Retrospective
In the 1980s, the Norwegian and Nordic figure theatre community became stronger, thanks at least in part to collaboration with UNIMA[1]. During that period, independent puppetry theatres were established in all the Nordic countries, and there were active groups in several parts of Norway. Cross-border collaboration revealed a need for educational programmes within all the artistic disciplines in the puppetry field. The Nordic puppetry community collectively directed demands for education to the ministries of the Nordic countries.

In 1988, plans were made for a puppetry theatre workshop in Bodø, to be included in the “Theatre plan for Nordland 1988-2000” (Teaterplan for Nordland 1988-2000). The driving forces behind this were the local puppetry group in Bodø (represented by Dukkenikkerne) in collaboration with Knut Alfsen, the then leader of UNIMA Norway/Norwegian Puppetry Association[2]. According to thetheatre plan for Nordland, there was a desire to develop a professional puppetry centre that could function as a centre of competence for the entire county and serve as a pioneering initiative nationwide.

In 1990, funding-applications were made to the Norwegian Arts Council for two important projects. One was the Norwegian Puppetry Studio / Norsk Dukketeaterverksted (NPS), and the other was the Norwegian Puppetry Academy / Norsk Dukketeater Akademi (NPA). The professional community waited in anticipation to find out which project would receive support. Would it be a workshop for the production of puppetryperformances in Nordland or a three-year educational programmein Fredrikstad? The Arts Council was broad-minded and provided three years funding for both of these trialprojects.

In the end it was not Bodø that became the home for NPS, but Stamsund in the Vestvågøy municipality in Lofoten. The formal opening of NPS took place on 25 August 1991, and it was housed in J M Johansens vei 23. Knut Alfsen was hired as the new project manager, along with an administrative consultant and a cleaner. The budget for the first year was just under NOK 2,200,000.

NVT writes in its anniversary book, "The establishment of Nordland Puppetry Studio / Nordland Dukketeaterverksted (NPS) was the brainchild of Norwegian district politicians and cultural bureaucrats, professional puppeteers, a municipality affected by economic decline and depopulation, and an innovative county administration."[3] The local newspaper responded with criticism: "The puppetry studio makes a mockery of Stamsund's proud fishing tradition. What do they offer us instead of fishing jobs? Rag dolls!"[4] This was the attitude in the 1990s. Since then, hardly any Norwegian theatre or puppet theatre has received as many awards and accolades for its co-productions as NVT. The "rag dolls" are now stars of the large international puppetry stage.

The trial years
The experience gained during the three trial years laid the foundation for the institution’s activities for many years to come. NPS offered a good working environment, providing rehearsal space, workshop and stage equipment, as well as a stage director, for independent puppet theatre groups. Many of the productions were simple, with few performers, tailored to fit into the school timetable and to be performed in school gymnasiums. They included both collaborations with NPS and productions developed by visiting groups alone. At the outset the groups working at NPS were mostly Norwegian, but after a while Swedish and Danish groups also made contact to work at this unique workshop in northern Norway.

The trial project also saw the creation of several productions for adult audiences; among these was Peer Gynt (1992), created in collaboration with the Norwegian figure theatre company Fusentast. In this production, Ibsen’s original text was re-created by the Swedish playwright Gösta Kjellin and performed with glove puppets. Another production, The Bear Song (Bjørnens sang), was created by the French company Amoros et Augustin in collaboration with The National Sami Theatre, and was the first work commissioned by NPS involving the Sami writer and puppeteer Marry Somby. This production was based on poetic shadow theatre and featured electronic music.

NPS also developed courses and seminars to generate interest in puppet theatre. For most people in Stamsund, and in Nordland county, puppetry was an unfamiliar form of theatre.

NPS was evaluated after two years of trial operation on behalf of Nordland county. The evaluation suggested that the institution should be expanded, particularly emphasizing the need for improved office space, technical facilities and touring activities. The evaluation recommended boosting artistic activities through more in-house productions. In 1993, the budget was NOK 2,700,000.[5]

From trial project to county institution
On 25 March 1994, Vestvågøy municipality recommended that NPS should become a permanent operation. On 1 September of the same year, Nordland County Council made the decision to make NPS a permanent county theatre.

