On the occasion of the 100 years anniversary of Bjørnson’s death, his famous play Beyond Our Powers is scheduled to be performed by actors from Shanghai Theatre Academy.
The play was written in 1883, and was one of the first plays to be performed at the Norwegian National Theatre in Oslo. It talks about topics that are just as relevant today as they were when it was written more than a hundred years ago, namely the conflicting relationship between labor and capital, about the rise of the labor movement, and about the ethics of extreme idealism.
The play will start at 19.15 every day. Admission is free.
The Bjørnson seminar hosted by Shanghai Theatre Academy will be an opportunity for Norwegian and Chinese scholars to meet and exchange perspectives on Bjørnson’s plays, novels and poetry.
The seminar, which will be opened by Norwegian Consul General Fred H. Nomme and the President of Shanghai theatre Academy Han Sheng, features a series of lectures about Bjørnson and his authorship, including The friendship and rivalry between Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnson’s feminist consciousness, and The perception of Bjørnson and his contemporaries in the today’s China.
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson is recognized as one of Norway’s most important playwrights, standing alongside his contemporary Henrik Ibsen in the history of Norwegian literature.
Bjørnson wrote plays, novels and poems. Today he is perhaps remembered foremost for having written the lyrics to the Norwegian national anthem. He was also the first Norwegian to be awarded the Nobel Prize in literature, which he received in 1903.
In Norway, 2010 is celebrated as The year of Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, as it marks the centennial of his death.