herStay presents: Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society

herStay on international tour June, 14th to 22nd, 2009, Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society

herStay performing in Shanghai, June 17, 18th in Xianhui Hall Shanghai

herSta y i n Hong Kong, China, November 16th - 25th 2008

herStay in Youth Magazine VISION SEPTEMBER, Beijing, Mainland China 2008:
Give Body to the Future
A 3 page photo & interview presentation on Monica Emilie Herstad, herStay
BUYERS: 300 000 IN EDITION MONTHLY
Text: Liu Ying, VISION, YOUTH MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2008
"Monica Emilie, one of the most experimental dance & performance artists in Norway, is demonstrating for students with her performance on how to communicate with space via body language. This performance comes from ”Past Is Simulation”, the sub-title of “The Lady of the sea vs. Nora, And Other Stories Of the Society ”, inspired by the writings of Henrik Ibsen, Susan Sontag, and Elfriede Jelinek. The course she directs - On Body and Context - aims to sharpen the students' perception and the awareness of differences between live performance and the projected being.
The traditional stereotype of the photographer waiting, choosing and recording a visual moment has been left behind by contemporary photography. Contemporary photography, instead of entering into the art checklist alongside painting, installation and performance, has turned itself into a multi-functioned platform open to all the art mediums which conjunct all the art forms and keeps bringing out new meanings. As for Monica, a dance & performance artist, the collaboration with photo artists has always been an important aspect in her creation. “The photographs of my performance is produced as powerful imagery that also function independently as herStay photography in addition to documenting an event,” Monica said, “and with the students of photo art I often get a fresh feeling and a fresh brain,” which makes her even more creative"

herStay in Shanghai June 2009:
"To whom it may concern,
The 12th International Ibsen conference was helt at Fudan University from June 14, to 20, 2009.
herStay attended the conference with two performance presentations, Twirl and Past is simulation.
We are very grateful to herStay´s participation and the contribution to the Ibsen studies.
Your sincerely,
Sun Jian
Professor and Chair, The Organizing Committee
The 12th International Ibsen Conference
Fudan University

herStay in Hong Kong November 2008:
herStay presents Monica Emilie Herstads performance Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society at On&On Theatre in Hong Kong. With gratitude to Royal Norwegian Embassy Beijing, Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norwegian Association for Performing Arts, Foundation for Performing Artists, and others.
Schedule: 19th of November at 5 pm and 8 pm
Address: On&On Theatre

Monica Emilie Herstad presents a lecture on "Ibsen and the modern self Conference" in Hong Kong 21st of November 2008, at the international conference organized by Hong Kong Open University, Hong Kong Baptist University and Guangdong University for Forreign Studies on the topic "Cross cultural Stagings of Ibsen and the Modern Self", location: Hong Kong Baptist University, at 11.15 am

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Chinese experts on Monica Emilie Herstad´s presentation on stage "Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society" and her conference paper presented in HK recently:
"It reminds us of your elegant presentation on your dance work and the theme of women in Ibsen’s plays."
(...) "it was a specialists’ conference and the papers were of an exceptionally high quality."
- Dean and professor KK Tam, School of Arts and Social Sciences, The Open University of Hong Kong, December 2008

Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society:

M o n i c a E m i l i e H e r s t a d
Choreography, Dance, Concept, Manuscript, Thesis

herStay Asia Tour original cast & crew:

Monica Emilie Herstad (Norway)
Concept, Choreography, Stage, Manuscript, Dance

Hicham Bouddén (Norway)
Music, sound, indoor plane

Minna Heikkilä (Finland)
Lights

Dancers: Maria Ryther Hoem (Norway), Beata Kretovicova (Norway/ Slovakia/ Iceland), Kenya Foss Parsons (Norway/ US)/ Andrea Csaszni Rygh (Norway/ Hungary/ Sweden), Tatsiana Riber Sparre (Norway/ Belarusse)

Stagedesign, Costumes and visual expression, performers casting, looks and scenography:
Monica Emilie Herstad

With Assistance from Birger Løkeng, hairstyling and make-up, HOPE

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Introduction:
Monica Emilie Herstad contributes with her project to increase the understanding of layers of melancholy in the reading of Ibsen performance, relevant in today´s society