The objective was as follows:

"To develop the art of puppetryas an artistic and communicative theatrical genre in Nordland and Norway."[6]

This objective was to be achieved through the production of professional puppet theatre performances by Norwegian and foreign groups. Emphasis was placed on both in-house productions and decentralized productions in collaboration with local artists. The new theatreinstitution would also facilitate guest performances and training tailored to the local theatre culture. The administrative director would be appointed for a fixed term of five years.

In March 1998, a new black box theatre was inaugurated, and a new technical workshop was opened. The offices were relocated to a separate floor. On the day that the new premises were brought into operation, the institution changed its formal name to Figurteatret i Nordland – Nordland Visual Theatre (NVT)[7]. The change from the term "puppet theatre" to "visual theatre" denoted a revitalisation of stage practice within puppety and the performing arts in general. In the 1990s, interdisciplinarity and international collaboration would affect the entire artistic field. The term "visual theatre" reflected this innovative and boundary-pushing development. NVT states:

"Within the field of puppetry, projects were created that used not only puppets in performances but also objects, materials, animated film, shadow play and visible puppeteers. The more encompassing term 'figure theatre' was, for many, more appropriate fort he work that they were doing."

Changes in stage practice started on the continent as early as the 1960s. Puppeteers emerged from their hiding places and occupied the stage together with the puppet(s). Prior to this turning point, only the puppets were meant to be visible to the audience, while the puppeteers had to remain hidden to maintain the illusion. When the performer became visible along with the puppet, this had a significant impact on further aesthetic development. The relationship between the performer and the figure had to evolve further, and new ways of using the theatre's many scenic elements were found. The previous distinction between two separate professions, puppeteer and actor, was broken down, and the puppet and performers took centre stage together.

There were several reasons why NVT was interested in collaborations beyond the borders of Norway. One reason was that recruitment from the Academy of Figure Theatre (formerly NPA) did not go as planned. The three-year bachelor programmein figure theatre was set up under Østfold University College (ØUC) in 1996. After two years, the study programme in figure theatrewas altered to visual and physical theatre. This meant that the focus shifted to the actor's[8] interaction and collaboration with objects and materials, etc. Any artistic and performing arts practice requires expertise. The specific knowledge and practice within figure theatre, as well as the recruitment of practitioners to the professional community, ceased. Norwegian figure theatre suffered a severe setback.[9]

NVT holds the fort
Knut Alfsen was succeeded as artistic director by Marit Pedersen Omland in 1994 and by Kenneth Dean in a temporary appointment for one year (1997–1998). In 2001, Rolf Engelsen took over the helm, followed by Preben Faye-Schjøll in 2004.

After 13 years in operation, NVT was evaluated again in 2004 by Oddrun Sæther, on behalf of the Norwegian Arts Council[10]. In her report, Sæther stated that NVT was in a unique position to develop and refine an artistic expression and thus make an important contribution to Norwegian theatre. She pointed out that NVT was run in a progressive and adaptable way. She also noted that the wide spread of activities encompassing both local and international projects was a challenge, presenting a risk of the company becoming too stretched and losing energy. Sæther presented three alternatives to counter this challenge:

"1. Reduce the breadth of objectives and continue to operate as part of the county’s theatre programme.

2. Disaffiliate from the county.

3. Retain the many objectives, but with Nordland County Council providing significantly greater financial support for the theatre's operations."[11] 

In its final evaluation, Arts Council Norway concluded: "NVT’s objectives and functions should be reconsidered in order to give the theatre more opportunities to work on its own productions and development. NVT should be disaffiliated from the county, but the county should also provide greater financial support."[12]

Arts Council Norway’s evaluation did not result in any changes in objectives or extended funding for NVT, neither at the state, county, nor municipal level.

According to NVT’s Annual Report for 2004, a total of 139 performances were staged that year, and the total audience was 6,568. It further states: "... 17 performances with an estimated audience of 740 were cancelled owing to force majeure. An average of approximately 47 audience members per performance is relatively low, but can be explained by the fact that the play Sukker Sirkus (“Sugar circus”; performed 48 times) had a limit of only 20 spectators per show."[13]

Aspects of development 2004–2014
In 2004, Preben Faye-Schjøll was appointed as the new artistic director. He had been educated as a theatre director at the Norwegian Theatre Academy and had worked as a stage director and dramaturge. Geir-Ove Andersen took over the position of producer. He had previously worked as a technician, set designer and producer for Lofoten Teater and Teater NOR. Both had experience in the independent performing arts sector in Norway and internationally.

