Most exciting happening in the performing arts in Norway now? Puppet theatre!

Puppet theatre has parallels to what is called “visual theatre”. The pioneers of visual theatre, like Loïe Füller, Oskar Schlemmer, Tadeusz Kantor, Achim Freyer, and Robert Wilson did what puppet theatre creators had been doing for hundreds of years – letting the physical matters be the main deliverer of premises for the performance and letting the visual dramaturgy be of utmost importance.

Puppet theatre is object based. It is the puppet bodies, the costumes, the set design, the light, and the technique that unfold their potential. Out of the matter emerge images from a hidden side of humanity, heavenly visions, nightmares, and glimpses of possible futures. The analogue character of puppet theatre offers something exclusive in an increasingly digital world.

In our time, puppet theatre is barely present in Norwegian theatres. There is no education and only three Norwegian theatres offer puppet theatre experiences on a regular basis. With this backdrop, we would like to recognize the innovative, diverse, and vitally expressive works of these three companies: Wakka Wakka, Plexus Polaire, and Theater Corpus. Their performances visualize the immaterial and matters that are difficult to address in theatre. They also use non-traditional starting points for their work and develop distinct visual universes.

Wakka Wakka is led by Gabrielle Brechner, Kirjan Waage and Gwendolyn Warnock and was established in 2001. Based in Oslo and New York, Wakka Wakka pushes the boundaries of imagination by creating works that are bold, unique and unpredictable.

Plexus Polaire is led by Yngvild Aspeli and had its first performance in 2011. The company is based in Norway and France. Contemporary literature inspires their performances, which are visual experiences with music, video and a virtuoso co-performing between figure and actor.

Theater Corpus was started by Tormod Lindgren. With 25 years of experience as a scenographer, he created the first performance of the Theater Corpus company around a play by the painter Edvard Munch. A distinct visual world is essential for the company.

This exhibition features works from different phases of creating puppet theatre performances.

We suggest a greenhouse for better growth conditions for puppetry in Norway!

Websites:
wakkawakka.org
plexuspolaire.com
theatercorpus.com

Country/Region Norway

Presenting Organization The Association of Norwegian Performance Designers, in CREO

Curator Christina Lindgren, Sunniva Bodvin

Curatorial Team Christina Lindgren, Sunniva Bodvin

Artists Yngvild Aspeli, Tormod Lindgren, Kirjan Waage, Gwendolyn J. Warnock

Partners Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Performing Arts Hub Norway and the Norwegian Ministry of Culture. The Norwegian Embassy in Prague.