Anette Norgaard Blog

Press - The Fundamentalist

2011-08-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

THE NEW YORKER ONLINE LISTINGS

GOINGS ON ABOUT TOWN: THE THEATRE NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL FRINGE FESTIVAL The wide-ranging festival’s fifteenth season brings nearly two hundred companies to twenty downtown venues. Highlights include “The Day the Sky Turned Black,” a drama by Ali Kennedy Scott, based on the stories of survivors of the catastrophic bushfires in Australia in 2009; Juha Jokela’s “The Fundamentalist,” presented by Scandinavian American Theatre Company; and, in true Fringe spirit, “Jersey Shoresical: A Frickin’ Rock Opera,” by Daniel Franzese and Hanna LoPatin. Opens August 12, closes August 28

BACK STAGE:
The Fundamentalist

Scandinavian American Theater Company at the IATI Theater as part of the New York International Fringe Festival

Reviewed by Erik Haagensen for BACK STAGE
AUGUST 17, 2011

Anyone with a last name such as mine has to give a warm welcome to the first Scandinavian play ever to grace the New York International Fringe Festival. The fact that it is about one of the most important topics of our day, fundamentalism, is an added bonus. But though Juha Jokela's two-hander comes with the imprimatur of the 2008 Nordic Drama Award for best play, what's on stage at the IATI Theater is definitely a mixed bag. Liberal middle-aged priest Father Markus (it's never identified if he is Roman Catholic or Episcopalian) is visited out of the blue by Heidi, who once was an 18-year-old favorite student of his at religious summer camp. Now Heidi is a born-again evangelical Christian and has decided that she must convert Markus, whom she hasn't seen since camp 15 years ago, before his scandalous book of revisionist theology, "Purging the Cathedral," can be published. Instead, it's Markus who causes the married Heidi to doubt her faith, and the two are soon engaged in a sexual affair. It doesn't end well, of course, and Heidi ends up in a mental institution while Markus is seriously chastened, to the point that he tells Heidi that it's just by chance that she ended up there instead of him. In Eva Buchwald's English translation, the relentlessly talky script too often fails to engage. Jokela has some intelligent insights into the psychological makeup that predisposes people to absolutist beliefs, but his characters seem curiously remote. He also errs in setting up a false equivalency between Markus and Heidi by having the priest commit an act of sexual molestation on the teenage girl that has arrested her development and thus made her vulnerable to fundamentalism. That act makes any honest comparison of the characters' different ways of thinking impossible. Under Sebastian Nyman Agdur's somewhat studied direction, Adam Smith Jr. commits fully to this thin-blooded, overintellectualized theologian, but he can't do much to make us sympathize with him. Anette Norgaard is more successful as Heidi, particularly in delineating the differences in physicality and vocal patterns among the young girl, the brainwashed woman, and the passionate adulterous lover. Photo by Amie Tucker
Presented by Scandinavian American Theater Company as part of the New York

International Fringe Festival at the IATI Theater, 64 E. Fourth St., NYC. Aug. 15–25. Remaining performances: Sat., Aug. 20, 2:15 p.m.; Mon., Aug. 22, 8:30 p.m.; Wed., Aug. 24, 3 p.m.; Thu., Aug. 25, 6 p.m. (866) 468-7619 or www.fringenyc.org.

David Roberts - Theatre Critic

"The Fundamentalist" FringeNYC 2011 Reviewed on August 15, 2011
"The Fundamentalist" FringeNYC 2011 Written by Juha Jokela (Translated by Eva Buchwald)
Directed by Sebastian Nyman Agdur
With Adam Smith, Jr. (Markus) and Anette Norgaard (Heidi)

