Ingmar Bergman International Theatre Festival 2012

The first festival took place in 2009 and was a huge success. It was to a great extent a retrospective of Ingmar Bergman’s work. This time the festival presents innovative contemporary theatre, avant-garde in the same way as Ingmar Bergman’s creations were in his time. The performances are transboundary and mix different expressions like theatre, music and film. Live music is a part of several performances.

It is with great pleasure that the Royal Dramatic Theatre welcomes the return of Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne and director Heiner Goebbels, who amazed critics and audiences alike at Ingmar Bergman International Theatre Festival 2009 with Eraritjaritjaka. This year Goebbels presents a unique collaboration with the legendary vocal quartet The Hilliard Ensemble in I Went to the House But Did Not Enter.

Schaubühne Berlin will participate with two extraordinary productions. Lars Norén’s play Demons, directed by Thomas Ostermeier, and the British directors Katie Mitchell’s and Leo Warner’s epoch-making version of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie, a major production that will be staged at Annexet, a part of Ericsson Globe Arenas.

From Vilnius, Lithuania, acclaimed director Oskaras Korsunovas will bring two productions, Miranda and The Lower Depths – compelling dramas that scrutinize contemporary society. Also from Vilnius comes Aldona Bendoriuté in the role of Sonja from Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment in Sad Songs from the Heart of Europe, a production both intimate and powerful. This theatrical tour de force is directed by Kristian Smeds and presented by his Smeds Ensemble from Finland.

The Royal Dramatic Theatre's own contribution to the festival is Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander, directed by Stefan Larsson. This magnificent production, which premiered this year on 11 February, is the first Swedish stage version of Bergman’s famous film.

In addition, the festival will include conversations with actors and directors from visiting companies, coordinated by the Royal Dramatic Theatre's side programming Dramaten&. Actors from Dramaten will moderate several of these conversations.

The festival will conclude with a unique performance on the main stage, created specifically for this occasion in cooperation with 10 other theatres in the international theatre network Mitos 21. The production is based on the book Je suis complètement battue (I’ve Been Beaten All Over) by Éléonore Mercier.

Welcome to the Ingmar Bergman International Theatre Festival 2012!