Former projects

A TEN-DAY INTENSIVE INTRODUCTION TO ODIN TEATRET’S TRAINING AND WORKING METHODS AS WELL AS BARTERS, LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES, ORGANISATION AND PERFORMANCES.

The ODIN WEEK FESTIVAL is an international theoretical/practical festival, held once a year at Odin Teatret in Holstebro for people wishing to acquire a better knowledge of its activities.

The programme includes training, attending rehearsals, all Odin Teatret’s performances and work demonstrations currently on repertoire, films, meetings with Eugenio Barba, lectures and discussions. The programme is conducted in English.

The ODIN WEEK FESTIVAL lasts ten days from 8am until 10pm and offers the opportunity of a full immersion in Odin Teatret’s diverse fields as a laboratory. The actors and Eugenio Barba lead the practical sessions of “the Odin Tradition” which is composed of different artistic visions, personal techniques and shared values.

Each actor gives the participants an insight into their individual training and creative approach to a performance- their actor’s dramaturgy. The meetings with Eugenio Barba are a time of dialogue concerning directing, group dynamics, pedagogical research, survival strategy, intercultural performance, management and the working process of the International School of Theatre Anthropology (ISTA). The programme also includes meetings with Odin Teatret’s musicians, technicians and administrative staff, the preparation of a barter with local people and a visit to the town which has been Odin Teatret’s home for 55 years.

The ODIN WEEK FESTIVAL provides an opportunity to get to know how a theatre group developed into a laboratory through the actors’ individual training and performances, the specific planning of tours, the building of artistic alliances and an international network of collaboration, the strengthening of permanent bonds with the local community, the building up of a living archive making available the vast amount of documents and audio-visual materials about Odin Teatret’s history as well as many theatre personalities and groups from the theatre of the last fiftyseven years.

The ODIN WEEK FESTIVAL, for a maximum of 60 participants, is addressed to theatre and dance practitioners, scholars and anthropologists, cultural activists and politicians – all those interested in Odin Teatret’s multiple fields of action. Participants can choose between being active or observers. The participation fee includes the cost of food and lodging.

An example of the daily programme, which will be conducted in English:

Transit is an international theatre festival and meeting organised at Odin Teatret, Holstebro (Dk), directed by Julia Varley, one of the founders of The Magdalena Project, a network of women in contemporary theatre that exists since 1986. Transit and The Magdalena Project are committed to nurturing an awareness of women’s contribution to theatre and to supporting exploration and research by offering concrete opportunities to as many women as possible, both in the profession and in study. Both structures function internationally to give voice to the concerns of women working in theatre today.
Transit and The Magdalena Project encourage women to examine their role in the future of theatre, by presenting existing work by women, by sharing methodologies, by examining form as well as content and by making new material. Transit and The Magdalena Project aim to set up opportunities for women to explore new approaches to theatre making that reflect more profoundly their own experiences and political priorities as women. The ripple effect of Transit Festival usually results in other festivals and meetings, workshops and productions in close contact with the network of The Magdalena Project.

Nido Lab, created by Odin Teatret actor and teacher Donald Kitt, grew from a desire to engage with interested and enthusiastic participants in a structured group endeavour; involving performers, dancers and musicians in a variety of projects. The multidisciplinary approach allows these projects to reach multifarious aspects of our society.

The training and techniques created by Donald Kitt, through his many years of experience as a performer and teacher, and with Odin Teatret as its inspirational backbone, allow the group to discover the “knowhow” that can be implemented into both indoor and outdoor performances.

Nido Lab also offers creative research for the development of the next generation of NTL, through local and international workshops and exchanges

Odin Teatret’s Husorkester musicians:

Jan Ferslev, guitar, vocals

Elena Floris, violin

Pelle Henningsen, bass guitar

Rina Skeel, vocals

Frans Winther, violin, viola

Odin Teatrets Husorkester can perform with 2-3 musicians or with the full ensemble according to the situation. It also often collaborates with other musicians and musical ensembles.

Poetry on a Thursday is a regular evening event in Holstebro which allows people the opportunity to meet contemporary Danish poets. These evenings, at which the invited poet reads his or her own poems, happen three times in the spring – February, March and April – and three times in the autumn – September, October and November – on the first Thursday of the month in question.

This event involves also activities such as musical interludes by Odin Teatret’s House Orchestra as well as other musicians and orchestras, the reading of the winning poem from the Poem of the Month competition, readings from The Rubâijât by Omar Khajjâm in Farsi and other languages, the reading of a favourite poem by a well-known Holstebro personality, an essay about the poet of the evening, the sale of books of poetry and, last but not least, the serving of the Wine of the Month to the audience.

Poetry on a Thursday usually takes place at the newly restored Knudsen’s theatre on Holstebro’s central pedestrian precinct. It is organised by Odin Teatret in collaboration with Holstebro Gymnasium and HF (High School), Holstebro Bibliotek (library), Holstebro Musikteatret, Lemvig Boghandel, Holstebro Education Centre and Holstebro Kunstmuseum (Museum of Art). It enjoys the support of the Municipality of Holstebro and the Danish Arts Council and Literature Centre.

A glass of wine is included in the ticket price.

ODIN TEATRETS HUSORKESTER – (Odin Teatret’s House Orchestra)

Odin Teatrets Husorkester is a musical ensemble made up of actors and other members of Odin Teatret’s staff, whose repertoire of folk and rock music gives special emphasis to Danish, Brazilian and Argentinean music. Odin Teatret’s Husorkester presents concerts of variable duration, from one song to a complete programme of one hour, in the different places where it is invited. The programme is at times accompanied by tango dancing for a “Tango Evening”, and by poetry reading by Ulrik Skeel for evenings especially intended for Danish audiences. Odin Teatret’s Husorkester is a permanent fixture at the Poetry on a Thursday evenings in Holstebro.