The Ibsen Year (Norwegian: ''Ibsenåret'') was the

Norwegian government The politics of Norway take place in the framework of a parliamentary, representative democratic constitutional monarchy. Executive power is exercised by the Council of State, the cabinet, led by the prime minister of Norway. Legislative power is ...

's official celebration of

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

in 2006, marking the 100th anniversary of his death. The Ibsen Year included cultural events in multiple countries, including an opening ceremony in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

attended by the royal family and international guests, television programs, cultural events in Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, China and other countries, and an International Gala performance at the

Great Pyramid of Giza The Great Pyramid of Giza is the biggest Egyptian pyramid and the tomb of Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khufu. Built in the early 26th century BC during a period of around 27 years, the pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, hosted by the country's First Lady

Suzanne Mubarak Suzanne Mubarak ( ar, سوزان مبارك , née Thabet; born 28 February 1941) is the widow of Egyptian former president Hosni Mubarak and was the First Lady of Egypt during her husband's presidential tenure from 14 October 1981 to 11 Februar ...

and also attended by

Queen Sonja Sonja (born Sonja Haraldsen on 4 July 1937) is Queen of Norway since 17 January 1991 as the wife of King Harald V. Sonja and the then Crown Prince Harald had dated for nine years prior to their marriage in 1968. They had kept their relations ...

. The Ibsen Year's artistic director was

Bentein Baardson Bentein Baardson (born 6 November 1953 in New York City) is Norwegian actor, instructor and theatre director. He was born in New York, and is the son of Brynjolv Baardson. Bentein Baardson graduated from Teaterhøyskolen in 1975. He has set up ...

and the producer was Nora Ibsen. The chairman of the supervisory committee was former Norwegian Minister of Culture

Lars Roar Langslet Lars Roar Langslet (5 March 1936, Nes, Buskerud – 18 January 2016) was the Norwegian Minister of Education and Church Affairs (culture and science affairs only, not church affairs) in 1981, and Minister of Culture and Science from 1982 until 19 ...

. The planning committee of the Ibsen Year had a core budget of around 70 million NOK, not counting TV productions and various other costs.

was the Ibsen Year's high protector. The

Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( Norwegian (Bokmål): ''Det kongelige utenriksdepartement''; Norwegian (Nynorsk): ''Det kongelege utanriksdepartement'') is the foreign ministry of the Kingdom of Norway. It was established on June ...

and the embassies around the world had an important role in carrying out the Ibsen Year. The Ibsen Year comprised 8213 separate cultural events, and 83 countries took part in the commemoration.

Egypt

An International Gala performance of ''

Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five- act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen published in 1876. Written in Norwegian, it is one of the most widely performed Norwegian plays. Ibsen believed ''Per Gynt'', the Norwegian fairy tale on wh ...

'' took place at the

, under the auspices of First Lady

and attended by

and other guests. It was directed by

and produced by Nora Ibsen. Together with the official opening of the Ibsen Year in Oslo, this was the highlight of the Ibsen Year. Several other cultural events related to Henrik Ibsen in collaboration between Norwegian and Egyptian authorities also took place in Egypt.

was awarded the

Ibsen Centennial Commemoration Award The Ibsen Centennial Commemoration Award (Norwegian: ''Ibsenstatuetten'') was awarded by the Government of Norway in commemoration of playwright Henrik Ibsen on the occasion of the 2006 Ibsen Year, the 100th anniversary of Ibsen's death. The prize ...

, as one of three officials of state to receive this honour (the other ones being the Queen and the Norwegian Foreign Minister).

United States

The Ibsen Year in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

was launched in New York on 1 March 2006 at the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

Cate Blanchett Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor. Regarded as one of the finest performers of her generation, she is known for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. She has received nu ...

, who played the title role in ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. The play has been can ...

'' in the

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in The Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Thea ...

's visiting performance there, was awarded the Ibsen Centennial Commemoration Award, presented by Minister of Equality

Karita Bekkemellem Karita Bekkemellem (born 15 January 1965 in Lillehammer) is a Norwegian politician. She belongs to the Norwegian Labour Party, where she leads the women's network. Karita Bekkemellem was the Minister of Children and Families in Jens Stoltenber ...

Organisation and planning

The planning committee, a government commission named the National Committee for the Ibsen Initiative (''Nasjonalkomiteen for Ibsensatsingen''), was appointed by the Ministry of Culture in 1997, and was headed by former Minister of Culture

. The committee's mandate ceased in 2006/2007, with the conclusion of the Ibsen Year. ''Ibsenåret AS'', a limited company, was the secretariat of the national committee, responsible for organising the Ibsen Year. It was first led by Steinar Hansson until his death in 2004, and then by

. Baardson recruited Ibsen's great-great-granddaughter, Nora Ibsen, as the producer of the Ibsen Year.

References

External links

The Ibsen year from A to ZLaunch of Ibsen Year 2006 - London
{{Henrik Ibsen 2006 in Norway Norwegian culture

Year A year or annus is the orbital period of a planetary body, for example, the Earth, moving in its orbit around the Sun. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by change in weather, the hou ...

Great Pyramid of Giza Centennial anniversaries

Egypt

United States

Organisation and planning

See also

References

External links