Young voices choose their festival favorite during the Hedda Awards ceremony

Own youth jury

During this year's Heddadager, the performing arts will be given a very special look: A special youth jury will watch the entire festival program and choose their favorite. The initiative comes from the Norwegian Theatre and Orchestra Association (NTO), which has invited Scenekunstbruket to put together a jury from Young Voices.
Together, the young critics will award the Young Voices festival prize to the festival performance that has provided the strongest artistic experience.

– I am looking forward to watching and discussing theater with the other jury members, says Fiona Åtland, 19 years old and member of the jury. – It is important that Unge Stemmer awards an award because young people often see qualities in performances that may go under the radar of the established professional community.

– I think it's important to listen to today's youth when creating a piece about or for youth, says Gaia Nielsen, 18 years old and also a member of the jury . -There are many people who write pieces for young people, but do not listen to young people when they write them. Through Unge Stemmer you hear directly from young people what they think, which is why it is important that Unge Stemmer awards a separate prize.

– We look forward to hearing what these young critics think about the performances played during the festival and think it is fun to be able to give them a new and challenging space to discuss artistic quality, says special advisor Marianne Dyrnes Vallat at NTO.

A different assessment basis

The jury will follow the entire festival closely and watch performances from both the host theatres in Oslo and visiting guest performances from all over the country. The award thus stems from the entirety of the Heddadagenes program, and highlights the breadth and diversity that characterizes the festival. This means that the basis for assessment is quite different from that of the Heddada jury, which bases its assessments on the past year's premieres at the NTO's performing arts institutions. The idea is that the two awards will highlight Norwegian performing arts in different ways and contribute to the public conversation about this.

At Scenekunstbruket The importance of making space for new voices in the public sphere is emphasized:
– At a time when art criticism is being undermined, it is important for us to develop new voices. We want to highlight their perspectives in the public conversation about performing arts. We are very pleased that our young people will be challenged during the Hedda Prize ceremony , says Elin Owrenn Rekdal from Scenekunstbruket .

A jury with fresh eyes

Unge stemmer is an editor-controlled magazine for performing arts criticism, where the writers are between the ages of 15 and 20. Through text, audio and video, they publish reflections and critiques, developed in close collaboration with experienced critics and editors.

The work takes place both through a year-round editorial team and separate festival editorial teams, where young people cover the performing arts field from their point of view, with new perspectives and clear opinions.

With the Young Voices jury, Heddadagene not only receives a new award this year, but also a new way of seeing the festival: through the eyes of a generation that both challenges and renews the conversation about performing arts.

– I'm really looking forward to looking at different types of performances, their art forms, and making someone's dream come true by presenting them with an award, says Filip Jørgensen, 16 years old.

– I am most looking forward to judging all the performances, says Rose Aguta, 20 years old. -It will be challenging to discuss and come up with a winner with 5 others, but perhaps the most exciting part of the jury work!

Read more about the jury members:

• Aksel August Ruud Raustøl
• Anna Vestrheim
• Fiona Atland
• Filip Jorgensen
• Gaia Prestø Nielsen
• Rose Nkeiruka Aguta