Kitchen table conversation with Young voices at Heddadagene

At Heddadagene 2026, we invited three of the young people from the year-round editorial team of Unge stemmer to a conversation with one of their criticism mentors; Anette Therese Pettersen. In the conversation, they reflect on their role as performing arts critics in the public debate. This is a live recording of the conversation. We apologize for the slightly uneven sound.

Ima Etokebe (19) is from Oslo. She is particularly interested in culture and fashion, in the context of sociology, technology and economics.

Lasse Seltun-Thingstad (18) is studying music and is interested in art and aesthetic philosophy. He produces music in his spare time, and plays both piano and guitar.

Vilde Iversby (19) is from Asker and is studying project management for the arts and creative industries at Kristiania University College. She has been active in both dance and theater, and attended drama school in high school.

Prior to the conversation, we received a presentation of Anette Therese Pettersen's doctoral project:

In the research project A critical practice for youth: A study of creative criticism for youth who experience performing arts through DKS, Anette Therese Pettersen has used theory and her own practice as a performing arts critic to develop a critique workshop for youth who have experienced performing arts in Den kulturellter skolesekken (DKS).

The doctoral project is based on the idea that criticism can be a way of entering into dialogue with art, where the desire is that both what happens on stage, what happens in space, and what happens in the imagination, should be part of the criticism.

To explore formats and methods of critique, the workshops have facilitated a critique that also includes the social aspect of the performing arts experience. Participants have been invited to respond to tasks through physical movement, sensory selection, drawing, and text.