Se hva jeg tør* (See what I dare)
Se hva jeg tør* (See what I dare) (1981) was a production for children by Perleporten Teatergruppe. Se hva jeg tør was the first production Perleporten made for children. It was developed through improvisation and written by Birgit Christensen.
In the historical article Perleporten Teatergruppe. Gruppas historie (literally: Perleporten Teatergruppe. The company's history) Karl Hoff writes:
"The new Perleporten member Anitta Suikkari, who has put behind her several years of work in Thesbiteatret (The Thesbi Theatre) played the main part as the fly in our first production for children. We got invaluable counselling in pedagogy from preschool teacher Grete Haugen, with 20 years of experience from working and interacting with children, and from Marie Hoff.
Nils Ole Oftebro helped us direct, as far as he could manage in between all his assignments in productions, and during the actor strike. Trygve Eliassen helped us with props, and Beate Braanen made the figures for the shadow theatre in the performance."
*Not yet translated into English. The title within parentheses is the Norwegian title's literal meaning.
Information
(Objekt ID 8861)| Object type | Production |
| Premiere | February 21, 1981 |
| Produced by | Perleporten Teatergruppe |
| Audience | Children, Adults (from 5) |
| Number of events | 150 |
| Language | Norwegian |
| Keywords | Performance for children, Theatre |
| Running period | February 21, 1981 — April 30, 1983 |
Requirements to venue
| Minimum stage width | 6m |
| Maximum stage width | 6m |
| Minimum stage depth | 8m |
| Maximum stage depth | 8m |
| Minimum stage height | 5m |
| Blackout | Yes |
In the program of Perleporten Teatergruppe's next production The last cry, Perleporten Teatergruppe wrote the following about Se hva jeg tør* (See what I dare):
"The production has been performed more than 150 times in great parts of Norway during 1981-82. Children in Berlevåg in Finnmark and in Bryne at Jæren have met the fly and the flea. In 1982 the flea was first performed by Ida Lind, then by Anette Hoff.
The production is to be performed at Bergen International Festival this year. It will be the last flight of the fly, for now. But that is not a problem, for there are thousands of them, luckily! Thousands of expectant, listening and gorgeous children who can demand and have a right to good theatre. They deserve it. Lars Roar Langslet and Kåre Willoch have been children once, too, as have those of us who pay our taxes. But we have not forgotten what a strange, nice, scary and weird experience it was."
Source:
The private archive of Perleporten Teatergruppe. Donated by Karl Hoff, 10.05.2009
*Not yet translated into English. The title within parentheses is the Norwegian title's literal meaning.
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Birgit Christensen | – Text |
| Nils Ole Oftebro | – Direction |
| Morten Juvet | – Visual design (Plakat) |
| Helge Braanen | – Stage design |
| Helge Braanen | – Costume |
| Siri Hagen | – Sound |
| Siri Hagen | – Light |
| Birgit Christensen | – Actor (Mor, Måke, Matros, Sirkusdirektør) |
| Siri Hagen (from 1981 to 1982) | – Actor (Loppa) |
| Karl Hoff | – Actor (Far) |
| Anette Hoff (from 1983) | – Actor (Loppa) |
| Ida Lind | – Actor |
| Anitta Suikkari | – Actor (Flua) |
| Beate Braanen | – Puppet maker |
| Hanne Revold | – Mask design |
| Trygve Eliassen | – Props |
| Grete Haugen | – Consultant |
| Marie Hoff | – Consultant |
| April 30, 1983 – Grieghallens prøvesal / Peer Gynt salen | Show |
| February 11, 1982 – Tromsvang Samfunnshus | Show |
| February 9, 1982 – Sør-Aurdal ungdomsskole | Show |
| October 31, 1981 – Lysejordet skole | Show |
| February 21, 1981 – Sandvika Teater / Sandvika kino, Bærum Kulturhus | Worldwide premiere |
| 1981 – Grünerløkka Folkets Hus | Show |
| Bergen International Festival | April 30, 1983 |
Jan Ø. Helgesen, Perleporten med eventyr om vennskap: "Se hva jeg tør!" (literally: Perleporten with a fairytale about friendship, See what I dare), 23.03.1981, Arbeiderbladet [Oslo]:
"Se hva jeg tør* (See what I dare) is Perleporten Teatergruppe's most recent play. It is written by the four members of the company, and meant for children aged about five or more. Se hva jeg tør is most of all a story about friendship. The girl Anita, called the fly by her friends, is searching for her friend the flea. The latter is taken captive by a mean circus director, but she is liberated at the end. Along the way Anita meets many hindrances, but also people who make her wonder, and who help her. The journey ends well, of course, and the girlfriends are reunited. [...] There is something sophisticated and fairytale-like about the performance, making it exciting for adults as well. Perleporten elegantly takes use of the stage effects, and a fundamentally simple stage decoration turns out to house many exciting possibilities."
