Anatomy for beginners

The stage during Anatomy for Beginners reminded us of a doctor's office because of the lighting and props. The light was dim in some parts of the stage and bright in others. In the middle of the floor there was a man staring at the audience. We thought he looked very stern before the performance began.

 

Anatomy for Beginners is a performance about the body. The performance is based on Trond Viggo Torgersen's program Kroppen (The Body) from children's TV in the 1980s, and Trond Viggo himself is the narrator. In the performance, we hear both real facts about the body and how children think the body works.

 

One of many expectations was that we would laugh a lot, which we did. We also expected simple language, so that children could understand what was being said. This varied a little. First, we were given an advanced explanation of how the body works with a number of doctor-related words. It can be difficult for the little ones to understand what is being said then. Then we got an explanation from the children's point of view, which was formulated more simply and was easy to understand. These explanations were fun, as we expected them to be. We imagined a cozy atmosphere that was child-friendly. Regarding this, we think that some may find it so, while others may find it uncomfortable as you can get a "doctor feeling". Something we expected that we think is important for the children is that they don't think it's awkward or that they get a feeling that it's disgusting. We think this was taken into account.

 

I felt that there was a lot of information during the play, but it was given in a fun way. This made it easier to follow and take it in. I liked the fact that there were realistic sound effects throughout the play which made it more real. Something all the SUSers liked was the ending. It ended with a dialog between Trond Viggo and a child. The last line was "Are we done yet?" and then it ended. We thought this was a creative and humorous way to end it all.

 

Personally, I thought the play was entertaining. I laughed a lot and the dancers were good and interesting to watch. There is, however, one thing I would like to point out that I personally did not like so much. It was some of the sounds. They gave me a bit of anxiety, but as written, they made the whole thing much more realistic. That's why it's not a bad tool, but something that some people might not personally like.

 

All in all, the performance was exciting and fun. Everyone in the SUS group really enjoyed it.

 

I think the show is suitable for all ages as long as you have enough knowledge to say whether what is being said is fact or not.

 

Choreography: Hege Haagenrud

Dancers: Erik Rulin and Marianne Kjærsund

Narrator: Trond Viggo Torgersen/Noah Dingsøyr Henriksen

Composer: Rebekka Karijord

Lighting design: Norunn Standal

Stage design: Carl Nilssen-Love

Dramaturg: Gry Ulfeng

Script consultant: Mads Sjøgård Pettersen

Wai Kit Wan

Erik Hedin

Olivia Thoresen MacKee

 

Duration: Approx. 35 min. Without a break.

 

Julie Karlsen (15), SUS