The new artistic director chose to focus on co-productions and an international ideas and expertise network. Figure theatre would continue to be the core area through co-productions with central figure theatre groups such as Hollow Creature (NO), Pickled Image (GB), Wakka Wakka Productions (NO/USA), and Ulrike Quade Productions (DE). Cross-disciplinary and institutional projects were also continued, based on the assumption that quality within figure theatre is built upon correctives and inspiration from other performing arts genres and co-productions. From 2004, NVT ceased to create its own productions in favour of co-productions, which offered more artistic and economic benefits. NVT aimed to develop a new and enduring puppet theatre network to include Central Europe and the USA, "and in order to avoid a situation where foreign participation was only “imported”, they connected Norwegian and foreign artists to the same project."[14]

A focus on theatre for children and young people was maintained through collaborations with “The Cultural Rucksack” (Den kulturelle skolesekken, DKS). Since 2005, NVT has been a co-organizer of the regional festival of theatre for young people (Den Unge Scenen, DUS) and aimed to present figure theatre productions in larger arenas. Collaboration with the Stamsund International Theatre Festival was continued through a separate programme (NVT Scene) within the festival.

"Starting in 2011, the state subsidy to NVT was allocated from a new part of the national cultural budget, covering multi-year project support."[15]

The Annual Report for 2014 states that NVT's co-productions were seen by over 46,000 people in 400 performances worldwide (in 13 countries), in addition to invitations to numerous festivals both in Norway and internationally. Over the course of the ten years since 2004, the number of shows performed had increased by 260, and audience numbers had increased by 39,899. The impressive increase in numbers is due to four major and two minor co-productions that year, as well as tours with eight already existing productions. NVT hosted 125 guest artists in 2014.

From 2015, NVT's funding was moved to the regular national budget, and its operational budget increased by 10%.

An overview of annual reports
In the following years, NVT continued to increase its numbers of co-productions, audience attendance, reviews, tours, awards, and more. In 2015, the theatre was awarded the Tyrihans Prize as recognition from the Norwegian professional community. The jury stated:

"This year's winner has, through an extensive network of both national and international artists, elevated this art form to a whole new level in Norway. Many people, both artists and audiences, have participated in unique and stimulating experiences with this dynamic institution."[16]

In 2016, 22 of NVT’s co-productions were presented to audiences in 25 countries across five continents. The Writer, a production about Knut Hamsun, won the award for Best Foreign Production att he 2016 Tehran-Mobarak International Puppet Theatre Festival (Tehran, Iran).

The theatre received a much-needed additional grant from Nordland County Council to develop a floor plan for new facilities and to purchase a new touring bus.

On August 25, 2016, NVT celebrated its 25th anniversary. The theatre had a lot to celebrate!

2017 saw further international successes thanks to NVT's co-productions. Ashes and Chambre Noire by Plexus Polaire achieved great success. Ashes won both awards for Best Performance at the Lleida Festival in Barcelona, Spain. Chambre Noire was named the "winning performance" at the world festival in Charleville-Mézières, France. Made in China by Wakka Wakka was performed for six weeks at the 59E59 Theatre in New York, featuring four musicians from the MiN Ensemble in Narvik. A collaboration with “The Cultural Rucksack” (DKS) resulted in Unknown Land by Het Houten Huis being performed for 2,300 primary school pupils at fourteen schools in Rana and Hemnes. The production used music and theatre to describe the challenges faced by people who come alone to a new country.

2018 saw an international breakthrough for Norwegian Yngvild Aspeli and her company Plexus Polaire. Their productions Ashes (2014) and Chambre Noire (2017), both produced in collaboration with NVT, toured Europe. They also performed at established festivals, attracting large audiences and receiving enthusiastic reviews.

NVT’s productions for children, Chook & Gek by Melting Point and Mørkemodig (“Brave in the dark”) by Katma, were also well-attended. Chook & Gek was performed 20 times on tour in Russia and China, to a total of 1,960 audience members. Mørkemodig had 65 performances on tour for “The Cultural Rucksack” (DKS) in the counties of Aust-Agder, Telemark, and Finnmark, with a total of 1,740 children.

