Samhold Søkes blir til
Community spirit in the city center
Finally, we’re staging *Samhold Søkes* by Jonas Corell Petersen! In 2020, we were just one week away from opening night when we had to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2021, it happened again. In 2022, we’ll finally get together to experience this wonderful, funny, absurd, and poignant show. After the last two years, we can probably relate to this theme even more than before.
“Samhold Søkes was one of the first events to be affected by COVID-19 restrictions here at Kilden, so we’re very excited that it’s finally going to take place in August 2022,” says Valborg Frøysnes, Kilden’s theater director.
Valborg Frøysnes
A director with an interest in community
The director of the production is Jonas Corell Petersen, who has established himself as one of the leading figures among a new generation of directors. Among other things, he has served as resident director and artistic advisor at the National Theater, and his productions have been staged in Germany, England, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark. Corell Petersen was actually one of the first directors Valborg Frøysnes contacted when it became clear that she would become the theater’s artistic director.
“I’ve worked with him as an actor, and he has an incredibly pleasant way of working. He has a subtle sense of humor, and I think *Samhold Søkes* will be a humorous play that many people will be able to relate to,” she explains.
Jonas Corell Petersen
The ambivalent desire to be part of something greater than oneself is a theme the director is interested in, and the subject of the production *Samhold Søkes*.
In an article with the National Theater, he says:
– Today, community is foundin different places than before. Yet we still look to the past: home-cooked meals and home-grown vegetables, “Make America Great Again”. We miss that sense of community and rummage through the big box of memories from the past.
When asked what it takes to make a community work, he replies:
– (…) I believe there must be a balance between security and freedom—two concepts that are, by their very nature, in opposition to one another.
In the play, Corell Petersen takes on a topic that interests him and refines it during the writing process. The rehearsals largely consist of editing the text and adapting it to the actors.
Actors and senior choir
On stage are four experienced Kilden whom you may have seen earlier this year in *Heimanifrå*—in high heels in *Junaiten*, or in Ibsen’s *Rosmersholm*. Ulla Marie Broch, Isabel Toming, Henrik Rafalelsen, and Ragnhild Meling Enoksen have spent a great deal of time familiarizing themselves with the text and adapting it together with Corell Petersen. They are also joined on stage by Kilden’s own senior choir, Sølvstrupene.
“Given the theme of community, it felt natural to involve a choir, because singing in a choir is in many ways the ultimate expression of community—since you breathe together, sing together, and stand together. The project is an exciting collaboration between people who aren’t primarily actors and others who make their living from acting, ” explains Frøysnes.
Local artists
Also appearing in the performance is pianist Vidar Bø, whom many know as a prominent figure in the city’s music and cultural scene. In the play, we will hear both original music and music you may already be familiar with.
The costume designer is Synne Reichelt Føreland from Kristiansand. Earlier this year, she designed the costumes for Kilden of *Rosmersholm*, for which she was nominated for a Hedda Award! Get to know the rest of the talented artists behind the production here.
Community is built together
Community and togetherness mean different things to different people, but for most people, these terms evoke positive associations. Nevertheless, the play highlights how community, in addition to creating positive feelings, can also feel cloying, awkward, or uncomfortable.
“There are so many aspects to community—both the essential communities most people depend on, and the small, unwanted, and imposed ones. The play sheds light on different aspects of community, and I think many people will recognize a lot of what happens on stage throughout the play,” says Frøysnes.
According to sociologist and author of the book *What Is Community*, Aksel Tjora, identification and recognition are key factors in the creation of community. In connection with Vorspiel Samhold Søkes, which was held at Kilden 2021 as a smaller event since we were unable to stage the performance as planned, Tjora sent us a video in which he discusses precisely this topic.
Aksel Tjora on identity and community:
He goes on to say that people can also feel a sense of identification with, or belonging to, others with whom they do not necessarily communicate, but whom they feel they have something in common with. Examples of this include clothing style, shared interests, or simply being in the same place at the same time. The fact that we are in the same place at the same time can also serve as a catalyst for interaction, as Tjora calls it. In Norway, we don’t talk to each other as spontaneously as in other parts of the world, but if we’re in the same place—for example, at a concert—this can be a catalyst for conversation.
Furthermore, he emphasizes the importance of working for the community— a community is built together.
– We all need to invest time if we’re going to build strong communities. You have to make time to participate, without necessarily being the center of attention. Strong communities can be found everywhere, but having physical spaces that are accessible makes it much easier.