Akvavit Theatre

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Akvavit Theatre
FormationJanuary 2008 (2008-01)
TypeTheatre group
PurposeScandinavian
Location
Artistic director(s)
Kirstin Franklin
Breahan Pautsch[1]

Akvavit Theatre is a theater company in Chicago with a focus on Nordic and Scandinavian works. Beginning performances on 8 October 2010, it was born out of the "Nordic Spaces" project funded by the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation, which began in 2008.[2]

Jay Torrence as Leni Riefenstahl in Akvavit Theatre's production of 'Hitler on the Roof' by Rhea Leman.[3]

History[edit]

A group of five staged readings from several Scandinavian countries formed the initial production. The first reading was God Times Five, a play by Swedish playwright Jonas Hassen Khemiri, directed by Chad Eric Bergman. The four other plays in the sequence were Red and Green, by Dane Astrid Saalbach, directed by Jessica Hutchinson; Kokkola by Finn Leea Klemola, directed by Kevin Heckman; Verkeleg, a reality play by Norwegian Gyrid Axe Øvsteng, directed by Robin Witt; and Óhapp by Icelandic playwright Bjarni Jónsson, directed by Jonathan Berry.[4][5]

In 2015 the company staged the U.S. premiere of Andri Snær Magnason's Blue Planet, based on his book, The Story of the Blue Planet, a "family-friendly" story directed by Wm. Bullion.[6] Also in 2015, the company took part in the annual holiday message from the Chicago theater community.[7]

Akvavit's 2017 production of Hitler on the Roof by Rhea Leman co-directed by co-artistic director Kirstin Franklin and Associate company member Amber Robinson was selected as one of the productions to be produced in the 2018 grand re-opening season of Theatre on the Lake presented by the Chicago Park District.[8][9]

List of productions[edit]

2011

2012

2013

  • Gjenganger: 3 Plays by Jon Fosse
  • A Summer's Day, directed by Wm. Bullion[10]
  • Autumn Dream, directed by Breahan Pautsch
  • Winter, directed by Paul Holmquist
  • They Died Where they Lied, by Sofia Freden and co-directed by Mark Litwicki and Matthew Isler

2014

  • Mishap, by Bjarni Jönssan and directed by Chad Eric Bergman
  • The Frozen on the Square, by Lucas Svensson and directed by Breahan Pautsch

2015

  • Blue Planet, by Andri Snær Magnason and directed by Wm Bullion, movement direction by Nicole Jordan
  • The Orchestra, by Okko Leo and directed by Brad Akin

2016

  • Nothing of Me, by Arne Lygre and co-directed by Chad Eric Bergman and Breahan Pautsch
  • Hand in Hand, by Sofia Freden and directed by Breahan Pautsch

2017

  • Hitler on the Roof, by Rhea Leman and co-directed by Kirstin Franklin and Amber Robinson
  • Ghosts and Zombies, by Henrik Ibsen and Gustav Tegby and directed by Breahan Pautsch

2018

  • Bad Girls: The Stylists, by Astrid Saalbach and directed by Breahan Pautsch
  • Rising Temperatures
  • Bleeding Heart, by Rhea Leman and directed by Breahan Pautsch
  • Solar Storm, by Jens Kløft and directed by Linsey Falls
  • Its Getting Warmer, by Joan Rang Christensen and directed by Lee Peters
  • Escape, by Kristian Halken and directed by Lindsay Tornquist[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Roberts, Michael J. (January 4, 2017). "Akvavit Theatre Announces New Co-Artistic Directors; Associate Company Members". Showbiz Chicago. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  2. ^ "About Us". Akvavit Theatre. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  3. ^ "Hitler on the Roof". Akvavit Theatre. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
  4. ^ "Nordic Spirit 2010". Akvavit Theatre. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  5. ^ "No easy choices in 'Red and Green'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  6. ^ "Icelandic Play "Blue Planet" Makes U.S. Premiere at Chicago's Akvavit Theatre". Iceland Naturally. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  7. ^ "A Holiday Video From the Theaters of Chicago". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  8. ^ "Theatre on the Lake 2018 Program" (PDF).
  9. ^ "Hitler on the Roof at Theater on the Lake | Chicago Park District". www.chicagoparkdistrict.com. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
  10. ^ timeout.com (6 March 2013). "Gjenganger at Akvavit Theatre - Theater review". Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  11. ^ "History". Akvavit Theatre. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
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