“An Enemy of the People” opens the Ibsen Year 2028 in Skien. The performance is produced by the Norwegian Ibsen Company in collaboration with local cultural actors and premieres on March 20th.
The opening performance will be a collaboration between the Norwegian Ibsen Company, Teater Ibsen, Ibsenhuset and Skien Municipality. The production will mark the start of the national anniversary year for Henrik Ibsen – and will be staged in the playwright's hometown.
– That a nationally and internationally renowned actor such as the Norwegian Ibsen Company chooses to create this performance in close collaboration with Skien's own cultural environments on the very 200th anniversary fills us with pride, says Mayor of Skien, Marius Roheim Aarvold.
He believes the collaboration strengthens Skien's position as Ibsen's birthplace and as a national and international Ibsen town.
– A great honor
Director of the Norwegian Ibsen Company, Kåre Conradi, says it is special to be able to open the anniversary year in Skien.
– It is a great honor for the Norwegian Ibsen Company to open the anniversary year for Henrik Ibsen in his own hometown. The fact that Skien, led by the mayor, invites us home to Ibsen's hometown is both moving and obliging, says Conradi.
The choice of "An Enemy of the People" is not accidental either.
– The play is about truth, courage and the power of words – themes that are burningly relevant in our time and unfortunately will probably also be so in 2028, he says.
Just like Henrik Ibsen, the wish is for the performance to go on a journey into the wider world after the premiere in Skien.
– Ibsen is one of the world's most important playwrights, and we believe Skien and Telemark should carry this legacy with the same pride as Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwickshire do with Shakespeare. Therefore, a long-term collaboration between the Ibsen Company and the region feels right, says Conradi.
Part of a larger anniversary initiative
The opening performance will be the first announced element in a comprehensive anniversary program for 2028. Skien Municipality has been working for several years on the development of "Ibsenbyen Skien" in collaboration with the city's cultural institutions.
On the same day as the anniversary year opens, March 20, 2028, the Ibsen Library will also open with Sølvåren – the Ibsen Information Center – as well as a fully restored Henrik Ibsen Museum at Venstøp.
Will cooperate broadly
Project coordinator for Ibsen 2028 in Skien Municipality, Svein Eriksen, emphasizes the importance of collaboration.
– Success with the Ibsen initiative in Skien leading up to the anniversary in 2028 depends on our broad cooperation. The cultural institutions in Skien stand united, and partnerships with national actors make larger projects possible, says Eriksen.
He believes the collaboration will help bring Ibsen's artistry to new generations – both locally, nationally and internationally.
Skien Municipality also wants to invite cultural and business stakeholders in Telemark to a joint meeting to facilitate even broader cooperation leading up to the anniversary.
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