Tobias og dagen det smalt* (Tobias and the day of the bang)

The Hedda Jury gave the following reason for the award for Tobias og dagen det smalt* (Tobias and the day of the bang):

"Traditionally, theatre for children has been fast-paced and aiming to trigger the imagination. Increasingly often it is also low-key and reflective. This year's award winner is both. It is colourful and flexible, and it underlines the ability children have in processing reality through playing. Through playing, the characters reflect, and they share personal dilemmas. They imagine what no longer is, and what nobody knows will be. The adults are in the periphery, but they do create a sense of security surrounding the central dilemmas yet the same. They can handle the practicalities, whereas the children's solutions are conveyed through deeply personal perspectives on identity and change.

The Hedda Award in the best production for children category goes to Tobias og dagen det smalt."

At the website of The Arctic Theatre the following, among other things, is written about Tobias og dagen det smalt:

"Not even Mom and Dad know that Tobias isn't Cecilie. Best friend Pauline and the invisible dinosaur expert Konrad are the only ones who do know, and they try to help. Still, it feels as if this is as bad as when the meteor collided into Earth and the dinosaurs died. How could Tobias explain them all who he really is? Perhaps a meteor is just what it takes for things to feel good again.

Tobias og dagen det smalt is a production about gender identity and friendship. The project, formerly using the working title Piggsveis (literally: Spiky hair), was initiated by Rimfrost Teaterensemble and developed in collaboration between the ensemble and the playwright, based on interviews. Thanks to all the interviewed and others we have talked to, who have shared their stories and thoughts about gender identity and plurality."

The production is supported by Arts Council Norway, Spenn.no, The Audio Visual Fund and Arts Council Norway's working grants for artists. The research and development of the text was realised with support fromDramatikkens hus, The Fund for Performing Artists, Ferske Scener, the municipality of Tromsø, Seanse, ArtLab at The Arctic Theatre and Radart.

SOURCES:

The Arctic Theatre, halogalandteater.no, 14.11.2017, http://halogalandteater.no/produksjon/2017/tobias-og-dagen-det-smalt

Mari Lotherington, marilotherington.com, 19.04.2018, http://marilotherington.com/Tobias-og-dagen-det-smalt

Rimfrost Produksjoner,  rimfrostteater.no, 24.04.2018, http://rimfrostteater.no/project/tobias-og-dagen-det-smalt/

The Hedda Award, www.heddaprisen.no, 18.06.2018, https://www.heddaprisen.no/vinnere/2018

The Hedda Award, www.heddaprisen.no, 18.06.2018, https://www.heddaprisen.no/nominerte/2018

*Not yet translated into the English. The title within parentheses is the Norwegian title's literal meaning.

Lillian Bikset, Om kjønn, med skjønn (literally: About gender, with acumen), 23.11.2017, Dagbladet:

"Inside, Tobias is a boy, and the theatre audience gets to see him as a boy. He is played by a man, Jonas Delerud. But outside, Tobias tells us, he is a girl, and everybody calls him Cecilie, because that is his name. How can he tell them that this feels wrong to him? This is the foundation for Tobias og dagen det smalt* (Tobias and the day of the bang). It could easily have become a pedagogic explanation production about transgender and tolerance. Instead, it is a rich, form-conscious experience story with of layers, in which several related, smaller issues reflect in the major one, without competing with it or drawing the attention away from it. It is done with humour and warmth, and with trust in that audiences of children and adults alike are capable of filling out what they are told and shown with insights of their own."

*Not yet translated into the English. The title within parentheses is the Norwegian title's literal meaning.

• The Hedda Award 2018 - Best production for children

• The Hedda Award 2018 - Best production for children