Page 41 - DIVA_4_2022

I was terrified of moving to a country where Stenseth playing all the other characters.
I couldn't speak Norwegian, but I sent in an They also created the show. Andreas, who I
application anyway, and a few months later, had worked with on several projects before,
I was invited to audition. In March 2010, called me a week before opening, asking if
and went with my family to New York City I could join and add music and sound to
for the first time. There I auditioned during the show. And, of course I said yes, which
the weekend, was accepted, and began my turned out to be lots of fun performing in a
studies in the autumn of 2010. tiny circus tent in Kullåsparken in Sarpsborg
While in the program, I explored my voice summer of 2011.
as a composer and learned to collaborate
with lyricists and book writers on how to The year after, in 2012, we were asked to be
write a show from idea to finishing the final part of the program at the Olsokdagene på
rewrite. These two years were intense, with Stiklestad (Viking festival in the middle of
lots of deadlines and presentations. The full- Norway, where St. Olaf died in battle). We
length musical we wrote for our final thesis performed an updated version of the show
and it was performed as a staged reading in a long replica of a Viking-era longhouse,
with Broadway actors. which was a fantastic experience. During
the festival, we met actor and director Gard
I also served military duty in His Majesty B. Eidsvold, who was there with his own
the King's Guard in 2004. I served in a theater company, Statsteateret. He came
special performance unit within the King's and saw our show and was very enthusiastic
Guard, where I was a bugle player. Among about what he saw. At the same time, the
the highlights was our participation in the Olavsdagene festival in Sarpsborg was
main ceremony of the 60th anniversary of looking for a new family-friendly show. The
D-Day in Normandy, where we performed representatives came and saw our show and
in front of current heads of state involved were interested in having us be the main
in World War 2. I also played background show during the festival. And so it turned
piano during official dinners with the out, we transformed the show into a full-
King and other dignitaries and arranged length family musical with Gard Eidsvold as
and orchestrated music for the band. In the director and actor, five more actors, and
the spring of 2004, the comedians Trond me as the composer and music director. We
Kirkvaag, Knut Lystad, and Lars Mjøen, opened with colossal success in the summer
called KLM, were shooting the final chapter of 2013, and until 2016 we had expanded
of their comedic series "Brødrene Dal." And to a 4-piece band, six main actors, plus
for the final scene, they needed a bugle several extras. In the fall of 2015, we took
player, and I was chosen. It was so much a new updated version of the small show on
fun to be part of, and I will never forget a month-long school tour as part of "Den
the kindness of these legendary comedians kulturelle skolesekken" (Cultural program
which I grew up watching. You can see me for elementary schools). And the summer
during the last scenes of the final episode of of 2016 was my last year with the show,
"Brødrene Dal og mysteriet om Karl XII's but variations of the show continue every
gamasjer". summer during the Olavsdagene festival in
Sarpsborg.
Q: You composed the musical Olav den
Heldige which has been performed every Q; You have also composed another musical,
summer since 2013 in your hometown 4Real, that has been touring Norway since
Sarpsborg. How did you get the idea for this 2015. Please tell us about it.
historical musical?
The family musical «Olav den Heldige This musical came together with Silje L.
og Lykkesverdet» was performed for the Waters as the lyricist and coauthor, Martine
first time during the Olavsdagene (Viking B. Lundberg as another coauthor and
festival in honor of the founder of my director, and me as the composer. It started
hometown, St. Olaf) in Sarpsborg in 2011. with an idea Silje had about how much
At that time it was a children's show with social media impact our lives. We had our
Andreas Humlekjær playing Olav, and Patrik opening at Teaterkjellern in Oslo in the fall

W W W . D I VA I N T E R N A T I O N A L . C H 41