Arne Thomas Olsen
Encyclopedia
Arne Thomas Olsen was a Norwegian actor
, stage producer and theatre director. He was a driving force at Studioteatret
, as both actor and producer.
, as the son of commercial traveller Thomas Olsen and Johanne Mathilde Johansen. He was married four times, first with actress Edel Eckblad from 1936 to 1946, then with actress Elisabeth Thams Jørgensen from 1946. In 1971 he married actress Isabel Andersson, and later journalist and theatre historian Else Martinsen. Olsen took his examen artium
in 1928. He started working for the insurance company Idun
in 1931, while also studying mathematics at the University of Oslo
. He was awarded the University's gold medal for his mathematical work. He worked for the insurance company for fourteen years, until 1945, when he joined the new Studioteatret
.
's apartment, while the poet Claes Gill
was inspirator and literary consultant. Following the liberation
in May 1945, the group prepared a performance, which was held 15 June 1945, when they presented two one-acters. They called themselves "Studioteatret". One of the presented plays was an adaption of Eugene O'Neill
's Where the Cross Is Made, where Olsen in his stage debut played the role "Nat". Several government ministers were present, along with chief editors and theatre critics from most of the Oslo newspapers. The reception was overwhelming, and Olsen, then 35 years old, made his decision: He left the insurance company, and joined the group full time to participate in the development of Studioteatret. Studioteatret existed from 1945 to 1950. Olsen participated in the opening production, Leonid Leonov
's Invasjon in 1945. In 1946 he played in adaptions of Anton Chekhov
's A Marriage Proposal
, he was "the captain" in Chekhov's The Wedding, and "the father" in William Saroyan
's The Beautiful People. In 1947 he participated in The Beggar's Opera
and in The Respectful Prostitute
. Among his later roles were the emperor in Keiserens nye klær, and "Johan von Ehrenpreiss" in Kjærlighet uten strømper. The originally group gradually dissolved, and Studioteatret closed in October 1950.
, as both actor and speaker. He was employed as actor and stage producer at Det Nye Teater
in 1951. He headed the Norwegian National Academy of Theatre
from 1953 to 1963, and was instructor at the National Theatre
from 1956 to 1959. He served as theatre director at Rogaland Teater
from 1970 to 1976. He later worked as actor and stage producer at Riksteatret
, Den Nationale Scene
, Det Norske Teatret
, Oslo Nye Teater
, Radioteatret
and Fjernsynsteatret
. He issued the books Olsen fra bakgården (1977), Håpets hotell (1983), Champagne og soloppgang (1988), Takk New York (1991), and Studioteatret: Frihet og fornyelse (1995, together with Else Martinsen). Olsen was chairman for Norsk Sceneinstruktør-Forening from 1962 to 1966, and later honorary member. He was chairman for Norsk Teaterlederforening from 1974 to 1976.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, stage producer and theatre director. He was a driving force at Studioteatret
Studioteatret
Studioteatret is a former Norwegian theatre. It opened in 1945, shortly after the liberation, with Claes Gill as its first theatre director. Studioteatret is regarded as one of the earliest post-war artistic expressions in Norway, and most of its members later played important roles in Norwegian...
, as both actor and producer.
Early and personal life
Olsen was born in KristianiaOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, as the son of commercial traveller Thomas Olsen and Johanne Mathilde Johansen. He was married four times, first with actress Edel Eckblad from 1936 to 1946, then with actress Elisabeth Thams Jørgensen from 1946. In 1971 he married actress Isabel Andersson, and later journalist and theatre historian Else Martinsen. Olsen took his examen artium
Examen artium
Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1630...
in 1928. He started working for the insurance company Idun
Livsforsikringsselskapet Idun
Livsforsikringsselskapet Idun was a Norwegian insurance company.It was founded in 1861. The first chief executive was Jørgen Gjerdrum. Idun was incorporated into Storebrand in the 1970s....
in 1931, while also studying mathematics at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
. He was awarded the University's gold medal for his mathematical work. He worked for the insurance company for fourteen years, until 1945, when he joined the new Studioteatret
Studioteatret
Studioteatret is a former Norwegian theatre. It opened in 1945, shortly after the liberation, with Claes Gill as its first theatre director. Studioteatret is regarded as one of the earliest post-war artistic expressions in Norway, and most of its members later played important roles in Norwegian...
.
The Stanislavski Group and Studioteatret
Olsen had joined the group of young actors and students that from the spring of 1943 secretly gathered to study Constantin Stanislavski's book on theatre. The theatres were then ruled by the Nazi government. The group met in actor Jens BollingJens Bolling
Jens Bolling was a Norwegian actor and theatre director. He was among the founders of Studioteatret, and a well-known interpreter of Norwegian fairy-tales.-Early and personal life:...
