Shakespeare Company

Contributing authors: Steen Christiansen, Bill Davey, Ivan Ioujakov.

The company began way back in 1993 in September, when Anders Stubkjær, Andrew Miller, Andrew Bennet and Bill Davey agreed on forming a Shakespeare drama society composed of students from Aalborg University. Little did they know where things would lead. Fighting an uphill battle to find actors, musicians and more, they succeeded in putting on five successful performances of Twelfth Night in May 1994.

After summer, the company arose again, this time to perform A Midsummer-Night’s Dream, under the direction of Lorraine. This time, it was Bill Davey and Brian Carn who were the prime movers. Peter Bonnen made costumes for the play, and Pia Pedersen created the make-up. So, in 1995, the company once more succeeded in putting on a successful performance.

For 1996, As You Like It was up for grabs. This time, however, the director chose to move away from the archaic costumes and put on the play in contemporary clothes. Whether this was the reason for a less successful performance, or if it was merely an uninspired director, will be left unsaid.

However, no one can keep a good thing down and the Shakespeare Company struck back with a vengeance with Much Ado About Nothing. This time, for the first time, one of the actors of the company rose to become director, namely Peter Simonsen. Using the facilities of Det Hem’lige Teater, the company was able to give its most professional performances to date. Costumes, music, make-up and lighting were all made by professionals, as well as the choreography and sculptures. 1997 was a good year for the Shakespeare Company.

Due to the twin hazards of work and infant twins, Bill Davey sadly had to leave the company as active participant. Thus, all chronicling from here on is penned by Steen Christiansen.

Next year’s performance, however, did not seem to be a good year, since we were unable to locate a director. However, suddenly exchange student Jody showed up and we were able to put up The Merry Wives of Windsor. This was once more done at Det Hem’lige Teater, and attracted huge crowds in 1998.

Along came the time for the next performance, and once more the company had no director in sight. Finally, two unsuspecting members of the company were persuaded into taking on the mantle of directing A Midsummer-Night’s Dream. These two poor, ill-informed people were Jesper Larsen and Steen Christiansen. We succeeded in getting Jako-Bole Teatret as our venue, and working hard we were able to give five performances in May 1999.

2000 could have been the millenial edition of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, take two for the company, under the direction of Brian Carn who returned to the company. Unfortunately, the gods of theatre decided otherwise, as we were unable to procure a location on which to unfold our revelries. We called the play off and vowed to meet again next year.

However, life conspired against Brian Carn and he became a father once more, and had no more time for theatre. We recruited Maria K. Reinholdt Jensen and Rune Kastrup Madsen to do Twelfth Night. And a fine job it turned out to be, as in May 2001 six performances were held once more at Jako-Bole Teatret, to the great satisfaction of the crowd.

2002 saw the return of the Dynamic Duo of Jesper Larsen and Steen Christiansen, who thrust themselves upon The Tempest. Hard work, plenty of beer and the incomparable music of Jesper Trier Pedersen and Casper Christensen ensured a success at the fine venue of Det Hem’lige Teater, a return to a fine theatre and so five performances were held in 2002.

The once-musician-turned-director Jesper Trier Pedersen carried the torch in 2003, aided and abetted by Signe Heering and the Russian incarnation of Ivan Ioujakov. They cast their affections on As You Like It, and people most certainly did. In April 2003 the company gave five very successful performances of the play, once more at Det Hem’lige Teater, our venue of choice.

The Company’s 10^th anniversary in 2004 was marked by a return to the classical love intrigue of Much Ado About Nothing. The play was directed by Ivan Ioujakov, who was closely assisted by Sven Rommenhöller as well as other members of the board. For this occasion, the music was created by Kristian Stephansen, and although the media stayed away from the press conference, the play was well attended at Det Hem’lige Teater by our loyal fans.

The following year, Brit Jørgensen and Kim Bruun Dreyer ventured upon directing a little magical play called A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The interest of the local press had returned to stay, and 2005 saw a lot of new members in leading roles  ensuring yet another successful season at Det Hem’lige Teater. This occasion also marked the last appearance of the loathed (and inevitably beer-stained) green carpet, which had become a company trademark.

Many-a-time leading lady Maria Bassé Mortensen, armed with coffee and cigarettes and supported by producer Jette Mørk Poulsen, put on the director’s coat and found herself untangling the bitter-sweet love intrigues and character assassination plots of Twelfth Night. Although performed by the company for the third time, this play once again attracted huge audiences to Det Hem’lige Teater in May 2006.

The season of 2007 looked glum until the now seasoned members of the company Steen Christiansen and Ivan Ioujakov stepped up and widened the repertoire of the company with The Taming of the Shrew. The fact that the play had never been played by the company earlier made everyone even more eager to do a good job, and as the performance turned out a great success, some members began to wonder whether the time was ripe to break with the company’s ‘comedies only’ dogma.

The talk of trying new things notwithstanding, Det Hem’lige Teater was once again the venue of choice when Anne Jensen and Kim Bruun Dreyer plunged themselves into the ruthless and shipwreck-ridden waters of the magical plot of The Tempest. Performed for the second time within a decade, the play of 2008 was a great success with the audiences. Off-stage, the winds of change were stirring so strongly that they could be ignored no longer.

The switch from comedy to tragedy was marked by turning the stage of Det Hem’lige Teater 180 degrees, thus changing the perspective of the spectators as the company also engaged Shakespeare from a new angle. Jákup Jakobsen was assisted by Steen Christiansen in his daring venture of putting on the company’s first tragedy. Although Macbeth played during the Easter holidays of 2009, the house was full almost every night marking the success of the company’s first stab at tragedy.

The company and its loyal fans are holding their breath as the production of the controversial play entitled The Merchant of Venice is slowly getting under way. The season of 2010 will see the return of Maria Bassé Mortensen to the director’s chair with the chairperson Anne Jensen producing.