Reviewed by David Roberts

The Scandinavian American Theater Company's first FringeNYC submission is a successful exploration of the ongoing debate between religious fundamentalists and religious moderates-liberals. This chronic (and often vitriolic) debate continued to have a profound effect on social progress in nation-states throughout the world. SATC's "The Fundamentalist" focuses this debate in a dramatic clash between Markus a priest who has abandoned his position as a parish priest and Heidi one of his former youth group members who has come to visit him fifteen years after he last saw her. Why does Markus tell the story of this relationship to a group of former parishioners and supporters? Heidi's current church, The Church of the Living Word (pastored by Heidi's husband) has labeled Markus an instrument of the devil. This label is not bestowed upon him simply because of his liberal (satanic) theology which he expresses in his book; he "deserves" the appellation because of something that happened between him and Heidi those many years ago. Adam Smith, Jr. is a convincing and complex Father Markus. He skillfully unfolds Markus's story of memory, emotion, guilt, confession, forgiveness, and redemption. Anette Norgaard's adolescent-to-adult Heidi engages the audience in her convoluted and clearly conflicted history with her former priest. The tension between their characters as the play rehearses their past and their present centers around the core of meaning of both liberalism and fundamentalism. However, beneath playwright Juha Jokela's carefully structured theological argument between Markus and Heidi simmers a history of emotional and psycho-sexual tension. Director Sebastian Nyman Agdur brings out the very best of script and actors in this must-see performance at the IATI Theatre. What really happened or might have happened between Markus and Heidi will astound you and the ending of the play will linger with you for a very long time.

nytheatre.com review

FringeNYC Festival Review Case Aiken · August 13, 2011

The Fundamentalist, an award winning Finnish play by Juha Jokela making its English language debut at this year’s New York International Fringe Festival, is a thought-provoking, albeit at times ponderous, piece. Told from the vantage point of a retired minister, Markus (Adam Smith, Jr.), it recounts his struggles with faith and the influence one woman, Heidi (Anette Norgaard), has had on it. Markus recounts his relationship with this woman, with key scenes being acted out between the two of them, revealing the struggle that he faces between human sexuality and religion. I appreciated how the show neither pulls any punches nor attempts to present a singular answer. The play is deeply personal. It highlights Markus’s professional life as a minister who speaks out against Fundamentalist Christians, as well as his personal life where his relationship with the much more conservative but seemingly malleable Heidi acts as a motivation for him to become even more vocal about his issues with the more ravenously faithful. Markus explores his past but never tries to paint himself as a hero, nor does he completely break down and present himself as a monster. He sees the harm he’s caused and doesn’t know how to right it. Every effort he makes to do the right thing is colored by his own feelings for Heidi. While he wants what in his mind is the best for her, it ultimately is only destructive. I think The Fundamentalist is a very well developed discussion of religion versus human sexuality. In particular, Smith, as Markus, does a fantastic job with the extremely difficult material of the piece. Honestly, with a piece like this, technical elements are not particularly necessary, but set and lighting design by Starlet Jacobs and Bruce A. Kraemer respectively do a fine job of adding to the story. This is an example of a play with a very strong concept and great performances, however it is not an easy to watch play. It can
be overly dark and there is little levity to offset the more painfully poignant moments. I think there are great points raised, but I would have liked some happier or more lighthearted scenes to balance them out. I can see why it won the Nordic Drama Award; the play is a solid work and I can fully recommend it to any audience member looking for a deeper discussion of religion.

Opened: August 13, 2011 Closes: August 25, 2011 Artists Involved  Author: Juha Jokela  Director: Sebastian Nyman Agdur  Producer: Scandinavian American Theater Company

Nordstjernan
by Hanna Aqvilin

'Sensitive but unclassified…'

Finnish playwright Juha Jokela is in New York to see the adaptation of his award winning play, The Fundamentalist, which opens Saturday, Aug. 13 as part of The Fringe festival.

