The Children's and Youth Theatre

Children's and Youth Theatre leader:
Bjørn Ravn Carlsen
Tel. (+47) 51 91 90 25

Children's and Youth Theatremakers:
Lone Ungar
Tel. (+47) 51 91 90 26

Carl Jørn Johansen
Tel. (+47) 51 91 90 28

Grethe Mo

Tel. (+47) 51 91 90 27

Children's and Youth Theatre technician:
Børe Noer Borrevik
Tel. (+47) 51 91 90 29

e-mail: but@rogaland-teater.no

The Children's and Youth Theatre at the Rogaland Teater
Our Children’s Theatre unit was founded in 1957 by Bjørn Endreson, the Rogaland Theatre’s artistic director from 1960 to 1970. After him, Elsa Nordvang led the Children’s Theatre from 1973 up to 2002, when she was succeeded by its current leader, Bjørn Ravn Carlsen.

Since its inception, the Children’s Theatre has been an exceptionally popular cultural offering in Stavanger and the county of Rogaland. The Children’s Theatre includes club activities for children interested in drama, as well as one major main stage production each year. The club meets weekly for activities such as voice production, singing, dance, improv, mime, stage combat and acting.

The yearly production is cast from amongst the club members, who play all the roles, but in all other ways the production is 100% professional, with professional directors, designers, musicians, make-up artists, stage crew, etc. As far as we know, our mix of professional and amateur participants in a major children’s production each year is unique in Europe.

Recently the Children’s Theatre concept has been expanded to include youths (from about 17 to 21 years old). In addition to club activities, they produce one studio theatre production per year. This has led to our new name: The Children’s and Youth Theatre at the Rogaland Teater.

Through club activities and by taking part in annual productions, our members learn about theatre as an art form within a professional framework. They are given a professional production apparatus and are allowed to participate in the process leading up to a production.

For some of its members, our Children’s and Youth Theatre functions as a springboard to a professional career in theatre or in the arts in general. Moreover, our club activities and productions also recruit a better and more informed audience.

There are many examples of our members going on to successful careers as actors in theatre and film, make-up artists, dramaturges and directors. Several of them have had nationally recognized careers.

Moreover, several successful captains of industry are also alumni of the Children’s Theatre. Cooperative, goal-oriented and hands-on theatre experience is an advantage in a broad range of occupations.

Mission statement for the Children’s and Youth Theatre
We shall be the best theatre in the Nordic countries for children and young people. Our competence in this field shall be in demand both nationally and internationally.

The Old Gym
In 2001 the county council of Rogaland voted to transfer ownership of Stavanger’s Old Gymnasium, a lovely building adjacent to the theatre, to the Rogaland Theatre, effective from 1 January 2003.

In 2004 the Norwegian Minister of Cultural Affairs, Ms Valgjerd Svarstad Haugland, provided a grant of NOK 17 million to rehabilitate the building for use by the Children’s and Youth Theatre.

This grant in turn led to local grants, thus allowing the rehabilitation of the building to be fully supported. The renovation started in the summer of 2005 and was completed in time for the celebration of the Children’s Theatre's 50th anniversary in January 2007.

This new venue gives us a unique opportunity to develop our programmes more fully. The Old Gym includes a black box theatre-space with movable risers and a full complement of lighting equipment.

We will also have better spaces for club activities, office space and archival areas. This will allow us to increase the number of productions we present – both our own shows and touring shows from other companies, including both evening performances and performances during school or nursery school hours.

Our developmental plans go in two directions:

1. To establish a national and international centre of competency for theatre for children and young people in our model of professional/amateur cooperation.

2. To expand our capacity and activity so that many more children and youths in the county can take part.

Our new building allows us to achieve these goals.

A centre of competency will offer those who work in children’s and youth theatre, locally, nationally and internationally:
· Courses and seminars
· Festivals
· Documentation

Today many children in the city of Stavanger and the county of Rogaland want to join the Children’s and Youth Theatre, but are denied membership because of our limited capacity. By expanding, we hope to ameliorate this situation.

Club activities
Sensory training, mime, improvisation, role-playing, relaxation, concentration, speech, song, movement, rhyme, dance, text presentation, diction, text analysis, storytelling, theatre sport and stage combat.

The exercises develop personality and provide the basis for imagination and creativity. The experiences the children have in their club work are important to have if they, someday, get cast in a show.

Goals for our club activities
Children and young people will:
- Develop esthetic sensibility, creativity and the ability to grasp the value of the artistic process inherent in theatre.
- Develop their abilities as actors and acquire insight into different types of dramatic expression.
- Understand how a theatre functions as an institution.
- Develop a sound vocal technique and an awareness of their bodies through acting techniques and drama exercises.

Club premises and leaders
Mondays and Tuesdays are club days. Then the members are divided into groups. Each group has two leaders.

Club meetings currently take place in the theatre’s rehearsal room, the cellar theatre and in the Teaterhallen adjacent to the theatre. Because these different spaces are not all amenable to the same types of activities, the various groups will circulate between the different spaces.

Our club leaders have a variety of different competencies, and therefore the groups will not be assigned one leader. New members will, however, be assigned one leader at the start of the club year, but will subsequently be taken up in one of the groups.

Annual Children's and Youth Theatre productions
Each year we produce one family show on the theatre’s main stage and one youth theatre production, usually in the Teaterhallen. These productions are cast with members of the Children’s and Youth Theatre.

The family show on the main stage is cast with two full casts, who alternate. Taking part in a production requires discipline and hard work, and cast members will have to forgo many other hobbies and activities.

When casting our shows, we try to cast half of the roles with new members, and half with experienced actors. Casting is done mainly on the basis of how dedicated people are in their work in the club.

Children and young people who want to take part in a production, and who have proven themselves dedicated over time, are divided into working groups, where they are given a chance to sing, dance, and do collective exercises.

In order to give all our members the chance to perform before an audience, we devise a performance each year in May for our club members.

Club days in 2008
Monday 4:00 to 5:00         Children’s group 1, grades 2 to 4
Monday 5:00 to 6:00         Children’s group 2, grades 5 to 7
Monday 6:00 to 7:00         Children’s group 3, grades 8 to 10
Tuesday 4:00 to 5:30        Youth group 1, secondary school
Tuesday 5.30 to 7:00        Youth group 2, secondary school