Creating a community

The question left no doubt as to how important Showbox is to everyone at Scenekunstbruket. In a way, this is where we summarize our annual work by highlighting works and artists we believe deliver some of the best performing arts from Norway and abroad. We get to experience the community in the performing arts field for a young audience, and create meeting places where conversations and development can take place.

In a troubled and uncertain world, to say the least, where individual thinking and personal gain seem to prevail at the same time as art is losing ground, it feels more important than ever to protect the community that art provides. This is precisely where the performing arts are unique. As a collective art form, we are dependent on individuals and groups of artists working together, creating together and, ultimately, the audience experiencing living art together. As far as I'm concerned, this is what makes the performing arts so close to my heart.

In order to present art in the community that Showbox is, we made some clear choices after last year's festival. Among other things, the festival has been shortened to three days. We hope this means that more of the audience will join us for all, or at least most, of the festival, which will then end with the awarding of Gulljerven and a real party. Otherwise, we have not cut back on either our ambitions or the number of performances, quite the opposite.

This year's program is clearly marked by the worldview, and our artist talk War, conflict and death in the performing arts for a young audience sums it up quite nicely. But this doesn't mean that there isn't also a lot of laughter, care, curious wonder and even sci-fi in this year's program - often in combination with the former themes.

Having the opportunity to present two different artistic perspectives from Palestine in this year's program undoubtedly feels important. In Motforestillinger's The Promise of Revolution, we get the story of The Freedom Theater in Jenin on the West Bank, and the Palestinian dance company Stereo 48 delivers dance art of the highest class and gives the audience a brief introduction to dabkeh - folk dance from the Middle East. "Showing young people in Norway some of the art and culture from the country that is now literally being destroyed makes sense on so many levels.

I think a Young Voices participant said it so well, about what it takes for him to like a performance:

... it's exciting to be able to see things from different perspectives. It gives you a better understanding of how people react the way they do, how they interpret things and why.

In today's world, we need art to do just that, to challenge us and ask questions about how the world is, and not least, can be and can become. As usual, we look forward to reading this year's Young Voices' reflections from their art meetings on ungestemmer.no, which, like Showbox, has been given a boost both visually and technically with a new design and new website. We hope it's to your liking.

Thank you to everyone who contributes to the festival community, whether you are an artist, collaborator, professional, international guest or audience member. A festival is neither created nor experienced alone, but together, and we are very much looking forward to being with you all through three intense festival days.

Welcome to Showbox 2024!

Tine Valavuo Tyldum
Manager Scenekunstbruket / Festival Director Showbox