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Det Norske Teatret ()Moe, Jens. 2011. ''My America: The Culture of Giving''. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse, p. 133. is a
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
in
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
. The theatre was founded in 1912, after an initiative from
Hulda Garborg Hulda Garborg (née Bergersen, 22 February 1862 – 5 November 1934) was a Norwegian writer, novelist, playwright, poet, folk dancer, and theatre instructor. She was married to Arne Garborg, and is today perhaps best known for kindling intere ...
and
Edvard Drabløs Edvard Drabløs (1 April 1883 – 29 April 1976) was a Norwegian actor and theatre director. Biography Drabløs was born at Sykkylven Municipality in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. He was the son of Jens Helgesen Drabløs (1856–1925) and Olave Vell ...
. It opened in 1913, touring with two plays, ''Ervingen'' by
Ivar Aasen Ivar Andreas Aasen (; 5 August 1813 – 23 September 1896) was a Norwegian philologist, lexicographer, playwright, and poet. He is best known for having assembled one of the two official written versions of the Norwegian language, Nynorsk, from ...
and ''Rationelt Fjøsstell'' by Hulda Garborg. Its first official performance was
Ludvig Holberg Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Denmark–Norway, Dano–Norwegian dual monarchy. He was infl ...
's comedy ''Jeppe på berget'', with
Haakon VII of Norway Haakon VII (; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was King of Norway from 18 November 1905 until his death in 1957. The future Haakon VII was born in Copenhagen as Prince Carl of Denmark. He was the second son of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess ...
and the prime minister of Norway among the spectators. Hulda Garborg was the first board manager, and Rasmus Rasmussen was the first
theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...
. The theatre primarily performs plays written in or translated into
Nynorsk Nynorsk (; ) is one of the two official written standards of the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. From 12 May 1885, it became the state-sanctioned version of Ivar Aasen's standard Norwegian language (''Landsmål''), parallel to the Da ...
. The theatre has three stages, and about 12–15 productions per year, plus guest plays. Five of
Jon Fosse Jon Olav Fosse (; born 29 September 1959) is a Norwegian author, translator, and playwright. In 2023, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable." Fosse's work spans over se ...
's plays saw their first productions on Det Norske Teatret: ''Nokon kjem til å komme'' (1996), ''Ein sommars dag'' (1999), ''Vakkert'' (2001), ''3ogtosaman'' (2001) and ''Rambuku'' (2006). The theatre was awarded
Spellemannprisen The Spellemannprisen (also referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards) is a Norwegian music award ceremony presented by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry#Local associations, IFPI Norge and :no:FONO, FONO. It was first awarded i ...
in 1979 for the musical play ''Så lenge skuta kan gå''.


