A DOUBLE LIFE IS TWICE AS GOOD

Despite being both widespread and popular, the phenomenon of infidelity has long been dogged by a notoriously bad reputation. Screenwriter, choreographer, and director Jo Strømgren intends to do something about that.

– The reasons for infidelity are countless, but I think too many people categorically judge it as something negative and destructive. A happy wife leads to a happy husband, a happy family, happy colleagues, and so on, and ultimately, it boosts the gross national product. After all, no one needs to know the real reasons why a wife is happy, says Jo Strømgren.
“The Adulterers—An Immoral Comedy” may be Strømgren’s 150th production, but it’s the first play he’s staging in our region. And he actually seems a little nervous.
“I’ve never staged anything in Southern Norway before, so I have no idea what people are afraid of,” says the Trøndelag native.

Dance about soccer
Although this is his first theater production in Southern Norway, he is far from an unknown quantity. Jo Strømgren Kompani was founded in 1998, and with stamps from 63 different countries in their passports, they are now among Norway’s largest cultural exporters. The company is known for its fearless blend of contemporary dance, physical theater, and crazy humor, and performs 150 shows each year. Many associate Strømgren with the dance performance “A Dance Tribute to the Art of Football,” a show that got soccer fans to attend contemporary dance performances. Since then, he has served as resident choreographer at the Norwegian Opera & Ballet, while also creating an increasing number of theater productions where he is responsible for the script, direction, and choreography. He believes this has its advantages.
“Screenwriters often sit down and write a literary text, which the actors then have to bring to life. But we don’t have to take into account a guy or a woman, or someone who’s dead. We can rip out two pages of the script if we want,” he says.

I want to hold up a mirror to the absurdityofmodernhumanity’sself-satisfaction

Jo Strømgren, screenwriter, choreographer, and director

Ina Maria plays “Ina Maria”
Although Strømgren is best known for physical theater, “Sidespringerne” is a more traditional play, written specifically for Kilden’s own ensemble. The scriptwriting process began when the actors met Strømgren for dinner at the restaurant Kast Loss. What the ensemble didn’t know was that they were being observed at the same time and transformed into characters. The characters in “Sidespringerne” are modeled after the actors and multiplied by ten.
“It’s really taken to the extreme, but you recognize nuances of yourself. Personally, I think I ate a quinoa salad.” That probably says a lot about me, laughs Ina Maria Brekke.
She plays the character “Ina Maria,” who is visited every day by new lovers in the apartment she has at her disposal. So it’s just a matter of keeping track of the days of the week! The play also features a not-too-empathetic therapist, whom the whole group tries
to seek comfort from. It goes so-so.
The real Ina Maria Brekke has no problem lending her name to such a bold character.
– It’s theater, after all. I don’t go out on stage and act out my life. I think everyone can relate a little to each of the characters. Most people have been on one side or the other of an affair, and there’s a sting in that too,” she says.

Deeply Shocked
Because, as in most comedies, there are of course tragic undertones here, and perhaps there’s even a moral to the story. Lately, Jo Strømgren has started reading up on blogs. He is deeply shocked by what people choose to share in what he calls the age of egocentric self-realization.
“People are becoming more and more ridiculous, myself included. There is something pompous and self-important about us today. I want to hold up a mirror to that ridiculousness, to modern humanity’s self-satisfaction,” he says.
He believes these character traits are far worse than a few minor infidelities. But he wishes people could be a little more honest with themselves, stop lying to justify what they do.
– “My wife doesn’t understand me.” Drop that, and get straight to the point instead! Should we go to your place, or mine? Anything else is a betrayal of one’s own honesty, Strømgren believes.
He hopes that “The Cheaters” will lead people to walk home from Kilden look at the facades of the houses in a new way. What’s really going on in there? He has no objection to appealing to the imagination and believes there’s much more going on than we know.
“Everyone has an opinion about infidelity. We see and hear, but we only hear from those who can’t keep their mouths shut. Those who are good at it don’t say a word,” notes Jo Strømgren.

Text by Kristin Øygarden
Photo by Kjartan Bjelland

The Adulterers Premieres February 23 and runs through April 14