The Characteristic of the Period – Holberg rewritten
Danish Theatre 300 years - Experience two completely new dramas inspired by Ludvig Holberg, in readings by Morten Burian, Signe Egholm Olsen, Ari Alexander, Tina Gylling and Jesper Lohmann.
Danish drama began with Holberg 300 years ago. In Holberg's dramas, the action often revolves around the title character - just think of The Timeless, The Tinker Turned Politician and Jeppe på bjerget , all of which provided a satirical, violent and exhaustive description of Holberg's own time.
New drama with period character
On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of Danish theatre, Danske Dramatikere has issued a competition to write new plays that use Holberg's basic template with a period characteristic central character to illustrate our times. The two newly written winning pieces, Mathias Raaby Ravn's Ballademagere (Trouble Makers) and Amalie Munkgaard Olesen's Flod og Ebbe (River and Ebb), will be performed this evening as readings:
Mathias Raaby Ravn: Ballademagere
Brecht meets Holberg meets Romeo and Juliet in this tragic and violent play about Polish and Danish scaffolders, fringe people with unfortunate conditions and urges - and a bizarre knack for poetry and murder. There are classic dramas, new dramas and Ballademagere .
Amalie Munkgaard Olesen: Flod og Ebbe
An elderly couple receives their son and his girlfriend for a visit. The boyfriend defines himself as a bird, the son as a plural, and the parents themselves experience the subsidence and crash of fluid identity as the evening turns into night. Who's coming to dinner in the linguistic chaos of the woke era? It ends badly.
Staged readings and introductory talks
The two winning dramas will be performed this evening as staged readings by Tina Gylling, Jesper Lohmann, Morten Burian, Signe Egholm Olsen and Ari Alexander. Directed by Christoffer Berdal.
As a prelude, dramatist Jokum Rohde and research librarian, Ph.D. Anna Lawaetz bring us on a tour de force through the royal dramas and comedies of theatre history.
Contributory
Tina Gylling Mortensen is co-founder of Mammutteatret and trained as an actress from Statens Teaterskole in 1979. She is known for a wide range of roles at The Royal Theatre, Betty Nansen Theatre and Østre Gasværk and others as well as from film and television roles.
Jesper Lohmann has played roles in for example The Royal Theatre, Østre Gasværk, Folketeatret, Teatre ved Sorte Hest and Betty Nansen Theatre. He had his popular breakthrough in the TV series Taxi in 1990 and has since appeared in, among other things, the cult film Pusher (1997) and a large number of Danish series, such as Borgen, Rita, 1864 and others.
Morten Burian is educated at the Acting School at Aarhus Theatre 2000. He is, among other things, known for roles in the TV series Herrens Veje, Bedrag and Dicte, while he has also played roles in, among others, The Royal Theatre, Husets Teater and Aalborg Theatre. He is currently in the role of Bjørn in the film Speak no evil .
Signe Egholm Olsen graduated from Statens Teaterskole in 2003. Signe Egholm Olsen is, among other things, known for her role as Maria in Nordkraft and for a wide range of roles on both TV and in the theatre, including in the critically acclaimed production Tove! Tove! Tove!.
Ari Alexander is known from a wide range of roles on both film and television. Among other things, he has appeared in the TV series Rita, Doggystyle, Limboland and Alfa. In 2021, he was current with his first leading role in the Viaplay comedy series Try Hard directed by Anders Morgenthaler.
The event is a collaboration between Danske Dramatikere and Royal Danish Library.