Inger K. Bøe, Varmt og levende barneteater (literally: Warm and vital theatre for children), 23.03.1981, Nationen [Oslo]:
"The plot is simple and suitable for a small, intimate venue, such as the one at this occasion (Grünerløkka Folkets Hus). The play gets a lift from the contact with the audience. Helge Braanen has done a good job, using simple effects to the full in his stage design and use of costumes. The stage made an impression: A black curtain with silver stars glued on, and a spotlight, becomes a magical moonlit night.
- Are you afraid of the dark, the fly asks the old lady next to her.
- I see long arms everywhere, behind every corner of every house there is a little troll.
The fly and the old sit together, thinking, dreaming and mind travelling, far, far away. Distant geographies are illustrated by cut-out figures, sliding across the moon as silhouettes. Effectful."
Christian Vennerød, Perlebrus fra Perleporten (literally: A swoosh of pearls from Perleporten), April 1981, Gateavisa [Oslo]:
"Se hva jeg tør* (See what I dare) give me a glimpse of the child's fight to survive. The play showed me what kind of awful, well-meaning suppression a child has to oppose not to be hurt to the soul. And it showed me what kind of incredible powers a child's imagination and loyalty contain. And what I could have been, if my wings hadn't been clipped, come to this."
Gunvald Opstad, - Stol på deg selv, sier Perleporten (literally: Trust yourself, Perleporten says), date unknown, Fædrelandsvennen:
"At Perleporten everybody understands what is said! And the fly herself, the Finnish born Anitta Suikkari, was a valuable expansion of the ensemble, with a particularly fine, expressive body control. [...] One should meet up, for those who experienced the company at the school of Høgvåg last night, could not be anything but moved by the impressive effort these young jesters do to bring good theatre to even the smallest places in our country. [...] It is nice to see that someone takes the children seriously, too!"
Øystein Hagen, Perleportens moderne eventyr (literally: The modern fairytale of Perleporten), 11.02.1982, Klassekampen [Oslo]:
"Se hva jeg tør* (See what I dare) is a modern fairytale in close relation to the traditional folk tales. Perleporten Teatergruppe has written its own play, and is yet an example the independent companies take more of an artistic responsibility than the governmentally funded theatres, that is, to develop original Norwegian drama. The four actors Ida Lind, Anitta Suikkari, Birgit Christensen and Karl Hoff play well, in a physical style where bodily expression and words are intertwined. In addition comes a playful and functional decoration, providing a double level of performance, containing an element the publically funded theatres are about to lose, that is, the tingling joy of breaking down the divide between reality and imagination, and to interweave the two."
Erik Pierstorff, Gå alene - finne venner (literally: Go alone - find friends), 07.06.1982, Dagbladet [Oslo]:
"All illusion was created with the least pretentious efforts; we could see how illusion was made and as such it became something we choose to see. We chose to, because of the vivid contact created by the actors. Birgit Christensen and Karl Hoff were soon a pair of parents, soon a pair of seagulls, soon a captain and a circus manager (Karl), soon a witch who has walked far and takes a footbath in the forest, making her less dangerous (Birgit). Charming was Anitta Suikkari as Anita/the fly, the best friend of the flea. The flea was played by Anette Hoff, and is who has "knitted a ski pole and made the clock in the TV stop". She is also known for being able to burp the alphabet in full. So nobody can doubt Anita's sincerity when she goes to find the flea, nor that she brings along her tooth brush, her nose clip and a small crown made by cardboard "for such thing one should always carry!""
*Not yet translated into English. The title within parentheses is the Norwegian title's literal meaning.