Husets Teater
Encyclopedia
Husets Teater is a studio theatre in Copenhagen
, Denmark
. It takes its name from the Huset cultural centre in the city centre, where it was founded in 1975, but has since 1995 been based at Halmtorvet
in a building which is part of the so-called Brown Meat District.
around the The House in Magstræde which had grown out of the political protest movement of the late 1960s. From its foundation in 1975 it served as a platform for contemporary political theatre, and both a venue for local ensembles such as Natholdet and frequently playing host to visiting international ensembles from countries such as Sweden
and Italy
.
From the mid-1980s, the theatre's repertoire became more focussed on drama with plays such as Bertholt Brecht's Baal
and Rainer Werner Fassbinder
's controversial play Garbage, the City, and Death which in Klaus Hoffmeyer's staging caused debate for its rawness.
After a duo consisting of the director Søren Iversen and Lisbeth Sjölin took over the leadership in 1992 and its move to new premises in the Brown Meat District, the theatre has created a profile as a venue for newer Danish and international drama of relevance to people of today: Astrid Saalbach's trilogy Morning and Evening, The Blessed Child and Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust (1996–97) and Nicoline Werdelin's The Fanciers (1997) and My Two Sisters (2001). The theatre has won several Reumert Awards in recent years.
From 1 June 2008 the theatre has been headed by a duo consisting of actor and director Mads Wille and dramatist and director Simon K. Boberg. They came from the theatre PLAN-B which from 2002 to 2008 they ran in Husets Teater's old premises on the 4th floor in Magstræde.
Underhuset, literally the Lower House) and the House of Lords
(Overhuset, literally the Upper House) and, at the same time, refers to their location in the building.
The theatre is economically subsidised by Copenhagen Municipality
.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. It takes its name from the Huset cultural centre in the city centre, where it was founded in 1975, but has since 1995 been based at Halmtorvet
Halmtorvet
Halmtorvet is a public square in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located next to Copenhagen Central Station in front of the Meat District...
in a building which is part of the so-called Brown Meat District.
History
The theatre grew out of the alternative cultural environmentAlternative culture
Alternative culture is a type of culture that exists outside or on the fringes of mainstream or popular culture, usually under the domain of one or more subcultures...
around the The House in Magstræde which had grown out of the political protest movement of the late 1960s. From its foundation in 1975 it served as a platform for contemporary political theatre, and both a venue for local ensembles such as Natholdet and frequently playing host to visiting international ensembles from countries such as Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
From the mid-1980s, the theatre's repertoire became more focussed on drama with plays such as Bertholt Brecht's Baal
Baal (play)
Baal was the first full-length play written by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. It concerns a wastrel youth who becomes involved in several sexual affairs and at least one murder...
and Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Maria Fassbinder was a German movie director, screenwriter and actor. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the New German Cinema.He maintained a frenetic pace in film-making...
's controversial play Garbage, the City, and Death which in Klaus Hoffmeyer's staging caused debate for its rawness.
After a duo consisting of the director Søren Iversen and Lisbeth Sjölin took over the leadership in 1992 and its move to new premises in the Brown Meat District, the theatre has created a profile as a venue for newer Danish and international drama of relevance to people of today: Astrid Saalbach's trilogy Morning and Evening, The Blessed Child and Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust (1996–97) and Nicoline Werdelin's The Fanciers (1997) and My Two Sisters (2001). The theatre has won several Reumert Awards in recent years.
From 1 June 2008 the theatre has been headed by a duo consisting of actor and director Mads Wille and dramatist and director Simon K. Boberg. They came from the theatre PLAN-B which from 2002 to 2008 they ran in Husets Teater's old premises on the 4th floor in Magstræde.
Husets Teater today
The theatre has two stages, UnderHuset with 121 numbered seats and OveHuset with 70 unnumbered seats. The names are a play on the Danish words for the House of CommonsHouse of Commons
The House of Commons is the name of the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada and historically was the name of the lower houses of Ireland and North Carolina...
Underhuset, literally the Lower House) and the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
(Overhuset, literally the Upper House) and, at the same time, refers to their location in the building.
The theatre is economically subsidised by Copenhagen Municipality
Copenhagen municipality
Copenhagen Municipality is the largest of the municipalities making up the city of Copenhagen. It lies at the center of Copenhagen and contains the old historic city....
.