That Danish-Norwegian slave ships transported around 100,000 enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to work on plantations in the Caribbean is not part of our proudest history. Norway was in union with Denmark at the time, and the Danes’ colonial history in the Caribbean began with King Christian IV. But at any given time around a tenth of the crew on the Danish-Norwegian slave forts on the Gold Coast were Norwegian citizens. How to convey this in a theater performance? Kilden theater in Kristiansand has chosen to use shadow theatre. SLAVE FORTS: Denmark-Norway had at most six slave forts on the Gold Coast (today’s Ghana), i.e. a kind of castle where the enslaved were kept while they waited to be transported to the Danish colonial islands in the Caribbean. Photo: Lars Gunnar Liestøl Bold style Aesthetically, it’s a good choice. The performance is visually spectacular at times. The shadow theater scene is wrapped in a clapboard house adorned with dragon heads, here no national romanticism is spared. The play scene itself uses painted backdrops that are pushed onto the stage from the side, inspired by the baroque theater of the 18th century. This is also where the shadow theater takes place. The elaborate figures have been designed by the artist Håvard Steensen, and in the visual expression nothing is left to chance. The details of the play, the precise timing and the many mechanisms in the stage machinery behind the clapboarded timber walls make this an impressive theater experience. MACHINERY: There is a large amount of machinery needed to carry out the performance “Kill Devil”. Here, wind machines and lighting are important tools to create the experience of wind in the sails. Theater scenery inspired by the baroque theater is shown on the left of the picture. Photo: Lars Gunnar Liestøl Not only is the show brave in its use of shadow theater as an idiom. Petter Width Kristiansen, who is behind the performance, has included several passages with lingering scenes where the audience has the opportunity to take in what they have seen – and reflect on it. The strongest of these lingering passages shows a storm building. The wind becomes increasingly stronger in the soundscape, and the movements of the background waves increase in intensity. It’s like being on a ship in a storm. Effective and pretty cool. GAME: One of the ways to tell about the Norwegian participation in the slave trade is through a variant of the board game “The lost diamond”. This is shown on screens in the performance. In the game, several Norwegian cities are mentioned as strategic locations for trade with the Gold Coast. Photo: Lars Gunnar Liestøl Intense experience “Kill Devil” is both intense, refreshing, heavy and exhausting. That there is a thorough text work behind the performance is noticeable when you see it. Nevertheless, the text is not felt to be particularly accessible to the public. Among other things, it has to do with extensive use of texts written in the 18th century – performed as they were written. It requires great concentration on the part of the audience, especially when the lyrics are varied in performance. Sometimes mumbling, sometimes drowned out by visual effects, and sometimes they seem uninspired. There is no getting away from the fact that “Kill Devil” is a form of advanced theater of enlightenment, a kind of lesson. There is nothing wrong with that, but it makes the overall experience quite intense. Meet prepared And in the middle of this are the most beautiful stage pictures. There is a poetic undertone in the performance, even if it can appear demanding in certain passages. SUGAR: Sunrise over sugar cane plants. The performance has a number of beautiful nature images, including this one. Photo: Lars Gunnar Liestøl The shadow theater makes people appear equal in this idiom, regardless of where in the world they originate. At the same time, the performance could have challenged itself on a greater local connection. As it is now, it has become a story about Norway’s participation in the slave trade. The narrative would have become closer, perhaps also less heavy, if it could have been linked more closely to local conditions. In any case, you are a little wiser and a little more enlightened after watching “Kill Devil”. But to get the most out of the show, you should have read up a bit on the subject beforehand. Meeting prepared in the theatre, quite simply. news reviewer Photo: Lars Gunnar Liestøl Title: “Kill Devil” Stage: Kilden teater, Kristiansand Date: 18 October–9. November 2024 Director: Petter Width Kristiansen Scenography: Kjersti Alm Eriksen Storyboard and script development: Pelle Ask Playwright: Deise Faria Nunes Illustrator: Håvard Steensen Sound design: Simen Hefte Endresen Lighting design: Vitor Mendes Cast: Petter Width Kristiansen, Kjersti Alm Eriksen, Pelle Ask and Laura Christina Brøvig Vallenes WATCH “SLAVESKIPET” on news TV: A ship sinks during a storm in Skagerak. 200 years later, divers find ivory on the seabed off Arendal, traces that reveal Norway’s dark past and active role in the slave industry. Dramatized documentary from 2020. Published 22.10.2024, at 10.34
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“Kill Devil” at Kilden theater – Reviews and recommendations
