In 1983, nursing home manager Arnfinn Nesset was convicted of the premeditated murder of 22 of the residents at Orkdal nursing home. What was the biggest murder case in Norwegian history received a lot of attention, and the whistleblowers – the women who worked at the home – experienced a harsh treatment both in the courtroom and from the media. Before this, they had gone to work for several years with an increasingly strong suspicion that something was not quite right at their workplace. Now the Tournéteatret in Trøndelag tells the story of the heralds in a newly written theater performance. It is a sometimes intense theatrical experience. Arnfinn Nesset’s first TV interview: Wants the case reopened. Video: news A shadow in the corridors Notification of the employer has its price, and so does the silence afterwards. “Suspicion” shines a spotlight on what it means to notify, and what costs it has. Even when what is being reported is a matter of life and death. Nina Wester has written and directed “Suspicion”, a play that was created in close contact with several of the nurses who worked at the nursing home. In other words, it is a performance that is largely documentary, but at the same time it is fiction. On stage are three carers at the nursing home. The manager is not a character in the play, but can occasionally be seen as a shadow in the corridors. The three caregivers represent three different types: one young, one experienced, as well as their manager. Thus, status and rank are also part of the mix. NOT AFTER THE BOOK: Journals are checked in the staff room. The dynamic between the three actors Line Heie Hallem, Ingunn Birgitte Strige Øyen and Elisabeth Matheson is central to the intensity of the play. Photo: Øyvind Melum A series of dilemmas The stage is the carers’ staff room, the style was added in the early 80s. In one corner is a sort of quiet room where the telephone is located. The quiet room has glass walls, and it is an effective stage design to give the carers room to express what they cannot say or show in the staff room. The interaction between the caregivers, played by Line Heie Hallem, Ingunn Beate Strige Øyen and Elisabeth Matheson, is crucial. At the start, it feels somewhat stilted, short of breath and stiff, but as the surprising deaths take place, the dynamic between the actors improves. It is precisely the details of the game that bring out the various aspects and nuances of being in a situation that should be notified about: doubt and trust between the caregivers, the courage to confide and the height of the fall by risking it. The duty of confidentiality which must not be breached. The carers are faced with a number of dilemmas at the same time as they try to have a good time together in the staff room during the breaks. DOUBT: One by one they realize that something is wrong – terribly wrong – at Orkdal nursing home. From left: Line Heie Hallem and Elisabeth Matheson. Photo: Øyvind Melum The agony of compression One of Wester’s artistic moves in storytelling is to compress the narrative, among other things by letting the frequency of deaths intensify. It is necessary for the progress of the show, but at the same time it seems that a lot happens in a short time, even though the deaths took place over several years. The doubts that build up must therefore also be intensified. The carers are portrayed as powerful through this intensification. The accusations that what they were doing was just old wives’ tales and the demands from managers to keep this to themselves are becoming less weighty. But even if it goes away, they get a nuanced picture of how difficult it is to be in a possible notification situation. Øyen’s dynamic play in particular contributes to this. DYNAMICS: Dispelling the insane suspicion of an authority-faith ward nurse is not easy. Here are the carers in one of many intense discussions. From left: Elisabeth Matheson, Ingunn Beate Strige Øyen and Line Heie Hallem. Photo: Øyvind Melum Fast and Furious The text rubs something in the character building of who these nurses are when they are not at work. The prosecutor’s revolver question comes as unexpectedly and abruptly to the public as it must have done to the nurses. It feels like a quick trial in a TV series. The last scenes are the carers’ account of the time afterwards. How society accepted them, and how they were to live on with this in a small place. After the verdict, the murders were not to be talked about anymore, life was to go on in the local community. SCENE CHANGE: When the manager is imprisoned and the trial is about to begin, newspaper front pages count down on the carers as an expression of the massive media pressure they were exposed to. Photo: Øyvind Malum This last part of “Suspicion” poses a number of interesting questions that clearly point towards whistleblowing in our own time. Here the show could have explored more. Now the end comes fast and furious. Because in the silence afterwards lies a collective responsibility that no one can free themselves from. The way I saw the show, the carers experienced being blamed rather than grateful for the responsibility they took in notifying. “Suspicion” is a shocking story. Not only about horrific poison murders, but also about the ruthlessness of reporting. Although the performance is varied purely artistically, the subject matter makes this a disturbing and intense theater performance. news reviews Photo: Tourneteateret in Trøndelag Title: “Suspicion” Who: Tourneteateret in Trøndelag Where: Several places in Trøndelag and in Oslo When: 10 October to 24 November 2024 Cast: Line Heie Hallem, Ingunn Beate Strige Øyen, Elisabeth Matheson and Tore B. Granås Director and playwright: Nina Wester Playwright: Kristin Bjørn Lighting designer: Geir Ola Brattaker Costume designer, mask designer and scenographer: Daniel Åkerström Steen Sound designer: Kenneth Aksnes Hi! I review stage art and literature for news as a freelancer. Also read my reviews of “Det mørke fortet” by the Riksteatret, “Vildanden” by the National Ballet in the Opera, or “Moby Dick” by the Norske Teatret. Hear Arnfinn Nesset speak out in the podcast “The whole story”: Published 14.10.2024, at 12.51
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“Suspicion” at the Tour Theater in Trøndelag – Reviews and recommendations
