The Ibsen Relay 2006

The Ibsen Relay is a scheme for high school students across Norway, in which students are invited to create their own shows, using Ibsen’s life and work as a backdrop. Forms of expression vary greatly, from performances of texts as they were written, to shows made up of bits from different plays, or free creative writing based on one or more of Ibsen’s works, or even his life. The Relay Race does not only focus on theatre, the students also use song, dance, their own musical compositions and multimedia productions in their interpretations of Ibsen.

After school finals, the winners of the county finals get to go to Skien, Ibsen’s birthplace. Here, they follow a packed schedule of tours, lectures, and workshops, in addition to the county winners performing their productions for each other, as well as a professional jury. The jury picks three finalists for the national final, which will be held on the Amfiscenen stage at the National Theatre during the Ibsen Festival on the 4th and 5th of September. A professional jury will pick the winner. But all groups from the Skien seminar are invited to Oslo and the National Theatre; here, too, they can follow a packed schedule, while also getting the chance to experience the Ibsen Festival shows during their stay. The purpose of the Relay is not the competition itself, but to give the students a chance to acquaint themselves with an important part of our cultural heritage in their own way.