The first thing the audience sees

When Agder Teater was founded in 1991 and its activities increased significantly, Randi Bessesen Vikenes had to make a choice. She decided against a career in education and devoted most of her professional life to promoting culture.

Today, as one of the first people visitors meet when they arrive at Kilden, she is perhaps the venue’s most recognizable face. Approaching her 34th year, she is also the employee with the longest tenure.

It has been an exciting journey for her, from a hands-on daily routine at the ticket window of the old theater to a digital world with advanced ticketing systems and a constant stream of new solutions. She looks back on the days before computers and email, yet Kilden’s ticket coordinator believes that the most important aspects of her job remain unchanged:

“The goal of those who interact with the public here is, of course, to give them the best possible experience, help them with whatever they need, and make sure that our visitors want to come back,” she says, laughing at the many strange requests the ticket booth sometimes receives:

– For example, there are people who think they remember buying tickets, but have no idea how many, what kind of show, or when. After a bit of detective work, we often find out that another family member actually bought the tickets—perhaps late one evening at the cabin during the Easter break. We also frequently track down tickets that have gone missing due to a misspelled email address during an online purchase. Requests from audience members who have lost everything from shoes to credit cards are also part of our daily routine.

Randi reflects on her daily work at Kilden admits that she feels lucky to have been able to devote her professional life to promoting culture. And she is clearly proud of her workplace.

“I remember well the time when it wasn’t certain whether Kilden ever be built, and I think there are many of us in the city and the region today who feel a deep sense of gratitude toward those who stood their ground to make this happen.” “Because there was opposition to this project as well,” she says, referring to Kunstsiloen and the controversy surrounding the establishment of what will become Kilden’s new neighbor.

– The Kunstsilo is taking shape. I’m really looking forward to seeing what our new neighbor will bring to us and what we’ll bring to them. I hope the Kunstsilo will also prove to be a source of joy and enrichment for the city.

– What’s the best thing about working at the ticket window?

– Without a doubt, the very best thing is seeing the joy in the eyes of the audience—people who’ve experienced something amazing here at the venue, or who are looking forward to upcoming events for which they’ve secured tickets. I know that this is a major source of motivation for many of us who work at Kilden, and we get that motivation every day. My job may not be brain surgery, but in that sense, it’s very, very good medicine, says Randi Bessesen Vikenes.

Text: Kjetil Nordhus
Photo: Lars Gunnar Liestøl