Theater Season 2019
Social media, miscarriages of justice, and fake news. Welcome to a theater season dedicated to democracy.
2,417 years ago, Socrateswas sentenced by 501 fellow citizens to drink a cup of poison and die. He had been found guilty of mocking the gods and corrupting the youth. The trial is often referred to as the world’s most famous case ofmurder. Others believe that what we are actually talking about is the world’s first known example of fake news. What “Socrates’ defense speech” certainly exemplifies is one-sided information. Two sources recount the trial: Xenophon and Plato. Both were students of Socrates—and devoted fans. In their versions of his defense speech, Socrates emerges as a democratic martyr who dies in the name of truth.
“How could this happen in the cradle of democracy?” wondered journalist I. F. Stone in the 1970s. Stone learned Classical Greek and used Socrates’ own method of questioning sources to view them in a new light. The journalist’s conclusion is that Socrates was convicted of attempting to undermine democracy and reintroduce tyranny in Athens. Not exactly a heroic tale. Two different perspectives. Two possible truths.
For Kilden , the production of “Socrates’ Defense” in Intimsalen marks Intimsalen of an entire season dedicated to our democracy. Stein Winge directs, and Kari Onstad plays the role of Socrates. Democracies fall when they are taken for granted. All it takes for anti-democratic forces to prevail is for the rest of us to remain silent. That is why, in 2019, we intend to speak out even louder.
The performance “Lik og del” is a loveletter to freedom and the people who fight for it. One of the leading roles is played by Ahmad Joudeh, the Syrian dancer who has become known for confronting war and bullets with ballet. “Dance or die” Ahmad had tattooed on the back of his neck when extremists threatened to behead him if he didn’t stop dancing and enlist in the fight. Instead of stopping, he just danced more. If everyone were like Ahmad, there would be no one left to fire the world’s weapons. So simple and yet so difficult is reality. Ahmad is a person who gives new meaning to the word. He inspires us to see the potential power of the performing arts.
Social media is increasingly being blamed for the breakdown of democracies. For Ahmad, social media was the way out of the war. Through “Like and Share,” we will explore the democratic potential in everything we like and share, while also examining the dangers of a dopamine-driven debate platform where echo chambers and cheerleaders seductively threaten to trivialize socialconversation. As his counterpart, Ahmad is joined by Kristiansand’s own Maria Mozhdah. At just 19 years old, this immense talent has already managed to be an Amanda nominee and to win the Bari International Film Festival’s Best Actress Award for her role in “What Will People Say?” Now the film is Norway’s Oscar nominee, and we are incredibly proud to have Maria on the team.
In China, social media is now being used to monitor all citizens and rank them according to government criteria. We are a long way from such a dystopia in Norway, but to what extent are we aware of what we’re agreeing to when we allow “cookies” and “location services” on our phones, when we talk to Siri and leave the microphone on afterward, or when we log into cyberspace with our Facebook account? James Graham takes us into this—and more—with his play “Strictly Private.” James Graham has taken both the West End and Broadway by storm, and we at Kilden are delighted to introduce this important playwright to a Norwegian audience for the first time. Perhaps he can give us a much-needed wake-up call before our season concludes in Fjæreheia. As is fitting, a theater season is crowned in the name of democracy, with our own Henrik Ibsen. In “The Lady from the Sea,” Ellida sums up in one scene what freedom is: The right to make one’s own choices! That is what it’s all about.
I look forward to taking the audience on a journey spanning nearly 2,500 years into the ideas and texts of freedom. “The whole world’s a stage,” says Shakespeare. Right now, we’ll try to fit the whole world into the theater. Welcome!
Amalie Nilssen, Theater Director
Socrates’ Defense
Running from February 1 to March 30
Directed by: Stein Winge
Starring: Kari Onstad and Ina Maria Brekke
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Like and share
Running from February 22 to April 30
Directed by: Amalie Nilssen
Starring: Ahmad Joudeh, Maria Mozhdah, Ghopi Prabaharan, Tomos Young, and Ingrid Liavaag
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Strictly private
Running from April 3 to May 4
Directed by Michael Gieleta
Featuring, among others: Johannes Blåsternes, Ina Maria Brekke, and Ann Ingrid Fuglestveit-Mortensen
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The Lady from the Sea
Running from July 10 to 20 in Fjæreheia
Directed by: Amalie Nilssen
Featuring, among others: Iselin Shumba and Henrik Rafaelsen
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