HEIDI: I have come to remind you that you too can receive this gift. Jesus' invitation is open to all. (pause)
MARKUS: Yeah, well as you probably realize, that's not exactly classified information. I mean, I am a pastor. (Two lines from Juha Jokela’s play The Fundamentalist)

He’s in town to see the adaptation of his award winning play, The Fundamentalist. Not overseeing it mind you, micromanaging is not Finnish playwright Juha Jokela’s style and besides, the production is brought to the New York stage by the local Scandinavian American Theater Company. “It will be interesting to see what they have done with my play”, says Juha Jokela with a smile. It's one day before his play's premiere at the Fringe festival, which is the largest multi-arts festival in North America, with more than 200 companies from all over the world performing for 16 days. “I know the play is in good hands. I am just glad that people in the world find it inspiring. If someone had told me five years ago that my play would be performed in New York I would not have believed them.” Juha Jokela was a believer. He found his faith when at fifteen he participated in a confirmation camp – not uncommon prior to the first communion in the Nordic countries. The following years he was an active Christian but when he was around twenty he started to question his beliefs and began to ask himself what fundamentalism means and how it reflects on your mind. Ten years passed before he could finally get his inner thoughts on paper and the play that opens Aug. 13 at IATI Theater was created. “There are only two characters on stage. Marcus, a man and former priest who wants to make publicly known how he lost his fate. Heidi, a former student, whom he knew 15 years earlier has turned into a religious extremist and now enters his life again. She seeks him out to save him and make him open fully and totally to Jesus,” said the playwright and added “the play is challenging and emotional. The audience will reflect about religion and the play illustrates how far humans are willing to go in order to follow their beliefs. The subject of fundamentalism is current, it has always been present and has caused a lot of sorrow throughout the years.”

The Fundamentalist by Juha Jokela, winner of the Nordic Drama Award 2008,
opens Aug. 13, 8:30 p.m. at IATI Theater, 64 East 4th ST. Other performances: 8/15, 4:00 p.m., 8/20, 2:15 p.m. 8/22, 8:30 p.m., 8/24, 3:00 p.m. and 8/25, 6:00 p.m. For tickets visit www.fringenyc.org (This is the first time a Scandinavian play is presented at The Fringe) More info on Scandinavian America Theater Company: www.satcnyc.org

The Fundamentalist in NYC

2011-08-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 15 @ 4 PM
Saturday, August 20 @ 2:15 PM
Monday, August 22 @ 8:30 PM
Wednesday, August 24 @ 3 PM
Thursday, August 25 @ 6 PM

The Fundamentalist

by Juha Jokela

Directed by Sebastian Nyman Agdur
Featuring Adam Smith Jr. & Anette Norgaard

FRINGE VENUE #10:
IATI THEATER, 64 East 4th St
New York NY 10003

What is fundamentalism? Reformed minister Markus is approached by Heidi, his former student turned religious extremist, who wants to save him.
“THE FUNDAMENTALIST” forces us to question our values, worldview, faith and human responsibility.

Translation by Eva Buchwald

Set Design: Starlet Jacobs
Sound Design: Stefan Bensaid
Light Design: Bruce A! Kraemer
Stage Manager: Lina Renzina
Production Manager: Lisa Pettersson
Design: Kwasi Osei
Producers:
Albert Bendix, Henning Hegland,
Vigdis Hentze Olsen

Press Contact:Albert Bendix
Phone: 646-508-2263 or E-mail: contact@satcnyc.org

SATC's 'HOME SWEET HOME'

2010-10-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

the award winning play

HOME SWEET HOME

by Andreas Garfielddirected by
Christoffer Berdaltranslated by
Lisa Pettersson

U.S.A.
Premiere
Kim, a former Sergeant in the Danish army, and his girlfriend Iben, an editor of women's magazines, are preparing a "welcome home" dinner for Carsten, Kim's lifelong friend and once his Captain in the army. Cartsten has recently returned from service in Iraq and arrives for dinner handsome and fit. But during the evening, the couple are confronted with a person whose personality has become dark and secretive and whose understanding of life has become radically different from theirs. A pleasant reunion becomes a fatal evening where all three characters' relationships, values and principles are tested. Inspired by interviews with real Danish solders, award-winning ”Home Sweet Home” reveals the traumatic experience of war and the unsympathetic indifference of home as refracted through a Nordic country.

