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30 years of Porsgrunn International Theater Festival!

 


30 years? Yes. Yes, it has been that long. But it feels more like three years! Time has gone by so fast, and it’s been so much fun!

– says Trond Hannemyr, who took the initiative for PIT and was festival director from ’95 to ’23.

 

 

“When we said in 1994 that we were going to create an international theater festival in Porsgrunn, many people probably giggled behind our backs. But some believed in it; politicians, business people, artists, cultural workers. At least they believed in it enough to give us the chance to try. And sure enough, a festival was established! Over the years, we have hosted a few thousand performances from a few dozen countries. More than 600 000 audiences have experienced different acts! We’ve been proud to see that PIT has become something people in Porsgrunn are proud of and count on. It’s been a lot of work. But it’s definitely been worth it!”

 

One of the best things, and perhaps the thing that humbles me the most, has been the contact with all the volunteers; people who have given up their free time to make PIT happen. Every year! Some have even taken out a vacation week or two to volunteer at PIT. And many have done it year after year! In fact, there are people who have been involved for twenty years and even longer. It’s absolutely fantastic! It wouldn’t have been possible to organize an event as big as PIT without these people. Hats off to them. The entire hat store!

 

 

It’s been a lot of fun. One of the best moments was perhaps the Brusteinsballet in ’97, when the acrobats in French Les Arts Sauts soared in trapezes over Rådhusplassen, while a cellist and an opera singer, 10-12 meters above the ground, improvised the music. All against a backdrop of a glowing red sunset. I’ll never forget that!

 

But I won’t forget the first time the Italian clown Leo Bassi visited PIT either.

 

 

He was completely unknown in Porsgrunn at the time, and was to open the Brusteins Ball – dressed in a dark suit. Valgerd Svarstad Haugland, who was the Norwegian Minister of Culture at the time, was behind the stage, and Leo asked me to introduce him as the EU Minister for Culture. They stood for ten minutes exchanging cultural pleasantries backstage before Leo went on. He started in speech mode, people probably thought this was just “another speech” before the music came on and he started smashing melons with a sledgehammer. There were wild cheers in front of the stage – and a smack on Valgerd’s back. A few hours later, she was standing at Kafe K with a glass of red wine – and she was still laughing. Not everyone has taken Valgerd so thoroughly by surprise!

 

 

All in all, an incredible number of memorable moments

 

…over thirty years! Peruvian Yuyachkani at Folkets Hus. Polish Biuro Podrosky at the PMV. Our  own shows, such as Harde Tak, Kurt Koker Hodet and Herøya 1943. And the many great opening performances at Brusteinsballet. On the whole, the openings have been something we are proud of. We’ve had the best of the best, the Rolling Stones of the theater world, virtually every year!

 

One thing we’re a bit proud of is our early venture into the world of New Circus Art. We had Cirkus Cirkör here back in ’97. And we’ve shown a lot of their productions, and a lot of great contemporary circus performances from France, Canada and elsewhere, long before contemporary circus became mainstream and cultural centers around the country took them onto their stages. We are also proud of our long-standing collaboration with Jo Strømgren, who has shown many of his performances at PIT, even before he became a big name both at home and abroad.

 

This year’s festival is being curated by new and younger forces. From what I’ve heard, there’s a lot of exciting things going on. Surprising venues, exciting performances and a lot of new thinking. And that’s exactly what PIT needs right now. Everything has to change, and I really believe that the current team in charge of the Porsgrunn International Theater Festival can bring the festival into the future!

 

But now the 30th anniversary is just around the corner.

 

… and I’m actually really looking forward to it!

-Trond Hannemyr, Festival Director from 1995 – 2023