2021: Showbox without live shows

On Friday, the news came that Oslo is enforcing major restrictions due to covid-19, and this makes it impossible to carry out Showbox with live shows.

Festival director Ådne Sekkelsten says, – We have long known that this could become a reality, but since we are convinced that performing arts are best live as a shared experience, it was important for us to put together a program with performances at Black Box Theater, Sentralen, Teater Manu and outdoors in Oslo. We had been looking forward to seeing children, young people, families and delegate audiences in the hall at all 15 live performances that were to play at this year’s Showbox, but that was not the case. The 16th edition of Showbox will be, to put it mildly, very different than before.

Meeting place and festival experience

We have long planned for a festival without international delegates, and with few visitors from elsewhere in Norway. Our goal was still to be a meeting place and to give the festival experience to those who could not be present in Oslo. Therefore, we have already planned for a digital program with, among other things, artist talks, workshops and seminars, audio performances and the beautiful one-on-one performance “A piece of you” with the Scottish composer and cellist Greg Sinclair.

Opening with Minister of Culture Abid Raja

We are pleased that Abid Raja has agreed to open Showbox. Tuesday December 1st at 19.00 the festival opens, and everyone can be with us online. There will be speeches, artistic elements and not least; Raja will light the Showbox Christmas tree.

Launches podcast

A sofa, an armchair, half an hour, two performing artists. What are they talking about? At Showbox 2020, we launch our new video and podcast series; artist conversations. Two performing artists meet at our place here in Kabelgata, and get free rein in what they are going to talk about. We introduce them to each other, some have met before, others meet for the first time. – this is something we have been thinking about for a long time, says Ådne, and this year it was very right to launch this series. One og Scenekunstbrukets main tasks is to to promote those who create and disseminate performing arts to a young audience, and here we give them a stage where they can share their thoughts and visions about this.

 

Photo: Lars Opstad, Showbox 2017. Panta Rei Dance Theater – Make me dance