draft – new design 2022

When the world around us is chaotic, and the stories about it are full of lies, it is natural that we seek the voice we can always trust: the one that comes from the hands and our own senses. The performing arts festival Høstscena 2022 examines the need for something tangible, which can be understood and handled at a distance of less than an arm’s length – be it other people, the food we eat or the art that the hands create.

– We are very proud of the internationally renowned artist Francesca Grilli brings his performance Sparks to Ålesund. She has already been to the city to look at possible locations for this unique performance, which has been done in several European cities. In Ålesund, it is the Youth Theater’s students who will collaborate with the artist, who has also been Italy’s representative at the Venice Biennale (2013).. In short, it means that local children and young people are trained to predict adults by hand, in a very special and emotional setting. It will be something Ålesund has not seen before, says artistic director of Høstscena, Siri Forberg.

As usual, Høstscena wants to challenge the idea of what can be considered theater and performing arts. This time, for example, the public is invited to a food week and a walk in nature, where Kristin Helene Randulff Nielsen, author of the book «Hand picking», is the guide.

Local children and young people are also involved in another of the festival’s productions, Say Something by H2DANCE. This is an interactive performance for children and families that explores group behavior and conformity, and a local children’s choir will play the main role. «A production that is not so easy to get out of your head», wrote scenekunst.no in its review.

By the way, the first program release can offer concerts with Ellen Sofie Hovland and Ida Maria, who musically represent two extremes in the song tradition and punk. They still have in common that they are strong storytellers, says Forberg.

It will be really strong when Avholdshjemmet is the scene of a 24-hour performance with author and musician Bård Torgersen , musician Dario Fariello and visual artist Marius Engh. Here it is the presence at the moment that is at the center. A moment that lasts a whole day. The public is invited to come and go as they please throughout this day.

– Improvisation is a method that swings both practitioners and the audience back and forth between the intellectual and the instinctive – when is the hand that speaks, and when is it the brain? We are very much looking forward to seeing what these cross-border artists come up with, says Forberg.

It’s not just the artists who let their hands speak during the Autumn Scene 2022. In the interactive installation Worktable , the public is allowed into a number of rooms where they are given goggles and tools, and must decide for themselves the way forward.

In the performance «The one who hangs in a thread», based on Nini Roll Anker’s novel, director Toril Solvang takes a stand against the fashion industry. It rests on just that the needlework to millions of women worldwide, but what are the conditions for these women? And what are we really going to do with all these clothes? Composer and musician Sandra Kolstad is central in this performance from Teatret Vårt.

Here you will find the preliminary program overview for the festival. The remaining program will be announced during the summer. Forberg can promise the audience that Høstscena again this year offers the completely unique and spectacular experiences in the form of theater, poetry, concerts and performances.

Contact info

Siri Forberg, Artistic Director
mob: + 47 930 89 940