Monica Emilie Herstad emphasizes the energy of anticipation, as a comprehensive device for directing and choreography of a performance, in this case her project Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society. An approach to her work, is through the understanding of Elfriede Jelinek´s anarchistic way of relating to Ibsen´s female characters, in her text Was geschah nachdem Nora ihren Mann verlassen hatte oder Stützen der Gesellschaften, in comparition to the physical patterns of actions, that Susan Sontag were accomodating, rewriting The Lady from the Sea, suitable for visual performance

Monica Emilie Herstad is connected to Centre for Ibsen Studies as a Independent Guest Research, with her project Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society, since 2005

Her project and touring is since 2005 with gratitude funded in part with the Royal Norwegian Ministery of Foreign Affairs, Norwegian Association for Performing Arts, The Norwegian Arts Council, Foundation for Performing Artists, Ship Owner Wilhelmsens Fundation, and others

Project schedule:
Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society:

2009 international tour:

June 2009, international tour, Shanghai, Xianhui Hall June 17th at 7pm, 18th at 4pm

2008:

Hong Kong, China November 19th 2008:
On&On Theatre, at 5pm and 8pm

November 21st 2008 at 11.15 am:
Monica Emilie Herstad presents a lecture on "Ibsen and the modern self Conference" in HK 21st of November 2008 at Hong Kong Open University on the topic "Cross cultural Stagings of Ibsen and the Modern Self", location Baptist University Hong Kong at 11.15 am

April 2nd, 2008:
Monica Emilie Herstad presents her lecture: "Past is simulation", the contemporary Ibsen performance: -A discussion between motivation and action" at Centre for Ibsenstudies at 2.15 pm, in Oslo, In-House Seminar as Monica Emilie Herstad holds a Guest Research Stay at Centre for Ibsen Studies UiO in connection with her project since 2005

January 2008, 17, 18:
herStay opening Bangkok Fringe Festival, with performances at 7.30 pm both 17th and 18th at Theater in The Garden, Mainstage at Patravadi Theatre

January 11, 2008:
herStay in New Delhi at LTG Auditorium at 3pm and 6 pm at India Theater Festival Bharat Rang Mahotsav 10 Year Golden Jubilée co-ordinated by National School of Drama

January 14th 2008:
herStay in Mumbai at Nehru Centre, 7pm, at India Theater Festival Bharat Rang Mahotsav 10 Year Golden Jubilée, co-ordinated by National School of Drama, Satelite Festival

November 2006:
November 23d – 26th 2006, 1 hrs version of the performance Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society, at Oslo Black Box Theater

November 3d 2006:
Monica Emilie Herstad´s presentation and paper on Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society, at the international conference Local and Global: Ibsen inbetween East and West, in Bergen / UiB

September 15th 2006:
Monica Emilie Herstad is opening the KULTURNATT OSLO at 6pm in Oslo, with excerpts of the performance Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society

herStay August 21st 2006:
Monica Emilie Herstad presents excerpts of her performance Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society, at the Opening Ceremony of The XI International Ibsen Conference 2006 in Universitets Aula. Official opening by her Majesty Queen Sonja

herStay August 16th 2006:
herStay at Rådhusgalleriet. Monica Emilie Herstad presents excerpts of her performance Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society, at the opening of the exhibition A visual journey through inner landscape. The exhibition was co-produced by Sølvberget KF, Oslo Kommune, and Trygve Lie Gallery NY

June 15th 2006:
Monica Emilie Herstad presents excerpts of of the performance Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society, at Centre for Ibsen Studies´ Summer Celebration

April 29th 2006:
at the festival OSLO CELEBRATES IBSEN, she presented her performance at the opening gathering of Henrik Ibsensgate, at 7.juni plass, and in Slottsparken, to everyones satisfaction

April 28th 2006:
Monica Emilie Herstad was invited with her performance to the Mairs Reception in Oslo Townhall

February 10th 2006:
the first, official presentation of the performance project, in herStay studio, for invited guests

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Interview in Mumbai Time Out 2/ 2008, India Times/ Jansatta January 12th, Pioneer January 15th, The Hindu Magazine February 10th, National TV New Delhi January 11th.

