Festival service for 20 years 

This fall I was lucky enough to attend a lecture by a Palestinian doctor of mathematics, a performance lecture by a British artist and a memorial day for a Norwegian publisher and university personality. In all three quite different contexts, I experience that exploration is highlighted as the most central and important thing for experience and learning throughout life. And in different ways and to varying degrees, both the educational system and (art) institutions are commented on and criticized for being more concerned with the systems than giving people freedom to investigate and explore. What does this have to do with a performing arts festival, you might be thinking. Almost everything, I mean.     

Showbox saw the light of day at Black Box Teater in January 2005. The starting point was to showcase a curious and exploratory part of the professional performing arts field that was in strong artistic growth. The ambition has always been to highlight and contribute to the development of the performing arts field for the young audience. Taking risks in programming, showing premieres and helping to show Norwegian performing arts in an international setting has been central since the first festival. Since then, we have explored through 20 festivals what kind of festival we want Showbox to be. 

With this year's festival service, I feel the vulnerability in both the world and in art – that anything can fall apart. This makes me think that we as a performing arts field in Norway must have a greater willingness to take risks than in a long time – we who can. Our opening performance Encounters. Oslo represents some of this. Here, a conversation between two unknown young people is staged, and what it will result in is something no one can predict. A space is created where young people can participate in precisely an exploration of what an authentic conversation between two young people can be in 2025. With this programming, we want to challenge ourselves and the framework of performing arts, to avoid stagnating in a comfortable form. 

For two decades, the festival and artists have been able to explore how the performing arts meet young people. What has happened in the field and the festival in these 20 years, we will delve deeper into at this year's seminar, where we will also try to look ahead - where is the field going now? 

This year's program presents various artistic approaches to the performing arts; the encounter between dance and young people with disabilities in the performance Makker , the tape universe the rock ladies create for the very little ones in Scoooootch , Feil Teater's intimate and searching work about radicalization, and the strong, but also extremely funny, monologue by Ahmed Tobasi about his life under occupation in Palestine.  

So, I am inspired by the three wise people I started with – what is life without exploration, as a cornerstone in both art and festival service, yes perhaps in everything. We are delighted that you will experience the Showbox program with us, whether you are an audience member, artist, professional, part of Unge Stemmer or an international guest. We are strongly committed to Showbox continuing to create performing arts encounters for young people for the next 20 years as well, together with the artists and all our good partners.  

Welcome to the festival, and thank you for joining us for the anniversary edition of Showbox 2025!  

Tine Valavuo Tyldum
Managing Director of Scenekunstbruket
Festival Manager Showbox