The Oslo Experiment

The Oslo Experiment (2002) was a production by OsloGroup. The Oslo Experiment was a site-specific performance, performed at the club Stratos, on the 10th floor of the Folketeater building in Youngstorget in Oslo. The production was part of The Contemporary Stage Festival 2007 under the program of The Open Theatre (Det Åpne Teater). The Oslo Experiment was inspired by Ingmar Bergman’s movie Scenes from a Marriage, but it was set in contemporary time.

Yvonne McDevitt directed it.

Information

(Objekt ID 7748)
Object type Production
Premiere October 5, 2007
Produced by OsloGroup
Coproducers The Open Theatre (Det Åpne Teater)
In collaboration with Living Arts
Based on Scenes from a Marriage by Ingmar Bergman
Audience Adults
Keywords Site spesific performance, Theatre
Running period October 5, 2007  
Website Det Åpne Teater, Living Arts, Stratos
More

The Oslo Experiment told the story about a young couple, recently returned to Oslo from somewhere abroad, being in the middle of ending their marriage. In a last attempt to save the relationship they register for a new radical therapy experiment called "How to Love". This becomes the journey of their lives, when they realise that what they really are, and what they appear to be, are two totally different things.

The Oslo Experiment was a tribute to Bergman, in which the aim was to examine the conditions for love within the frame of a couple having chosen to be together for life.

This was the first play performed by OsloGroup, an international artist collective based in Oslo. They explored and developed ideas for The Oslo Experiment over a period of eight months, inspired by the improvisational techniques and character development methods of Mike Leigh.

The Oslo Experiment by OsloGroup was supported by Arts Council Norway and The Norwegian Actors' Equity Association's fund for freelancers.

SOURCES:

Living Arts, livingarts.no, 27.10.2010, http://www.livingarts.no/prosjekter/osloexperiment/side.php

Scenekunst, scenekunst.no, 27.10.2010, http://www2.scenekunst.no/imedia_3963.nml

The Open Theatre (Det Åpne Teater), detapneteater.no, 27.10.2010, http://www.detapneteater.no/pub/daat/forestillinger/?aid=418&cid=17&sac=all&viewall=1#daat

Contributors (13)
Name Role
Yvonne McDevitt – Direction ((Kunstnerisk leder))
Lise Sjåfjell Halleraker – Dramaturge
Matthew Deeley – Visual design
Kimie Nakano – Visual design
Håkon Brynjulvsrud – Sound design
Kyrre Heldal Karlsen – Lighting design
Jason Durran – Actor
Anne Egseth – Actor
Anne-Marthe Lund Engnes – Actor
Veslemøy Mørkrid – Actor
Birgit Nordby – Actor
Halvard Djupvik Smedsrud – Actor
Birgit Nordby – Production manager
Performance dates
October 14, 2007Stratos (The Contemporary Stage Festival) Show
October 14, 2007Stratos (The Contemporary Stage Festival) Show
October 10, 2007Stratos (The Contemporary Stage Festival) Show
October 10, 2007Stratos (The Contemporary Stage Festival) Show
October 9, 2007Stratos (The Contemporary Stage Festival) Show
October 9, 2007Stratos (The Contemporary Stage Festival) Show
October 8, 2007Stratos (The Contemporary Stage Festival) Show
October 7, 2007Stratos (The Contemporary Stage Festival) Show
October 7, 2007Stratos (The Contemporary Stage Festival) Show
October 5, 2007Stratos (The Contemporary Stage Festival) Worldwide premiere
Festivals (1)