These days, the buzzing of young confidence, energy, and dedication is tangible at Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium. The reason is that we have been temporarily taken over by the performing arts majors (DA: Musical & Teaterlinjen) from Dansk Talentakademi (DTA / Danish Talent Academy), who will be performing their shows "Klasseværelset" (The Classroom) and "Intet" (Nothing) in the Black and the Red Room.
New surroundings are good for the soul
Usually, all classes and performances for the performing arts majors take place downtown at DTA Campus in Holstebro, where many of the students also live. Moving the performances to Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium opens up new possibilities:
"I don't think it'd be possible to do on campus, there's just not enough space. With the way our stage is constructed, it works a lot better here," explains Malthe Skovsted Nielsen, a 2nd-year performance major who is part of the show "Intet", which is performed in The Red Room.
Director Kim Brandt agrees and adds: "It's good for you guys (students, ed.) to leave your comfort zone and discover new spaces – just like going on tour. It's good practice –also considering that the space is bigger, which gives us a chance to try out scaling how big we want to go with our acting choices."
Preparing for the big move
Rehearsing in one place and performing in another requires thorough planning and preparation.
"We have worked a lot on the script before coming here to make sure we can focus our energy on all the new things. Once we move into the right performance space, we spend some time getting the technical stuff straight: lights, blocking, and so on. I like to say we're given gifts of opportunity, but really, they're usually challenges. Good challenges, though. And we are so thankful for the many possibilities this place (NTL, ed.) provides," continues Kim Brandt.
Last weekend, the students taking part in "Intet" had the pleasure of seeing their classmates perform "Klasseværelset" in The Black Room. That made a big impression on Sofie Hviid Struve, who is a 1st-year student.
"It kind of just felt right because it wasn't just on campus – there's an actual foyer and an actual theatre venue. I feel like we have something to prove now, once our show starts."
Hoping for more theatre experiences
This was Sofie's first time at NTL, while Malthe previously attended a workshop in The Red Room – the same room they will be performing in, which has led to some reflections and hopes for future visits:
"I would love to do more workshops. Trying out new approaches is a lot of fun, and you really feel like you've learned a lot when you do a workshop here," says Malthe.
Sofie also sees the potential, believing it fits well with what they have already learned: "Kim Harris (Vice Principal at DTA, ed.) always says that theatre is subjective; that it is art, and you have to hear many perspectives and learn multiple approaches [when you work with theatre]."
Malthe and Sofie starred in "Intet", which premiered Friday the 31st of January and ran until Sunday the 2nd of February in The Red Room at Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium.
