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AM I DOING OK?
Text: Helene Marie Myrstad & Julia Finbak Hassel
A REFLECTION ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A RELATIVE OF A DRUG ADDICT
Powerful, honest, and raw. The play *Can I Make It?* is about a young boy named Mons, whose older brother struggles with substance abuse. It was created, produced, and performed by local artists and commissioned by the Mandal-based organization Håp, led by Leif Gjertviksen. In collaboration with the Norwegian Women’s Public Health Association’s (NKS) counseling center for family members, they wanted to use the theater to raise awareness about their work with family members.
Håp had previously collaborated with Mandal High School to stage a performance for first-year students about what it means to be a family member of someone with a disability, but wanted a more updated version. Inger Marie Lohne, who has extensive experience in the music and theater world, was therefore contacted.
“So it was easy for me to bring along my best friend and trusted partner Christer Prosgaard-Sundstøl, as well as my husband Kristian,” she says. That’s how the theater company Tropp3 was formed.
The Cultural School Bag
"Can I Make It?" is now part of the first-year curriculum at Mandal High School and will be performed every year through 2026. It has also been performed a few times outside the school, but the theater company continues to dream big.
“We have applied to join the DKS (The Cultural School Bag) portal, and we hope to take the show to schools all across Norway in the future. This is a show that should be seen by as many people as possible, especially young people,” says Lohne.
Broad appeal to the public
The performance focuses on the family member.
“Struggling with addiction is an incredibly difficult battle, but the point here is that standing on the sidelines is often just as hard a battle. As a family member, you end up in the shadows,” says Lohne.
Prosgaard-Sundstøl adds that it’s also about how to break free from the downward spiral that caregivers often find themselves in. How to find the light at the end of the tunnel and realize that there are actually people out there who can help.
This topic is particularly meaningful to Tropp3. Prosgaard-Sundstøl, who plays Mons, has personally experienced what it’s like to be a family member of someone struggling with addiction.
“I’ve experienced it firsthand before. That probably helps make the story more raw, more authentic, and more truthful,” he says.
In addition, both Lohne and Prosgaard-Sundstøl were allowed to observe four different meetings with family members to hear their stories and experiences, organized by the NKS Guidance Center for Family Members. – These meetings helped lay the foundation for the performance, and the family members themselves have been part of the process.
“If we can reach just one person in the audience—
—then the whole performance is worth it.”
Christer Prosgaard-Sundstøl
A familiar topic
The importance of shedding light on this issue was recently illustrated in an article by NRK. Life as a family member is described as living in a war zone. You never know when the next blow will strike, but you know it can come when you least expect it.
The show is designed to appeal to a wide audience.
– No matter who’s watching, it can resonate in different ways. Someone struggling with addiction might get a wake-up call; a family member might recognize themselves in the story and feel less alone; while others might gain insight into what it’s like to be in such a situation.
“If we can reach just one person in the audience, then the whole performance is worth it,” says Prosgaard-Sundstøl.
"Am I Doing Okay?" can be seen at Kilden October 10 and 12.