Ibsen in Bergen: 1851- 57

During his stay the later world-renowned dramatist learned practical stagecraft and the logic of drama, and in this period he wrote five plays.
In his resignation letter to Det Norske Theater he wrote: "What I owe to the theatre in Bergen I shall never forget.” But past and present time’s perception of this varies: instead of being an inspiration to his intellect and poetical genius, his stay in Bergen made him unhappy. There was no end to his failure as a dramatist, and he had no success as a stage director, he was always quarrelling with his co-director Laading. On top of it, all kinds of futile tasks were imposed upon by the theatre’s board.

-In this exhibition, we have consciously turned deep-rooted myths upside down, all the time trying to turn disadvantages into advantages and shed some new light on his years in Bergen, says associate professor Kari Gaarder Losnedahl. She has in collaboration with exhibition architect Anne Aspen produced the exhibition.

 – Ibsen, as we have come to know him, is a bold, but seeking and immature young man of 23 when he arrives in Bergen. We have also noticed how he gradually became more mature; after all he spent six years in Bergen, from the age of 23 to the age of 29. Eventually he could act with an amazing authority in his relationship with the employees and the board. Some ambivalence in his character was probably always there, He never overcame his shyness during his years in Bergen, though there were admittedly some signs of spontaneity and candour.  

Our guiding principle has been to question and contradict the myth. We expect some opposition from our visitors based on their experiences and knowledge, and this opposition will be most welcome. We hope that a discussion centred on our selected perspective will follow. But we also hope that our visitors will come to a new understanding of Ibsen’s years in Bergen, says Gaarder Losnedahl. A possible audience for the exhibition would be school children, preferably on upper secondary level.