2 - Komediehuset, Bergen, and Henrik Ibsen’s Stagecraft in His First Theatre

Summary

Chapter 2 addresses Komediehuset in Bergen, Norway in its 1850–1909 iteration. Built by an amateur dramatic society in 1800 and destroyed by a 1944 British bombing raid, it has a twofold historical importance: it housed the first professional Norwegian theatre company and it is where the young Henrik Ibsen learned his craft. We consider the theatre’s high point as a social space for audiences and artists to create a national identity for the emerging state of Norway. This chapter focuses on set design, specifically in Olaf Liljekrans, an early play by Ibsen. Via performance labs in conjunction with artists, actors, and a designer, we analyse how Ibsen used space and movement to elucidate the discourses within his plays. In the famous social dramas written after he left Norway, Ibsen perfected this technique of writing meanings into bodies and imaginary stage spaces. The chapter illustrates Komediehuset’s role in the birth of Norwegian nationalism on stage and the beginnings of modern drama.