CAST: Albert Bendix, Lisa Pettersson, Brian Smolin
SET: Marte Ekhaugen
LIGHTS: Joe Novak
VIDEO: Sebastian Nyman Agdur
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Sofia Dubrawsky
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER: John Nehlich
PRODUCTION: Henning Hegland, Anette Nordgaard, Elin Eggertsdottir

for more info and tickets go to
www.satcnyc.org

2010-10-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

HELLO.

I was just apart of the fabulous reading of SATC's at Scandinavia House

WHAT A GREAT PLAY.
And thank you to all who came out to support

__________________________________________________________________________________

For Sheer Love of Me

BY ANNA KROGERUS

OCTOBER 18, 2010

Pre-reception at 7:30 pm, reading at 8 pm
Scandinavia House – Volvo Hall
58 Park Avenue (Between W 37th & W 38th St.)

The Northcliff family is slowly crumbling in their lavish apartment. Tea, an interior decorator, and her husband Lauri, a TV psychologist, are growing apart, while their ten year-old daughter, Sylvia, becomes increasingly lonely and isolated. Their suppressed feelings begin to surface with the arrival of their new neighbor, which leads to an inevitable collision. For Sheer Love of Me is a perceptive, compassionate and subtly humorous drama about alienation within a family.

Directed by Kathleen Amshoff

Starring Kaia Foss (Norway), Tullan Holmqvist (Sweden), Anette Norgaard (Denmark), Sean Kazarian (USA) and Eija Ranta (Finland) as The Reader.

Dramatically Different going up in New York City

2010-09-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

2010-05-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

August Strindberg's
Miss Julie
Adapted by Craig Lucas

Midsummer — the longest day of the year. A duo in a dance of power, sex, dreams and violence swirling out of control: Miss Julie and her father's valet, dreaming of a different life, bring their conflict of class, wealth and gender into the cook's arena of the kitchen. With soundscapes, video and dynamic physical staging, Scandinavian American Theater Company (satc) brings August Strindberg's timeless classic to the stage in Victor Borge Hall.

Visit www.satcnyc.org.

June 10–12, 17–19
at Scandinavia House 58 Park Ave. at 38th St.
All performances at 7:30 pm

TICKETS: $18–25
For reservations, call: (212) 847-9740
or visit: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/113359
or purchase tickets in person at Scandinavia House.

SATC Opening

2010-04-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

HAND in HAND

BY SOFIA FREDÉN

TRANSLATED by EDWARD BUFFALO BROMBERG

They're young. They're wild. They're looking... for an apartment. At any price. At a time when everything has its price. Aaron and Peter are brothers. Nina and Allan have been together. Nadja meets Peter first, then Aaron. And Gary, Aaron and Peter's father, would rather meet Nina than sort out his role as a father.

SATC brings you a reading of Hand in Hand: A dark fast-paced comedy filled with repartee that rattles forth like Morse code — a fictitious report from a young, urban world.

Directed by Anders Cato and featuring special guest Danish Academy Award Nominee Charlotte Munck.

Cast: Charlotte Munck, Albert Bendix, Henning Hegland, Kwasi Osei, Vigdis Hentze Olsen, Tom Creel and Lisa Pettersson with stage directions read by Anette Norgaard

Also for Scandinavian American Theater Company: Elín Eggertsdóttir and Sebastian Agdur Nyman

www.satcnyc.org

2010-02-19T08:26:00.000-08:00

Scandinavian American Theater Company is producing 'Dramatically Different' in New York at the end of September 2010, more info will follow..... read more about Scandinavian American Theater Company at www.satc.org

Scandianvian American Theater Company

2009-12-18T10:40:00.000-08:00

Oh my, what a launch party we had at Scandinavian American Theater Company SATC, We thank you all for your support. If you wish to make a donation to our future produtions and read more about us go to www.satcnyc.org.
...and Happy Holidays:-)

Scandinavian American Theater Company

2009-07-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

I am proud to announce that Scandinavian American Theater Company (SATC) is a reality. Our first full performance is scheduled for May 2010, a modern dance/theater version of Strindbergs "Miss Julie".