NRK P2 Scenerom January 2nd 2007, Kunstkritikk December 8th 2006, Norsk Shakespeare- & Teatertidsskrift 1 - 2007, and in 2006: Dagsavisen 29th and 30th of April, NRK Lørdagsrevyen April 29th, NRK Østlandssendingen April 28th, TV 2 Nyheter 29.April, and such:

herStay in Vogue´ish Youth Magazine VISION SEPTEMBER China 2008:
Give Body to the Future
A 3 page photo & interview presentation on Monica Emilie Herstad, herStay
BUYERS: 300 000 IN EDITION MONTHLY
Text: Liu Ying, VISION, YOUTH MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2008
Monica Emilie, one of the most experimental dance & performance artists in Norway, is demonstrating for students with her performance on how to communicate with space via body language. This performance comes from ”Past Is Simulation”, the sub-title of “The Lady of the sea vs. Nora, And Other Stories Of the Society ”, inspired by the writings of Henrik Ibsen, Susan Sontag, and Elfriede Jelinek. The course she directs - On Body and Context - aims to sharpen the students' perception and the awareness of differences between live performance and the projected being.
The traditional stereotype of the photographer waiting, choosing and recording a visual moment has been left behind by contemporary photography. Contemporary photography, instead of entering into the art checklist alongside painting, installation and performance, has turned itself into a multi-functioned platform open to all the art mediums which conjunct all the art forms and keeps bringing out new meanings. As for Monica, a dance & performance artist, the collaboration with photo artists has always been an important aspect in her creation. “The photographs of my performance is produced as powerful imagery that also function independently as herStay photography in addition to documenting an event,” Monica said, “and with the students of photo art I often get a fresh feeling and a fresh brain,” which makes her even more creative.
-Youth Magazine VISION SEPTEMBER China 2008

Chinese experts on Monica Emilie Herstad´s presentation on stage "Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society" and her conference paper presented in HK recently:
"It reminds us of your elegant presentation on your dance work and the theme of women in Ibsen’s plays."
(...) "it was a specialists’ conference and the papers were of an exceptionally high quality."
- Dean and professor KK Tam, School of Arts and Social Sciences, The Open University of Hong Kong, December 2008

2008, January 7th - 15th, herStay i New Delhi and Mumbai;
herStay in New Delhi at LTG Auditorium the 11th of January at 2.30 and 6 pm, and in Mumbai, at Nehru Centre, the 14th at 6.30 pm, all at The India Theater Festival Bharat Rang Mahotsav at National School of Drama 10 Years Golden Jubilée of the festival, with the herStay performance Past is simulation - the ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society:

"Monica Emilie Herstad is bringing a new discourse to stage"
- Ajit Rai, Jansatta/ India Times January 12th, 2008

"A study of the postmodern woman on the stage"
"To escape the feeling of unease, a woman flees to the seashore, repeatedely. For hours she gazes at a flying bird. As another female character seems to search for reason, in the darkness, through dance gestures. While leaving, a third is suddenly startled. The fourth attempts a suicide. The fifth shudders abruptly with fear. The sixth, the seventh, the eight, and, in similar manners, innumerable women appears, with patterns of actions since times immemorial. For example: doing housework, loving someone, rearing children, quarrel with husband, being whipped, or shedding tears.
These female characters, who emerges out of the dramas of Norway’s famous dramatist Henrik Ibsen, came together on stage in the presentation directed by Monica Emilie Herstad in her Past is Simulation: The Ladies of the Sea vs Nora and other Stories of the society. The staging took place at the ninth day of the India Theatre Festival at the LTG Auditorium.
Enacted in New Delhi and Mumbai, and with generousity of the Norwegian Embassy, this play is important from several points of view. The woman director searches for a new stage language by new ways of acting, light-designing and presenting music, for the dance performance. It succeeds way beyond words. This is not Physical Theatre, where, through the agency of body language and the language of gestures, a script assumes shape in a formless manner.
This is a total experience of dramatic art beyond words.
The audience sees a new kind of dance performance in a new space. It comprises the full potential for a transformation of the imaginativeness of the audience.
The performance is so attracting, that one is not getting aware of the time at all.
This is a postmodern global text on stage.
Monica Emilie Herstad is – instead of promoting a rather acerb image of the women or of showing protest – performing a deep examination, from the ingress into the innermost core.
She is creating an ironic disguise of the texts of Ibsen’s dramas. It is exactly this ironic disguise which develops into a comment on the images of women in the present milieu.
Her actresses appear on stage with high heeled shoes, contemporary hair-do, and hyper-modern dresses. They show in ironic disguise different matters of concern of the women, and their emotional expressions and body movements, in deep, white, faint light, together with mystical music. These matters of concern are selected from the lives of Ibsen’s women.
The performance has its background mainly from the lives of the protagonist Ellida and her two coeval stepdaughters Hilde and Bolette, from the drama Lady from the Sea, and of the heroine Nora from A Doll’s House.
An evaluation of Ibsen’s texts is done by the German feminist writer Elfriede Jelinek in her book What happened after Nora had left her Husband, including the text Pillars of Society. In one scene it is the aura of the unforgettable world famous author Susan Sontag, in which she presented the character of the heroine Ellida of Lady from the Sea.
The performance with its latent meanings raises, however, several questions at the level of script and style. On the one hand she disturbs the acerb images of the biographies of the women of the dramas, but at the other she succeeds to overcome the acerb images on the stage by employing the medium of artistic explanation. Words are not presented here. And the music appears slightly segregated. Together with an examination of the relevance of Henrik Ibsen for the present times, the performance investigates in addition the question whether our world has really changed for women during the one hundred years after Ibsen. The decision rests with the audience."
- Ajit Rai, Jansatta/ India Times, January 12th, 2008