Theatre directors

Actor and singer Rasmus Rasmussen was the theatre's first director, from 1912 to 1915.
Edvard Drabløs Edvard Drabløs (1 April 1883 – 29 April 1976) was a Norwegian actor and theatre director. Biography Drabløs was born at Sykkylven Municipality in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. He was the son of Jens Helgesen Drabløs (1856–1925) and Olave Vell ...
was one of the founders, and served as a director from 1915 to 1916, and later also from 1950 to 1951. Amund Rydland, who had been with the theatre from the start, was the director from 1916 to 1922 (shared with
Anton Heiberg Anton Wilhelm Scheel Heiberg ( 26 March 1878– 11 September 1947) was a Norwegian stage instructor and theatre director. He was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was a son of judge Edvard Omsen Heiberg (1829–1884) and his wife Mi ...
and
Sigurd Eldegard Sigurd Eldegard (10 July 1866 – 30 January 1950) was a Norwegian actor, playwright and theatre director. He was born in Årdal to farmers Sjur Ingebrigtsen Eldegard and Johanne Jørgensdatter Vetti. He made his stage debut at Christiania ...
in periods). After him
Ingjald Haaland Ingjald Haaland (22 March 1885 – 28 July 1952) was a Norwegian actor and theatre director. Biography Haaland was born at Hålandsdal in Hordaland, Norway. He was the son of Sjur Haaland (1851–1912) and Brita Teigland (1855–1945). He was ...
served as theatre director for eleven years, from 1922 to 1933. Hans Jacob Nilsen was theatre director from 1933 to 1934, and from 1946 to 1950. The writer
Oskar Braaten Oskar Braaten (25 November 1881 – 17 July 1939) was a Norwegian novelist and playwright. Biography Oskar Alexander Braaten was born in the Oslo borough of Sagene, one of Norway's oldest industrial areas, dating to the mid-19th century. Oskar ...
had earlier worked as a consultant for the theatre, and served as its director from 1934 to 1936. The actor
Knut Hergel Knut Hergel (27 November 1899 – 2 September 1982) was a Norwegian actor and theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production ...
was director from 1936 to 1942, and again from 1945 to 1946. His period was interrupted by
Nasjonal Samling The Nasjonal Samling (, NS; ) was a Norway, Norwegian far-right politics, far-right political party active from 1933 to 1945. It was the only legal party of Norway from 1942 to 1945. It was founded by former minister of defence Vidkun Quisling a ...
's
Cally Monrad Ragnhild Caroline Monrad (31 July 1879 – 23 February 1950) was a Norwegian singer, actress and poet. She was born in Gran, studied singing in Dresden, stayed in Berlin for a long time, toured with Edvard Grieg, and performed for King Oscar ...
from 1942 to 1945, during the
German occupation of Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...
. This forced movement by the nazis was answered with a total boycott by the public. The
jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...
Ole Barman Ole Gregor Liljedahl Barman (1897–1983) was a Norwegian jurist, novelist, short story writer, playwright and theatre director. Among his novels are ''Fast i fjellet'' from 1930 and ''Ein mann gjekk heim'' from 1933. He published the short story ...
was theatre director 1951–1953, and
Nils Sletbak Nils Arne Sletbak (16 January 1896 – 24 January 1982) was a Norwegian jurist and theatre director. Biography Sletbak was born in Sunndal Municipality, Norway. He graduated as a cand.jur. at the University of Oslo. He was an active proponen ...
, also jurist, 1953–1961.
Dramaturg A dramaturge or dramaturg (from Ancient Greek δραματουργός – dramatourgós) is a literary adviser or editor in a theatre, opera, or film company who researches, selects, adapts, edits, and interprets scripts, libretti, texts, and pr ...
and writer
Tormod Skagestad Tormod Skagestad (9 August 1920 – 4 January 1997) was a Norwegian poet, novelist, playwright, actor and theatre director. Biography Tormod Skagestad was born in Krødsherad, Buskerud county, Norway. Skagestad grew up in a rich cultural enviro ...
served two periods, from 1961 to 1965, and from 1976 to 1979. Actor and instructor
Svein Erik Brodal Svein Erik Brodal (born 21 February 1939 in Østre Toten, Oppland) is a Norwegian actor, theatre director, poet, novelist and politician. He made his stage debut at Det Norske Teatret in 1960, and served as theatre director from 1979 to 1990. He ...
was the theatre's director from 1975 to 1975, and again from 1979 to 1990. Instructor
Otto Homlung Otto Homlung (19 July 1943 – 7 May 2025) was a Norwegian stage producer and theatre director. He worked as stage instructor at Den Nationale Scene from 1971 to 1973, and later as a freelance instructor for several Norwegian theatres. He was ...
was director from 1990 to 1997. Actor and
dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwri ...
Vidar Sandem Vidar Sandem (born 19 February 1947) is a Norwegian actor, playwright and theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as ...
served as theatre director from 1997 to 2010.
Erik Ulfsby Erik Ulfsby (born 2 October 1970) is a Norwegian actor, stage instructor and theatre director. Biography Ulfsby was born in Oslo, and educated at the Norwegian National Academy of Theatre. As an actor, he has performed at Trøndelag Teater (Tr ...
was appointed theatre director from 2011.


