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Barba and Giacometti
One may suggest that there is resemblance
between Eugenio Barba and Odin Theatre, and the
other attraction of Holstebro: Giacometti´s sculpture.
Both arrived in the town in 1966 at a time when
Holstebro showed a grand almost un-danish courage
towards culture and the arts. Both were met with
opposition. A lot has changed since then. Most
of the residents of Holstebro now see that like
the sculpture of Giacometti, the Odin Theatre
is something to be proud of. Something that places
Holstebro and Denmark on the world map, and something
that reflects back special moments like mythic
beams of light from far out in the universe. Grand
art is like the flames of northern lights.
A poor theatre
But it was not always like this for
Barba. He arrived in Scandinavia in the 50´s,
hitchhiking, and ended up in Norway, because the
wealthy Sweeden didn´t have room for immigrants
from poor Italy. Norway was at this time not as
wealthy as Sweden, and because of this there was
more room there. For a while Barba worked in Norway
as a dishwasher and studied at the university.
After that he went to Poland to study theatre
and film. In Poland, Barba discovered an unknown
theatre company ”Theatre of 13 rows” with a special
style of expression. It was run by a young polish
man called Grotowski. What Barba met here was
a poor theatre, built on the principles of systematic
training, which in its scenic language had resemblances
towards theatre from the East. A theatre style
Barba studied also by travelling around India.
Barba spend the next three years in Poland, on
a wooden chair, studying the development of this
specific style of theatre, and a new athletic
approach to acting. This is where he gathered
material on the famous book of Grotowski ”Towards
a Poor Theatre”, which is published through the
publishing house of the Odin Theatre.
Odin Theatre is founded
and arrives to Holstebro
Back in Norway Barba started gathering his own
theatre group. He sought young, natural people,
with the will for systematic training and a theatrical
professional competence. This was the beginning
of the Odin Theatre which was founded in 1964.
Back in those days, theatre was, according to
Barba a ”house”. It could be a royal theatre house,
or a more humble house, but it was under all circumstances
a building. The thought that a group of people
could come together and in this way define a theatre
was new. This idea was changed by the Odin Theatre
and a little later by the riots of 1968 and the
rise of the ensemble theatre.
The first performance by the Odin Theatre was
”Ornitofilene,” freely adapted from Jens Bjørneboe,
and it created great furore. The critic Jens Kruuse
writes enthusiastically about a rising and liberation
from the old art form. In Holstebro they saw the
possibilities and Barba was invited in. Since
then Barba and the Odin Theatre has lived on an
old renovated pig farm, and at the same time toured
the world. This year the Odin Theatre celebrates
its 47th year and Barba his 75th. The Odin theatre
has played a part in how the theatrical landscape
has changed in Denmark and in the world.
He carries the world
in his backpack
One single person cannot make the world turn,
nor can a theatre gruop - or can they? To act
authentically and human is a choice: Barba arrived
at a danish provincial town with his theatre,
and shortly after, the place was alive with theatre,
seminars, a publishing house, a magazine, guest
plays and teaching. He brought the whole world
with him in his backpack. A group of people from
many different countries have come to us and brought
us ideas – ideas that resonates. We no longer
live with the idea of a center with a periphery,
this is the time of dialogue – a time for exchange.
This time belongs to the dialogue, be it on the
pasture in Indonesia or in Buenos Aires.
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Eternal images
Eugenio Barba and the Odin Theatre have created
a string of performances. Shows with different expressions:
”Ferai” – a magical play between light and darkness,
”My Father´s House” – sensuous and sensual, ”Brecht´s
Ashes” – a lot of smell, Bierstube and bacon, ”The
Gospel According to Oxyrhincus” – a jewel case from
Arabian nights, ”Ode to Progress” - hilarious,
etc.
An Odin Theatre performance is never trivial. It
leaves images within one, which stay forever. The
style is characterised by energy, colours, communication
with each audience member in an equivocal expression.
The performances are modern mystic tales, full of
colour, power and smells like an orthodox mass.
The point is not just to understand, but also to
take in and to experience a performance like this.
Theater contains the ritual. Life is recreated in
every performance.
A mountain landscape
From a distance the entirety of the performances
look like a mountain landscape. From here it is
the director Barba who leads the creation. If we
take a closer look we see a myriad of sharp individual
actors. They are not supporting roles in a director’s
marionet theatre. They are all the leading characters
because their ability to create is respected: Only
mountains create a mountain range. Through appreciation
of the individual, the rejuvination of theatre can
happen. This is the secret behind the fact that
the Odin Theatre has been able to exist for 47 years
and it is still moving forward towards new goals.
Love storries
One of these goals is the Holstebro festival. Every
third year, life is turned upside down in the town.
The locals of Holstebro become leading parts in
a manifold of scenes, expressions and dialogue.
This year the theme will be love stories and the
whole town will participate. Love will be buzzing
in June.
From: "Ode to Progress".
Foto: Jan Rusz.
Necessity
Eugenio Barba fights: - For a living theatre. -
For living and autonomous carriers of culture all
over the world. - For intercultural exchange. For
art and for theatre anthropology (ISTA). - For dialogue
on a high artistic level with the eastern artstyles:
from Nô, India, Bali and the Peking Opera,. Barba
fights for an effort to maintain these artstyles
in collaboration with UNESCO. All in all a melting
pot of will and a belief in the fact that it is
possible, and that you have to work and sweat for
what you believe in: it is essential and necessary.
Proud artists
You meet this characteristic in all the actors and
people involved with the Odin Theatre. They are
proud, living artists, and trustful people who have
created countless beautiful and distinctive projects:
Torgeir Wethal & Odin Teater Film, The Magdalena
Projekt, Farfa, Marquez, Yorick, soloprojects, workdemonstrations,
workshops, editing houses, music, and so on.
All around the world
The Odin Theatre trains and works from both the
early mornings of the day as well as the morning
of their lives. Wherever they go, they light up,
they create hope. In collaboration with Nordic Laboratory
of Theatre they have created an important contribution
to the cultural inheritance of the world and a cornerstone
in Danish and Nordic theatre for almost half a century.
The mountains have created a mountain range and
now a ring which goes all the way around the world.
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