Yngvild Aspeli and Plexus Polaire followed up their successes in 2019 with worldwide tours for Ashes (2014) and Chambre Noire (2017), both produced in collaboration with NVT. The productions received excellent reviews and were invited to several prestigious festivals. In 2020, Plexus Polaire (with co-producers Nordland Theatre and NVT) staged the major production Moby Dick, based on Herman Melville's classic novel. The production was premiered in Mo i Rana on 9 October 2020, and its French premiere was meant to take place at the Avignon Theatre Festival later in October 2020, but it was unfortunately postponed due to the corona pandemic. The production was finally premiered in France on 19 May 2021, at Le Montford in Paris.

The corona years 2020–2021
During the corona pandemic, productions and tours were cancelled and postponed owing to constantly changing travel and quarantine regulations. NVT was forced to think creatively about production and distribution. The theatre praised its collaborators and promoters for their ability to adapt and find new ways to produce and present theatre. Two productions (out of four planned) were realised. The remaining two productions had to be postponed because of quarantine rules; however, they were partly realised without the need for travel. The number of performances was reduced by 80-90%: 70 performances were staged for 1,417 audience members. Worldwide, 15,828 people experienced a co-production by NVT.

When the preschools tour Ritsj by Katma had to be canceled, a corona-safe variant called Utsikt (“Outlook”) was quickly produced. The children were able to watch this production through the windows of the preschool. Utsikt was a collaboration with The Arctic Theatre.

Despite all the restrictions and delays that were caused by the pandemic in 2021, productions and performances co-produced or supported by NVT were shown 500 times to 35,000 people in 14 countries. Where projects or tour performances were cancelled because of the pandemic, fees were paid in full.

In 2021, NVT celebrated its 30th anniversary, which was celebrated during the Winter Light Festival (Vinterlysfestivalen) in Mo i Rana, where four co-productions were performed a total of 12 times. During the Showbox festival in Oslo, NVT was presented with the Gulljerven award in the open class category; the jury stated that they wanted to award the prize to NVT for their long and faithful service, "...and an extra thumbs-up for allowing performers from outside their own artistic and professional field to contribute during the pandemic. They are nominated because they are a factory for the development of stage productions for children and young people, lifting and developing puppet theatre as an art-form."[17]

18 years with Preben Faye-Schjøll as artistic director
Under Preben's leadership, many of NVT’s co-productions have reflected current affairs, such as the Norwegian-American company Wakka Wakka's production Saga (2012), which dealt with the Icelandic financial crisis. Also by Wakka Wakka, Made in China (2015) explored our ambivalence towards Chinese production and the country’s human rights violations. The consistently high artistic level of the productions is evident from audience attendance in many countries and across continents. Reviews and press coverage have been positive, often effusive. If we add to this the awards that NVT has received both nationally and internationally, the numbers speak for themselves. What NVT has achieved with its co-producers is impressive. NVT has invested and pioneered, and has had many successes with its productions. The theatre’s efforts to create high-quality and engaging performing arts for children and young people deserve high praise. They have achieved what few have succeeded in doing before them in Norway: delivering high-quality figure theatre to both urban and rural areas, but also far outside the country's borders. They receive invitations to prestigious festivals worldwide and perform to packed houses.

NVT have taken figure theatre as a performing art form seriously, developing and rejuvenating it. Figure theatre has been confronted with related art forms such as visual theatre and has drawn inspiration from them. Figure theatre is also visual theatre, but here it is the theatre figures or artifacts that play the important roles. The relationship between figure theatre and visual theatre is so close that, in many cases, it makes little or no sense to create a distinction between them. The puppeteer with the theatre puppet(s) is visible on stage, and consequently, the puppeteer is also an actor ... or is it the actor who is the puppeteer? Who is communicating - the puppeteer, the puppet(s), the object, or the actor? These are fluid transitions of which it is essential to be aware in order to create a form of expression that can communicate with the audience. NVT has accomplished this feat in an outstanding manner.

