Odin Teatret was created in Oslo, Norway, in
1964, and moved to Holstebro (Denmark) in 1966, changing its name
to Nordic Theatre Laboratory/Odin Teatret. Today, its members come
from a dozen countries and three continents.
The Laboratory's activities include: Odin's own productions
presented on site and on tour in Denmark and abroad; "barters" with
various milieus in Holstebro and elsewhere; organisation of
encounters for theatre groups; hosting other theatre groups and
ensembles; teaching activity in Denmark and abroad; the annual Odin
Week Festival; publication of magazines and books; production of
didactic films and videos; research into theatre anthropology
during the sessions of ISTA (the International School of Theatre
Anthropology); periodic performances with the multicultural
Theatrum Mundi Ensemble; collaboration with the CTLS, Centre for
Theatre Laboratory Studies of the University of Århus; the Festuge
(Festive Week) in Holstebro; the triennial festival Transit devoted
to women in theatre; OTA, the living archives of Odin Teatret's
memory; WIN, Workout for Intercultural Navigators; artists in
residence; children's performances, exhibitions, concerts, round
tables, cultural initiatives and community work in Holstebro and
the surrounding region.
Odin Teatret's 48 years as a laboratory have resulted in the
growth of a professional and scholarly milieu characterised by
cross-disciplinary endeavours and international collaboration. One
field of research is ISTA (International School of Theatre
Anthropology) which since 1979 has become a performers' village
where actors and dancers meet with scholars to compare and
scrutinise the technical foundations of their scenic presence.
Another field of action is the Theatrum Mundi Ensemble which, since
the early 1980s, presents performances with a permanent core of
artists from many professional traditions.
Odin Teatret has so far created 76 performances, performed in 63
countries and different social contexts. In the course of these
experiences, a specific Odin culture has grown, founded on cultural
diversity and the practice of "barter": Odin actors present
themselves through their work to a particular milieu which, in
return, replies with songs, music and dances from its own local
culture. The barter is an exchange of cultural manifestations and
offers not only an insight into the other's forms of expression,
but is equally a social interaction which defies prejudices,
linguistic difficulties and differences in thinking, judging and
behaving.
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