's apartment, while the poet Claes Gill
Claes Gill
Claes Gill was a Norwegian author, poet and actor.Born in Odda, but spent his childhood years in Bergen, before moving to Oslo permanently....
was inspirator and literary consultant. Following the liberation
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
in May 1945, the group prepared a performance, which was held 15 June 1945, when they presented two one-acters. They called themselves "Studioteatret". One of the presented plays was an adaption of Eugene O'Neill
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
's Where the Cross Is Made, where Olsen in his stage debut played the role "Nat". Several government ministers were present, along with chief editors and theatre critics from most of the Oslo newspapers. The reception was overwhelming, and Olsen, then 35 years old, made his decision: He left the insurance company, and joined the group full time to participate in the development of Studioteatret. Studioteatret existed from 1945 to 1950. Olsen participated in the opening production, Leonid Leonov
Leonid Leonov
Leonid Maximovich Leonov was a Soviet novelist and playwright. He has been dubbed the 20th-century Dostoyevsky for the deep psychological torment of his prose.-Early life:...
's Invasjon in 1945. In 1946 he played in adaptions of Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
's A Marriage Proposal
A Marriage Proposal
A Marriage Proposal is a one-act farce by Anton Chekhov, written in 1888-1889 and first performed in 1890...
, he was "the captain" in Chekhov's The Wedding, and "the father" in William Saroyan
William Saroyan
William Saroyan was an Armenian American dramatist and author. The setting of many of his stories and plays is the center of Armenian-American life in California in his native Fresno.-Early years:...
's The Beautiful People. In 1947 he participated in The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satirical ballad opera to remain popular today...
and in The Respectful Prostitute
The Respectful Prostitute
The Respectful Prostitute is a French play by Jean-Paul Sartre, written in 1946, which observes a woman, a prostitute, caught up in a racially tense period of American history. The audience understands that there has been an incident on a train with said woman involved, but also a black man of...
. Among his later roles were the emperor in Keiserens nye klær, and "Johan von Ehrenpreiss" in Kjærlighet uten strømper. The originally group gradually dissolved, and Studioteatret closed in October 1950.
Later career
In 1950 Olsen worked for RiksteatretRiksteatret
Riksteatret is a Norwegian touring theatre. It was established by law in 1948. Its first performance was in Kirkenes in 1949, with Sigurd Christiansen's play En reise i natten. The theatre plays on about 200 different stages throughout the country. Its first theatre director was Fritz von der...
, as both actor and speaker. He was employed as actor and stage producer at Det Nye Teater
Det Nye Teater
Det Nye Teater was a theatre that opened in Oslo in 1929, and ended as an independent theatre in 1959, when it merged with Folketeatret to form Oslo Nye Teater. The theatre's original purpose was to support contemporary Norwegian drama.-History:...
in 1951. He headed the Norwegian National Academy of Theatre
Norwegian National Academy of Theatre
The Norwegian National Academy of Theatre was established as a three-year theater-education in 1953, under the name of Statens teaterskole.The school was given collegiate status in 1982...
from 1953 to 1963, and was instructor at the National Theatre
Nationaltheatret
The National Theatre in Oslo is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts.The theatre had its first performance on 1 September 1899 but can trace its origins to Christiania Theatre, which was founded in 1829...
from 1956 to 1959. He served as theatre director at Rogaland Teater
Rogaland Teater
Rogaland Teater is a theatre in Stavanger, Norway.-Background:The theatre building was built in 1883, on a parcel of Kannik prestegård. It was designed by architect Hartvig Sverdrup Eckhoff, and had initially almost 500 seats. The building housed Stavanger Faste Scene from 1914 to 1921, and...
from 1970 to 1976. He later worked as actor and stage producer at Riksteatret
Riksteatret
Riksteatret is a Norwegian touring theatre. It was established by law in 1948. Its first performance was in Kirkenes in 1949, with Sigurd Christiansen's play En reise i natten. The theatre plays on about 200 different stages throughout the country. Its first theatre director was Fritz von der...
, Den Nationale Scene
Den Nationale Scene
Den Nationale Scene is the largest theatre in Bergen, Norway. Den Nationale Scene is also one of the oldest permanent theatre in Norway.-History:...
, Det Norske Teatret
Det Norske Teatret
Det Norske Teatret is a theatre in Oslo. The theatre was founded in 1912, after an initiative from Hulda Garborg and Edvard Drabløs. It opened in 1913, touring with two plays, Ervingen by Ivar Aasen and Rationelt Fjøsstell by Hulda Garborg...
, Oslo Nye Teater
Oslo Nye Teater
Oslo Nye Teater in Oslo is one of Norway's most visited theatres.The theatre opened in 1959 as a merge between Det Nye Teater and Folketeatret, and consists of four stages; Oslo Nye Hovedscenen, Oslo Nye Centralteatret, Oslo Nye Trikkestallen and Oslo Nye Caféscenen.-External links:*...
, Radioteatret
Radioteatret
Radioteatret is a department of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation which produces audio plays for radio broadcasting. It was established in 1927.-Directors:...
and Fjernsynsteatret
Fjernsynsteatret
Fjernsynsteatret was a department of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation which produced plays for television broadcasting. It opened in 1960 , and operated until 1990, when a major reorganisation of NRK took place.Its first leader was Arild Brinchmann, who headed the theatre from its start...
. He issued the books Olsen fra bakgården (1977), Håpets hotell (1983), Champagne og soloppgang (1988), Takk New York (1991), and Studioteatret: Frihet og fornyelse (1995, together with Else Martinsen). Olsen was chairman for Norsk Sceneinstruktør-Forening from 1962 to 1966, and later honorary member. He was chairman for Norsk Teaterlederforening from 1974 to 1976.