board games or computer games, playing and going to waste/spilling. (The Norwegian expression "gå til spille" means wasting, and can include spilling something.) Simultaneously, the children were invited to watch a game, to hear musicians playing and to participate in the play.
*Not yet translated into English. The title within parentheses is the Norwegian title's literal meaning.
Information
(Objekt ID 408)| Object type | Production |
| Produced by | Levende Dukker |
| Audience | Families, Children (from 6) |
| Language | Norwegian |
| Keywords | Musical theatre, Puppetry, Performance for children, Performance, Music |
| Website | Levende Dukker |
Requirements to venue
| Minimum stage width | 6m |
| Minimum stage depth | 5m |
| Minimum stage height | 3m |
| Blackout | No |
| Audience | 150 |
Spill* (Play/Game) by Levende Dukker didn't have a traditional plot, but was to be regarded as something of a performance. It was structured as a board game in which the main character was also a game piece. His name was Ridder Rein (a name meaning Knight Clean) and the participating players should take turns in helping him reach the top. Along the way he met resistance from a thievish magpie and from a monster. To reach the highest level the Knight had to utilise his full creativity and register of expression, aided by the participating players.
The musical expression ranged widely, from melodious themes with and without song to improvised free music. Though we moved between genres, our anchoring in jazz was clear.
Nils Jansen’s arsenal of woodwind instruments included flutes, clarinets and saxophones. He played sopranino saxophone, contra-alto clarinet and bass saxophone. Espen Rud contributed different drums and percussion instruments. This way we hoped to explore new connections between material, shapes and sounds, links between the auditory and the visual expressions.
*Not yet translated into English. The title within parentheses is the Norwegian title's literal meaning.
Source: Levende Dukker, levendedukker.no, 01.08.2010, link in Norwegian: http://www.levendedukker.com/spill/
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Knut Alfsen | – Concept/Idea |
| Elisabeth Grønning | – Concept/Idea |
| Espen Rud | – Concept/Idea |
| Agnes Mowbray Schou | – Concept/Idea |
| Elisabeth Grønning | – Direction |
| Espen Rud | – Music |
| Knut Alfsen | – Stage design |
| Knut Alfsen | – Performer |
| Nils Jansen | – Performer |
| Espen Rud | – Performer |
| Agnes Mowbray Schou | – Puppet maker |
"(...)Ridder Rein has forgotten to save and involuntarily he is now on the lowest level in the game King of the Heap. He has to move on to the uppermost level. This is something any computer-interested kid understands the significance of. In this a mobile phone, a credit card and a BCG injection syringe are useful aids. A modern play, in other words. (...) - We try to follow the spirit of our age and has made a production for school-aged children, but it also seemed to catch the interest of the younger, Alfsen said after the end of the performance. By then some 40 kids had sat silent as mice for about 40 minutes, with their eyes wide open, fearfully watching as the beautiful princess turned into a monster." Marianne Vinje, review titled Fengende dukketeater (literally: Captivating puppetry). (2008, 20.10). Asker og Bærums Budstikke