JOURNEY TO THE EAST
ABOUT
A play about belonging and identity
This is the first time an adoptee tells her story on a Norwegian stage!
The play is based upon a physical and psycological journey to the unknown Seoul, where "Mina" is looking for answers. She wants to find her biological mother, which turns out to be an emotional and difficult experience.
Facts:
Premiere: September 23rd, 2014
Play House: Caféteatret, Nordic Black Theatre, Oslo
Number of shows: 8
Playwright: Nelly Winterhalder
Producer: Mona Grenne Banterla
Director: Øystein Ulsberg Brager
Actors: Per Vidar Anfinnsen and Mona Grenne
Dramaturge: Jon Tombre
Co-Producer: Nordic Black Theatre
Set Design: Jan Christensen and Mie Dinesen
Music: Herman Christoffersen and Bjørnar Johnsen (Themepark)
Graphic Design: Elin Iversen
Video and Sound Design: Lanz Short
Light Design: Paulucci Araújo Bakke
Stills Photographer: Stephen Hutton and Kristin Opdan
Project Coordinator: Kristina Eikebråten
The Production is funded by:
Arts Council Norway (Norsk kulturråd), Arts Council Norway Sound and Picture (Fond for Lyd og Bilde), Freedom of Expression (Fritt Ord), Fund for performing artists (Fond for utøvende kunstnere), Fund for freelancers (Fond for frilansere), The Norwegian Actors’ Centre (Norsk Skuespillersenter), Norwegian Centre for New Playwriting (Dramatikkens hus), Adopsjonsforum, Green Hippo Media Servers, Hewlett-Packard Norway and The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Norway.
Mona Grenne
Actress / Producer
MG is an actress, with a B.A. in Drama Performance from CLU, USA. Credits include film, TV, theatre, radio, commercials, voice over, dubbing, cartoons, audio books, e-learning, documentaries and much more. Iren Ryan Nominee for The Maid in ”Blood Wedding”, KC/ACTF 2002, and The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, USA. Celected appearances in Norway: Dag2+3 TV2, Hotel Cæsar TV2, Deal or No Deal TV2, Taxi NRK, 5080Nyhetskanalen NRK, Erobreren NRK, Asfaltenglene, Skogens dyp, Lønsj, Chess in concert and cartoons for Disney, Pixar, Cartoon Network, CBeebies BBC, Sony, Warner, Lucas Film.
JTTE is based upon her true adoption story.
Mie Dinesen
Set Design
MD is a stage designer and artist based in Oslo, graduated from Aarhus School of Architecture. She works in the intersection of architecture and art. Her work spans wide from interactive art installations to architecture and stage design - her latest project "Rom i byen for byen” - two temporary art installations in Oslo, a project supported by the Municipality of Oslo - Cultural Affairs. Mie assists Jan Christensen on this stage design .
Per Vidar Anfinnsen
Actor
PVA is an actor, educated from The State Theatre School, Norway, and is also an experienced singer in different genres. Amongst other places, he has worked at the Kingdoms Theatre in Norway, and also Sogn and Fjordane Theater, where he participated in “Urmakarens Hjarte/The Clockmakers Heart”, wich was nominated for a Hedda*-award for best play. He lives in Oslo, and works as a freelance actor and singer.
Lanz Short
Video and Sound Design
LS is a London bred Creative Technician and Software Designer. He has spent the past eight years hopping around Europe designing and programming interactive projects for Theatre, Live Events and Art Installations. Currently working for Green Hippo aiding their development team.
Nelly Winterhalder
Playwright
NW (born 1979 in Germany) is a playwright and an actress. She has a Master’s degree in literature from the University in Munich, Germany and is currently finishing her Master’s degrees in playwrighting at the Academy of Theatre in Oslo, Norway. She won the audience award at Secondofestival in Switzerland and was nominated for the Retzhofer Literature Award in Austria in 2009. Her plays have been performed in Norway, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
Jon Tombre
Dramaturge
JT is a theatre director in Norway. Educated at the Norwegian Dramashcool in Oslo and Ecole Internationale de Jacques Lecoq in Paris. Has directed more than 60 different performances, at different theaters in Norway both at major venues as the Nationaltheatre and the fringe scene. He is also working as dramaturg and artistic coach for various range of artistic projects. Jon has also in periods been counselor in the Arts Council of Norway.
Øystein U. Brager
Director
ØUB is trained as a theatre director in Great Britain. He is artistic director for the international theatre company Imploding Fictions and has received awards like Theater Drachengasses Newcomer Award 2010, Company of Angels Theatremakers Award 2008 and Internazionale Premio Claudio Gora 2007. In 2011 he was awarded the Norwegian national theatre prize Heddaprisen for special artistic achievement with the project Oslo International Theatre.
Jan Christensen
Set Design
JC (Copenhagen, 1977) lives and works in Oslo and Berlin. His practice involves curating, collaboratory projects and ranges from large-scale painting to architecture. He has exhibited internationally since 2001. Institutional solo-exhibitions and projects include Kunsthaus Baselland, Basel; Artsonje Art Center, Seoul; Stenersenmuseet, Oslo; Galleri F15, Jeløy; Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Kristiansand; Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (S.M.A.K.), Ghent; Kubus Lenbachhaus, Munich. He has been an artist in resident at South-Korean institutions such as The International Studio Program of Changdong/The National Art Studio (2004), The Yeonhee-Dong 195 Residency Project/The Art Council of Korea (2007) and Seoul Art Space Geumcheon (2012).
Paulucci A. Bakke
Light Design
PAB is a light designer and works for the Nordic Black Theater. He is also a director, sound designer, technician, stage manager, musician and dancer. His credits include Eld and Vatn with Andreas Ljones at Rikscenen, Frikar Dance Company, The Norwegian Opera and Ballett, the Nationaltheatre in Norway.
Stephen Hutton
Stills Photographer
SH is from Dublin, Ireland and has worked as a photographer and filmmaker for the last ten years. Some examples of his work:
Elin Iversen
Graphic Designer
EI is a graphic designer and works closely with many significant companies in Norway., She has designet monagrenne.com, and creates printwork such as books, brochures, flyers, posters, banners and much more.
Kristina Eikebråten
Project Coordinator
KE is educated at TITAN Teaterskole in Oslo. She has worked as Project manager for several theatre productions. including Marispelet ved Rjukanfossen and Balkongpiken by Ingvild M. Lien. Eikebråten also has an interest in for history and has this spring written her bachelor thesis at the University of Oslo about Norways relation to the international Human Rights.
Kristin Aafløy Opdan
Stills Photographer
KAO is a norwegian photographer and actress. Educated at Bilder Nordic School of Photography in Norway and Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in London.
As a photographer she loves to work with actors, dancers and musicians, and get inspired by the playfulness of all artists.
Themepark
Music
Themepark is Herman Christoffersen and Bjørnar Johnsen. They have written and produced music for theatre, documentaries, feature films, short films and commercials, and were nominated for an Amanda award for best original score for the movie ”Radiopiratene” in 2008.
The Program