More info to follow.....

Bellevue Sketches

2009-06-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

I am in a wonderful, crazy original musical playing Off-Broadway from this Thursday June 11th- 14th and again Thursday June 18th-21st, 10 performances total. Check it out and buy tickets at www.bellevuesketches.com if you use code:RAE you get $5 off the Tickets. If you have valid Student ID use code: STUDENTTICKET and get your tickets for $25.
Hope to see you there

Dramatically Different and more

2009-04-03T04:47:00.000-07:00

Hello Hello,

Yes, I am still here, I know it has been a while, time flies when your having fun. The Dramatically Different website is now up and runing and the CD soundtrack for the show available for sale online at Cdbaby. The links are www.dramaticallydifferentproductions.com and www.cdbaby.com/cd/anettenorgaard
All sales of the CD goes to the off-Broadway production of Dramatically Different. We also accept donations on the website, go to www.dramaticallydifferentproductions.com, then to donations, and follow the instructions on the page.

The recession will not last forever and we believe.....

Thank you all for your support

Anette

Fall in New York City

2008-11-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

....Greetings before the holiday season gets started from a cold Autumn stricken New York.
Dramatically Different is still moving forward even if it is at a more leisurely pace than expected, we are working out the kinks and soon the website will be up and running and the CD will be available for sale on CDbaby and iTunes. We are now looking to put our wonderful show up in the later part of spring 2009.... so stay tuned....

Summer

2008-07-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, time flies when your having fun!

I have lots to tell.....

My show Dramatically Different is workshopping in Tiverton, Rhode Island 1st-3rd Aug. How exciting is that!!!. Check out "Dramatically Different Productions" at www.myspace.com/dramaticallydifferent and get a sample of what the music and visuals are like.
Furthermore the CD - Dramatically Different - with the soundtrack from the show, will be available soon....though not as promised before, on my birthday....well you can't have it all I guess. However it will be available very very soon so stay tuned

Have a fabtabulous summer

Dramatically Different

2008-03-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

Oh how time flies when your having fun.....

All is well as I am in the studio recording the soundtrack "Dramatically Different" with music by the fantabulous Charlie Demos. We hope to release the CD on iTunes in the US and in Denmark on my birthday at the end of July 2008.

....So stay tuned

On Danish TV

2007-12-22T13:14:00.000-08:00

Check me out on Danish TV the 22nd of December 2007
here's the link

http://www.tv2nord.dk/default.asp?PageID=4&ProgrammePartID=122807&ProgrammeDate=22-12-2007&Start=00:07:20&Duration=00:03:06&FileName=221207.wmv

Cell update

2007-11-27T14:51:00.000-08:00

Hey,
Check out the production photos from "Cell"
and other related updates
http://cellthemovie.blogspot.com/

December Concerts in Denmark

2007-11-13T17:08:00.000-08:00

Time passes so fast when you're having fun.....

I am doing a few Christmas concerts in Denmark in December and looking forward to the holiday season.

"Cell" the movie is taking form and hope to be released in the early spring 2008.

Other than that I am working on my Diva skills with Billy Porter, and having fun in New York City.

Charlie Demos http://www.soulfulboi.com/ is writing the music for my show "Dramatically Different" and it is wonderful....this is gonna be one hell of a show, ladies and gentlemen - keep an eye out in August 2008

Love.....

I Know....

2007-10-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know. I promised a September update.....well it didn't happen and now it is October! Time flies when your having fun.

Of news I can mention that I won the William Haraldson, Honarable Mention, Judges Award late in September, and have been working hard on my show "Dramatically Different"....

I am still in love with New York and is planing concerts in Denmark in December. Details will be posted as we get nearer.

Concert - Denmark

2007-08-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,
I am singing a Concert called "En Søndag på Mors" this coming sunday August 12th.
www.morskoncert.dk

....And when I return to New York I am going upstate for the filming of "Cell" with PTC

Next update September.....
Take care