The tantalizing conjectures are vowen around the splendid solists
"The play opens with a complete surprise, with a mechanical bird winging its way over the proscenium, and hovering the dancer on the large stage.
The tantalising conjectures are woven around the splendid solists, who seem to express the ambivalent emotions of Ibsen´s women when their bodies move, fall, strech, and bend.
Dancing as mirror-images, or the captivating trio moving in unison, they bring out rich associations with Nora, or the steph-daughters Hilde and Bolette, of Lady of the sea, or the eponymous heroine of Hedda Gabler, or even the youthful Hedvig of The Wild Duck." - Dr. Utpal K Banerjee, Pioneer, New Delhi, January 15th 2008

Monica Emilie Herstad vs Pina Bausch
"From the European segment of the festival, two were dance theatre performances — Pina Bausch’s “Bamboo Blues” and Monica Emilie Herstad’s unwieldily titled “Past is Simulation: The Ladies of the Sea vs Nora and Other Stories”.
The Norwegian performance piece was dense with references which became significant only if, besides Ibsen, you also knew the work of the director Elfriede Jelinek and the late Susan Sontag’s reading of “Lady of the Sea”. Otherwise what you saw [in Past is simulation] were incredibly flexible female bodies that posed, contorted, writhed and grew slack to express a whole spectrum of emotions, dark to bright, between male-constructed women and women as they are and want to be.
Pina Bausch’s “Bamboo Blues” was more accessible than Herstad’s piece. The piece was built bit by bit from impressions that she and her dancers had gathered when they travelled through the streets of Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata."
- Shanta Gokhale, The Hindu Magazine, February 10th 2008

herStay Fan Mail
"Regarding your performance in New Delhi of Past is Simulation - The Ladies of the Sea vs Nora and other stories]
Hello There, Greetings from India.
I'm a software professional based in New Delhi. Today I happened to view your performance 'Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories' at LTG theatre.
I have been watching theatre for almost 10 years now and I must admit that I have never before seen such a unique poetic artistic creation. A performance that keeps on coming back and striking one's mind again and again.
Right from the start, from the airplane movements, one is gripped by the slow meaningful expressions of the performers, their perfect synchronization and subtle motions. So much is conveyed in so simple terms with minimal sets, costumes and very appropriate light design.
The simultaneous movements of the twins, the picturization and lighting of the echo scene, the whip aspect all express the message they are intended to convey. Finally the coming together of the three performers, the sea and tranquility give an pertinent climax to the excellent performance. The use of the airplane, the chairs and the small duck convey a deep message with minimum effort. The captivating music matches the equally powerful performance. The best part is that the universal message of the play gets conveyed without any language barriers.
My congratulations to herStay, the director, all the performers, the music compiler, the light designer and the makeup and styling artists.
It was indeed an unforgettable presentation. I hope and wish that you people soon come back again to India with more of your artistic productions.
With warm regards and thanks again,
God Bless You all.
Rajan."