Early repertory

;1913
Ivar Aasen Ivar Andreas Aasen (; 5 August 1813 – 23 September 1896) was a Norwegian philologist, lexicographer, playwright, and poet. He is best known for having assembled one of the two official written versions of the Norwegian language, Nynorsk, from ...
's ''Ervingen'' and Hulda Garborg's ''Rationelt fjøsstell'' were played on the theatre's first touring day, in
Kristiansand Kristiansand is a city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following th ...
2 January 1913. At this occasion also a prologue written by
Anders Hovden Anders Hovden (April 6, 1860 – November 26, 1943) was a Norwegian Lutheran clergyman, hymnwriter poet and author. Education and career Anders Karlsen Hovden was born in Ørsta Municipality in Romsdalen county, Norway. His parents were Karl Ra ...
was read. Olav Hoprekstad's ''Bjørnefjell'' was played the next day in Kristiansand.
Ludvig Holberg Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Denmark–Norway, Dano–Norwegian dual monarchy. He was infl ...
's ''Jeppe på Berget'' was played in
Volda Volda may refer to: Places *Volda Municipality Volda is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Møre og Romsdal Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre i ...
in February, and later at the official opening in Bondeungdomslaget's assembly hall in ''Bøndernes Hus'' in
Kristiania Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022, an ...
6 October 1913. At this official opening,
President of the Storting The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...
Jørgen Løvland Jørgen Gunnarsson Løvland (3 February 1848 – 21 August 1922) was a Norwegian statesman, educator and civil servant who served as the prime minister of Norway from 1907 to 1908. He belonged to the Liberal Party. Background Løvland was born ...
,
prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Gunnar Knudsen Gunnar Knudsen (19 September 1848 – 1 December 1928), born Aanon Gunerius Knudsen, was a Norwegian politician from the Liberal Party who served as the prime minister of Norway twice from 1908 to 1910 and from 1913 to 1920. He also inherited a s ...
, the ministers Bryggesaa, Castberg, Abrahamsen, Keilhau and Urbye, President of the
Odelsting The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...
Johan Ludwig Mowinckel Johan Ludwig Mowinckel (22 October 1870 – 30 September 1943) was a Norwegian statesman, shipping magnate and philanthropist. He served as the prime minister of Norway during three separate terms. Biography Johan Ludwig Mowinckel was born in B ...
, and King of Norway, Haakon VII were present. "Jeppe" was played by the theatre's director Rasmus Rasmussen. The next day
Oskar Braaten Oskar Braaten (25 November 1881 – 17 July 1939) was a Norwegian novelist and playwright. Biography Oskar Alexander Braaten was born in the Oslo borough of Sagene, one of Norway's oldest industrial areas, dating to the mid-19th century. Oskar ...
's ''Stor-Anders'' was played. In November 1913 the theatre played ''Friarar'' by Hoprekstad, and two plays by
Gustaf af Geijerstam Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: *Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...
, ''Lars-Anders'' and ''Jan-Anders''. ;1914 In 1914 the theatre played
Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...
's comedy '' Arme Jørgen (George Dandin)'',
Arne Garborg Arne Garborg (born Aadne Eivindsson Garborg) (25 January 1851 – 14 January 1924) was a Norwegian writer. Garborg championed the use of Landsmål (now known as Nynorsk, or New Norwegian), as a literary language; he translated the Odyssey into i ...
's ''Læraren'', Oskar Braaten's ''Ungen'' (in
Stavanger Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...
),
Sigurd Eldegard Sigurd Eldegard (10 July 1866 – 30 January 1950) was a Norwegian actor, playwright and theatre director. He was born in Årdal to farmers Sjur Ingebrigtsen Eldegard and Johanne Jørgensdatter Vetti. He made his stage debut at Christiania ...
's ''Gamlelandet'', and Hulda Garborg's ''Tyrihans''.


References

{{Coord, 59, 54, 54, N, 10, 44, 19, E, source:nowiki_region:NO, display=title Theatres in Oslo Nynorsk 1912 establishments in Norway