Uten navn* (Nameless)

The Hedda Jury gave the following reason for the award to Nils Jørgen Kaalstad:

"It happens that an actor's efforts first fill the venue, for so to stick to the spectator's consciousness for the times to come. The actor we are now talking about is a uniting force in any meaning of the words, teamed up with his fellow actors and going beneath the skin of a text conveying endless love and as endless despair. Without fear, he removes everything that is unnecessary, to reach the core of what he wants to convey. He shows an incredibly finely tuned understanding for tenderness and consideration, without grand gestures beyond those mourning, anger and lack of power place on a person who helplessly, from the side, tries to grab hold, in full knowledge that the grip will slip. This way, the role becomes an example of how theatre can be liberated from filters and illusions and become a stage for the reality the play gives a voice to. His intimate performance of a father, next-of-kin, is disturbing for the actor as well as the audience." 

At the webpage of Performing Arts Østfold the following, among other things, is written about Uten navn* (Nameless):

"One of a hundred persons in Norway is an addict. But for every individual, we count from three to eight next of kin. Each of these persons has his or her own story, his or her own perspective.

What is addiction? What does it do to the people closest to us? Is it so that we all have an empty, wordless void within us- a kind of vacuum- and that this is just more visible in addicts than in others? Is it possible to understand why the people we love choose intoxication?

Uten navn is an attempt at understanding this void. Well-known, much loved actors give voices to texts based on stories from addicts and people close to them. Through interviews and writing workshops we have had access to recognisable, eternal stories and destinies which make up a large part of society and life. But these stories are rarely heard, often only visible as nameless statistics. The performance is also a story of hope. About humour in the most absurd of situations. And about light where one thought there was only dark."

SOURCES:

Import from the Scenekunst.no list of openings 03.09.2018

Performing Arts Østfold, www.kulturutvikling.no, 03.09.2018, http://www.kulturutvikling.no/uten-navn/

The Hedda Award, www.heddaprisen.no, 16.10.19, https://www.heddaprisen.no/vinnere/2019

Sceneweb on The Hedda Award, www.sceneweb.no, 16.10.19, https://sceneweb.no/en/awarding/93019/The_Hedda_Award_2019-2019

The Hedda Award, www.heddaprisen.no, 16.10.19, https://www.heddaprisen.no/nominerte/2019

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