2008, January 17th - 18th
at Patravadi Theatre, Garden Theatre, opening the Bangkok Fringe Festival, in Thailand:
Monday, January 21, 2008
"PHANTOM PERSONA OR MONICA EMILIE HERSTAD:
--Last Friday I went to Patravadi Theater to see some performances, including PAST IS SIMULATION -- THE LADIES OF THE SEA VS. NORA, AND OTHER STORIES OF THE SOCIETY, directed by Monica Emilie Herstad from Norway. The performance is inspired by the writings of Henrik Ibsen, Susan Sontag, and Elfriede Jelinek. I like it a lot. It is now one of my most favorite stage performances of all time. I don't know how to describe it. I think I can say that its power is like the power of PHANTOM LOVE (2007, Nina Menkes) mixing with the power of PERSONA (1966, Ingmar Bergman).
This is a clip from PAST IS SIMULATION:
http://vids.myspace.com/herStay
This is a short film called THE LITTLE CHAOS (1966, Rainer Werner Fassbinder).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjDh0gF2ExA"
- Celine Julie, Thailand 2008

herStay - THE UNFORGETTABLE PERFORMANCE
NRK Radio, P2, Scenerom January 2nd, 2007
herStay performance Past is simulation - The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society, is pointed out as The theater experience of the year, described as the performance that NRK/ P2 Scenerom conciders worth of remembrance, from the year 2006, for it´s excellence in performing elements
- Knut Hoem, NRK Main Radio, P2,Scenerom, January 2nd, 2007
http://www.nrk.no/programmer/sider/scenerom/

Kunstkritikk, December 8th 2006
Read the exciting review Feministic Melancholy, on Monica Emilie Herstad´s oevre Past is simulation, The ladies of the sea vs Nora, and other stories of the society
(...) "Herstad is herself performing a solo as the entrance of the performance, in communication with a motorized paperplane, circling in the air. Her movements are like locked-up in an unfree body, in strong contrast to the liberatedly performing airplane. It is a poetic and heartbreaking start, a comment on the female situation in today´s society"(...):

