A shining darkness
Jon Fosse’s masterpiece in a theatrical concert
The Engegård Quartet, actress Gjertrud Jynge and visual artist Marianne Heske join forces in this concert performance based on Jon Fosse’s Septology.
Chamber music and video painting
Noble prize winner Jon Fosse wrote Septology in the years 2019–2021. Actress Gjertrud Jynge from the Norwegian Theatre has adapted the novel for this performance. Asle’s story is told together with chamber music ranging from baroque to contemporary, and from popular to sacred. A video painting by Marianne Heske visually accompanies the performance.
The Story about Asle
The aging painter Asle has no more paintings to paint and this year, has agreed for the first time to celebrate Christmas with his neighbour Åsleik. Every year, he has painted on Christmas eve, in an attempt to paint away all the pictures in his head and to avoid thinking painful thoughts. Such as about his wife Ales, who died and left him much too early. But a bastard is born in a stable and sure enough, it is at the darkest of times that light can be seen.
Premiere and further productions
A Shining Darkness was premiered at the Norwegian Opera and Ballett in December 2024, and has been performed several times throughout Norway.
(b. 1966) from Tromsø trained as an actress at The National School of Theatre (1990-1993) and is a permanent employee at The Norwegian Theatre.
After her education, she was first attached to Rogaland Theatre, but has been attached to The Norwegian Theatre since 1996. She has had leading roles in a number of dramatic, humorous and musical theatre productions. Her major roles include Milja in Ungen (1997), Josefine in Bør Børson Jr. (2001), the title role in Anna Karenina (2002), Clytemnestra in Oresteia (2003 and Oresteia (2023), The Green-clad in Robert Wilson's Peer Gynt (2006) and Volva in Wilson's Edda (2016), Christine Mannon in Sorga dresses Elektra (2012), the title role in Fedra (2014), Ales in The Trilogy (2019), Ranevskaya in The Cherry Orchard (2020) and Édith Piaf in Spur and Angel (2023). She was also part of the major theatre project The Second World War - Night in the World (2016).
In 2015, she wrote and staged the solo production Frå landevegen, based on her own family history.
Gjertrud Jynge has received the Hedda Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles as Christine Mannon in Sorga Kler Elektra and Maria Steuber in Time and Space, and Best Supporting Actor for her role as Ales in The Trilogy. She also won the Critics' Award for this. She also received the Hedda Award for Special Artistic Achievement for her work with the rest of the ensemble in Edda.
She has also had several roles in film and TV, including: The NRK series Skolen and Halvbroren and Dag on TV2. Film roles in Salige er de som tørster (Blessed are those who thirst) and Da jeg møtte Jesus med... sprettert.