Teaterfuglene (The Theatre Birds)

Presentation

“The Theatre Birds” is a project made within The Royal Danish Theatre’s artistic concept aimed at the younger audiences called Pixi – a mini art format created and told for children with songs and musical excerpts from well-known musical works, but with new libretto. The project provides children with a fun and unpretentious introduction to the classical arts of the theatre: Opera, drama, ballet, and classical music.

In the show, we meet a bunch of misfit birds who always get off on the wrong foot in their journey through the world. But when they meet one day at The Royal Danish Theatre, they find the nest they have always been looking for: Here they are applauded when they make noise, sing and fly. Here, there is room for big dramas and being different.

The project is written and directed by renowned stage director and theatre manager Kasper Holten. “The Theatre Birds” is performed by three artists – a opera singer (soprano), a ballet dancer and a percussionist. They share the stage with five bird puppets representing the four classical arts of opera, drama, ballet, and classical music, as well as a theatre directional bird. Collectively, the birds are all brought to life by the artists’ voices and bodies through the art form of puppetry and play.

Artistic Team

The leading project team for the production includes renowned stage director Kasper Holten, puppet designer/scenographer Rolf Søborg Hansen, composer Mathias Friis-Hansen, and stage manager Malene Ruggaard. Holten is a self-taught Danish stage director who has staged more than 75 operas, plays, and musicals all over the world and has held the position of theater director at The Royal Danish Theatre since September of 2018. Hansen is a puppeteer and has worked as a scenographer, director, and playwright within the puppet theater genre for many years. As a puppeteer, he is focused on co-creating alongside his puppet designs. Friis-Hansen is a percussionist trained at the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music and the Royal College of Music in London. He is a versatile musician with extensive work as a chamber musician, soloist, and composer. Lastly, Ruggaard is one of the key persons in the Royal Danish Theatre’s Children’s Division who has developed the entire Pixi-format, and with her administrative and creative skills she has managed several productions. The artistic team of performers, who bring the bird puppets to life, consists of opera singer Julie MeeRa Lindberg, character ballet dancer Morten Eggert, and percussionist David Hildebrandt. Lindberg is a soprano, who gained her graduate degree from the Royal Danish Theatre’s Opera Academy. Through her professional work, she wishes to create an increased focus on high-quality opera for children and young audiences. Eggert is a ballet dancer with a graduate degree from and long career as a soloist at the Royal Danish Ballet. Eggert is highly skilled at miming and telling stories only through dance and movement, while also showing a great sense for acting. Lastly, Hildebrandt is a percussionist with a graduate degree from the Royal Danish Music Conservatory. In addition to his interest in strictly composed music, his work also includes improvisational music, providing a playful approach to sound and rhythm.

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