Kokila
Kokila (2002) produced by Visjoner Teater is a production in which actresses originating from countries such as Iran, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh tell their own stories.
Information
(Objekt ID 5935)| Object type | Production |
| Premiere | September 8, 2002 |
| Produced by | Visjoner Teater |
| Audience | Youth, Adults |
| Audience size | 2050 |
| Number of events | 27 |
| Language | Norwegian |
| Keywords | Dance, Theatre, Dance theatre |
| Running period | September 8, 2002 — October 23, 2004 |
| Duration | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Website | Visjoner Teater |
Requirements to venue
| Blackout | Yes |
Kokila – mellom barken og veden* (Kokila – between the bark and the wood) asks questions such as: Where is my loyalty and where do I find the truth to live according to? On what do I build my identity? Who am I?
How is it, really, to be a girl in Norway today, to be Norwegian and at the same time part of another culture? Recently much has been written about being a woman of origin from more than one culture, but what hides between the newspaper headlines? How do the girls and women assess their daily life in Norway, how is it to live between two cultures and two sets of lifestyles being so different, living between the bark and the wood, so to speak**? "I was born and have grown up in Norway, but a large part of me still is Pakistani".
Kokila tells stories from daily life: Dreams and longing, the relationship to men, boyfriends, fathers, brothers. Always seen from two perspectives, with two sets of realities.
The actresses have never before been gathered onstage, and through Kokila they get to tell many stories and the audience gets an insight in how it is to live the way they do, between the bark and the wood, between two cultures and two sets of lifestyles.
Actors in Kokila: Susan Badrkhan (only the first performances), Neeru Agarwal, Urmila Berg Domås, Bibi Razia, Lavleen Kaur and Sandra Sjasmin Lindstrøm.
Direction: Juni Dahr and Tonje Gotschalksen
Dramaturge: Gunnhild Nymoen
Producer and idea: Marianne Roland
Source:
Program text Kokila.
*Not yet translated into English. The title within parentheses is the Norwegian title's literal meaning.
**Between the bark and the wood is a direct translation of the Norwegian idiom "mellom barken og veden", an idiom referring to be stuck in between different interests, much like the English "between a rock and a hard place".
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Marianne Roland | – Idea |
| Juni Dahr | – Concept/Idea |
| Tonje Gotschalksen | – Concept/Idea |
| Juni Dahr | – Direction |
| Tonje Gotschalksen | – Direction |
| Juni Dahr | – Instruction |
| Tonje Gotschalksen | – Instruction |
| Gunhild Nymoen | – Dramaturge |
| Gunhild Nymoen | – Dramaturge |
| Neeru Agarwal | – Performer |
| Susan Badrkhan | – Performer |
| Urmila Berg-Domaas | – Performer |
| Lavleen Kaur | – Performer |
| Sandra Jasmin Lindstrøm | – Performer |
| Bibi Razia | – Performer |
| Marianne Roland | – Producer |
Kokila got much press coverage. TV2 made a special documentary about the process towards the opening, broadcasted in January 2003. More TV coverage: NRK1's Redaksjon 1 broadcasted September 5, NRK1's Safari, broadcasted September 16, TV2 with Dorte Skappel, Radio: P2's Kulturbeitet.
Reviews:
Aftenposten September 10. Elisabeth Rygg:
"Voices captivating"
Dagsavisen: September 11. Gunhild Lervåg:
"Unpredictable. Fun. Important."
Budstikka: September 13. Hanne Wien, rating the performance as worthy of six pips on the dice:
"Revelling in prejudice"