2022 – a turning-point
In the autumn of 2022, Yngvild Aspeli[18] took over as artistic director of NVT. Dear Yngvild, Norwegian figure theatre could hardly have found a more dedicated, qualified and wished-for successor to Preben. You are in the process of charting the course ahead for NVT. In many interviews, you have expressed great respect for the work that NVT has done and that you stand on the shoulders of those who came before you. Among the many wise words that we can read in interviews with you, we will conclude with the following quote:

"Nordland Visual Theatre is one of the rare places where the needs of artists and companies are at the heart and main focus of the project – without detracting from the importance of reaching an audience. (...) In order to actively work for a better understanding of what figure theatre is and can be, we have to defend the essence of the craft while allowing the art form to evolve. By producing and touring works that represent the diversity within figure theatre and visual theatre, [NVT] can continue to be a place where innovative and engaging theatrical art is created."[19]

For the Figure Theatre Gallery,

Mona Wiig, who has worked in figure theatre for 50 years. August 2023

[1] UNIMA: Union Internationale de la Marionette – a voluntary organisation founded in 1929. UNIMA is connected to UNESCO. www.unima.org

[2] UNIMA Norway/Norwegian Puppetry Association is the national centre for UNIMA. www.unima.no

[3] Faye-Schjøll, Preben: «Figurteatret i Nordland 1992-2011», Figurteatret i Nordland 1991-2011, Orkana forlag as, Stamsund (2011:16). Additional sources – NVT’s website: www.figurteatret.no

[4]Ibid.

[5]Ibid. (2011:19)

[6]Ibid.

[7] The Norwegian term «figurteater» (from the German “Figurentheater”), denoting the development of puppet theatre to include newer stage and aesthetic practices, is generally translated in this article as “figure theatre”. Figurtheatret i Nordland uses the term “visual theatre” in its own translation regarding its activities. In this article “puppet theatre” is used to denote traditional puppetry in which the puppeteer is not visible to the audience.
“Figure theatre” is an extension of “puppet theatre”. Simply explained – figure theatre is characterised by “open” acting (the puppeteer is visible), and “puppet theatre” by “closed” acting (the puppeteer is hidden). In both forms the puppet is the main character. In both figure theatre and visual theatre, different types of visual elements are used for expression: figure theatre primarily through objects, visual theatre through different forms of visual effects. As in the case of NVT, figure theatre and visual theatre can inspire and enrich each other.

[8]A performer enacts an event / a storyline, using physical presence and authentic bodily representation of life experiences. An actor, on the other hand, identifies themselves with a role and creates a separate character – therefore representing someone or something outside themselves.

[9]The consolidation of the Nordic puppetry community in 1980 happened in part thanks to seminars organised by the Nordic Theatre Committee – these revealed a need for artistic education programmes. The Nordic UNIMA centres followed up, working to implement education programmes. Norway was the first Nordic country to formalise a 3-year bachelor programme (BA) in figure theatre in 1996 at Østfold University College (ØUC). ØUC had no previous experience with artistic educational programmes and little knowledge of the different theatre disciplines, be it figure theatreor visualand physical theatre. The change in the programme from figure theatreto visualand physical theatre was explained by the rector and head of studies at ØUC to be “a linguistic correction”. (Letter to the Norwegian Education Department14 April 2000/ KUF 18. april 2000;  Document no. 99/229, archive code 212.)

[10] Kunst- og kulturmøter i Nord. Evaluering av fire prosjekter i Nord-Norge, Oddrun Sæther; Delrapport i evaluering av statsbudsjettets kap. 320, post 74. Desember 2004.(“Encounters with art and culture in the North: an evaluation of four projects in northern Norway”)

[11] Preben Faye-Schjøll: «Figurteatret i Nordland 1992-2011», Figurteatret i Nordland 1991-2011, Orkana forlag as, Stamsund (2011:24)

[12] Ibid

[13] Ibid

[14] Ibid

[15] Preben Faye-Schjøll: «Figurteatret i Nordland 1992-2011», Figurteatret i Nordland 1991-2011, Orkana forlag as, Stamsund (2011:25)

[16]NVT Annual Report for 2015, p.3

[17]NVT Annual Report for 2021, p.2

[18] https://figurteatret.no/nyheter/ny-kunstnerisk-leder-ved-figurteatret.48241.aspx

[19] https://figurteatret.no/nyheter/ny-kunstnerisk-leder-ved-figurteatret.48241.aspx