"FEMINIST MELANCHOLY
Monica Emilie Herstad, herStay, Past is simulation, Black Box Teater, 23 – 26 November, 2006:
"The women are fighting, but surpressed by their own and others forces. It is like we are dragged into an eternal spiral kept going by an anti-feministic de-culture and capitalistic fetishism (both by women and men).
The choreographer, dancer and performance artist Monica Emilie Herstad established the ensemble herStay in 1996.
Her works have for several years been synonymous with border breaking and innovative art. Herstads´ research, on the meeting point between classical ballet, contemporary dance and Japanese butoh, crystallizes into her unique hybrid expression. She considers video and music (and dance) as equal elements in her works. In the later years Herstad has participated in a number of international festivals with dance videos and performances of her own. At the time she is to be found at The Centre for Ibsen Studies, doing research. And her new performance Past is Simulation is a part of this Ibsen project. The performance is also a part of The Ibsen Year 2006.
Herstad opens her performance with a solo, in which she communicates with a motorized, yellow, little airplane that circles in the air. She is like locked within an unfree body, in strong contrast to the freedom searching airplane. It is a poetic and heartbreaking beginning of a scenic comment on women in todays society. The subtitle of the performance is “The Ladies of the Sea vs Nora,” and other stories of the society, referring to Herstads´ main inspiration; Et Dukkehjem/ A dolls House and Fruen fra Havet/ The lady form the sea, by Henrik Ibsen. Herstad is not searching to adapt Ibsen´s dramas, but rather to stage her interpretation of Ibsen`s messages regarding gender. Ibsen´s work is a jumping off point for Herstad, to comment on contemporary stereotypical depictions of women. Nora, without understanding from her husband, leaves, While Ellida who is met with understanding and freedom to leave, stays. Similarly we find inspiration from both Hedda Gabler and Hedvig from Villanden/ The Wild Duck, in her work.
In Herstads universe the dancers are in focus; four women dressed like contemporary model-chics; with high heels, dresses, classy hairdos and sometimes masks. They are very feminine and stereotypical – and they are all ecstracts of, and commenting Ibsens women. The female roles are unwrapped and turned, still remains within their conventional frameworks. It says something about how we repeat ourselves; how the women of the past, as well as now, whips each other, and are imprisoned in their thoughts, bodies, behavioral patterns, and cultural codes.
Feminist Melancholy
Herstad´s earlier emphasis on video in her productions is absent in Past is Simulation. In this production the dancers (Monica Emilie Herstad, Andrea Csaszni Rygh, Beata Kretovicova, Maria Ryther Hoem) and the sound picture (compiled with DJ Hicham Bouddén) is primary. A suggerating, monothonic, athmospheric landscape moves slowly and concentratedly forward. The choreography shifts between cliché-like expressive movements and introverted butoh-inspired dance. This gives the characters a characterizing of at the same time being captured in psycho-social and private patterns. The collective and the individual will is put together and up against each other. And with good assistance from the athmospheric, unpleasent music, it is created an unbearable nevrotic situation of anxiety, that developes to the worse for all the female characters, except for one. This woman is in the end taking her [pink] shoes off, leaving through the the stage door, with a confident smile on her lips.
A feminist melancholy develops through this work. With references to Elfriede Jelineks´ anarchistic interpretation of the Nora-character in Was geschah, nachdem Nora ihren Mann verlassen hatte oder Stützen der Gesellschaften [What Happened after Nora Left Her Husband or, Pillars of Society] (1978), Herstad shows little belief in women´s liberation in the socially conservative political economy of today. The women are fighting, but are oppressed by their own and other´s forces. It is like we are dragged into a spiral kept going of an anti-feminist de-culture.
In spite of strong subjects, this performance was silent and abstract in its expressions, and the humor was nearly absent. Herstad escapes this way an artview that supports the entertainment value of art. Past is Simulation, is more an art work that puts intellectual motivation before the movement. This intellectualization creates a distance between work and viewer – and we see, without further comparision similar tendencies in other choreography researchers works recently.
(...) The distance this kind of work generates has something to do with the extended focus these researchers have on research in the process. The works are characterized by a deeply analytic entrance to the material, including for instance asking questions about how to treat traumas and how cognitive social structures are kept, processed and expressed through the body. These works are presented more like work in progress, than a dance work in the classical meaning of the word. In other words, Herstad´s Past is simulation creates a distance between Stage and audience. But this does not predetermine that her work do not communicates with the viewer. At the same time as the work is characterized by introverted meditations, the athmospheric suggestion is distinct. This doubleness captures us and poses us into a meditative state of mind that generates both contemplation and emotion"
-Elisabeth Leinslie, http://kunstkritikk.no/article/11415

Review on herStay in Norsk Shakespeare- og Teater Tidsskrift
issue no. 1, 2007:
“Monica Emilie Herstad, herStay` Past is simulation is a unique contribution to the Ibsen Year 2006. (…) The choreographer Monica Emilie Herstad is confident with style, creating a performance on the faith of these female characters. (…) Herstad uses a source material enriched with feministic approaches and suggestions. This suits the profoundly defined herStay expression well: feminine expression, feministic view, stylish appearance, and butoh inspired movement. (…) Herstad is interpreting analytically the female characters of Ibsen, and his plays, in a visual and physical language, rather than critizising his characters radically. (…) The movements represents immediacy, longing, resignedness, and naïvity. She draws scetches of Nora, Ellida, Hedda, and maybe even of Hedvig or Hilde. (…) Herstads scenography is simple and powerful, the stage is shared between the mystique of nature, and the conventions of the society. In an athmosphere of twilight, and a sheer, green textile, associating sea and fjords, enframed with some tired, still elegant, chairs along the wall.”
- Melanie Fieldseth, January 2007

Aftenposten, Oslo April 26th 2006:
herStay interprete the Ibsen female characters

NRK1 Lørdagsrevyen 29th of April 2006:
herStay at The National News, main artistic presentation

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herStay photo this page:

Photo credits: Aftenposten 2006, from the herStay opening of Henrik Ibsens Avenue in Oslo, Norway

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All Copy-rights belongs to herStay

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