Revue and Theater

Do you want to develop as an actor?

A year on stage – and close to the theater city of Bergen! You’ll explore performing arts, improvisation, theater and revue – right in the heart of a vibrant theater environment.

Course content

In this program you’ll get broad and practical training in performing arts. Throughout the year you’ll work with everything needed to stand confidently on stage – and to create authentic theater experiences. You’ll get training in communication, dialogue and monologue, and learn how voice, body and text can unite to convey emotions and stories that truly connect.

Improvisation and theater sports
Stage
Theater makeup
Sound and lighting
Character work
Acting training
Stage combat
Text analysis

The teaching

Everything we do has one goal: to create and perform shows – both at and outside the school. Maybe there’ll even be a tour with children’s theater in the local community? Throughout the year we put on several performances in different genres – short and long texts, our own ideas and finished scripts.

Revue work is central – here we write and put together a variety show with everything from sketches, monologues and stand-up to song and dance, often with glimpses of current events and society. The performance is staged for an audience at the school during the year, and is a highlight both academically and socially.

Improvisation is an important part of the subject. Here you learn to listen, respond and build on others’ ideas. You practice acting in the moment, letting go of control and trusting the group. This gives you confidence, spontaneity and creates genuine interaction on stage.

You’ll gain insight into a living and active theater environment in Bergen. The program teacher is actively involved in the revue scene outside school and brings their network into the teaching. You’ll join café meetings where we have conversations with professional actors about what life is actually like as an actor. Through collaboration with the Bergen environment – Ole Bull Scene and Det Vestnorske Teateret, you’ll experience performances and dress rehearsals up close. Det Vestnorske Teateret | Nynorske teateropplevingar i Bergen – Det Vestnorske Teateret

Throughout the year we visit Den Nationale Scene, where you get a unique behind-the-scenes look at one of the country’s largest theaters.

Improvisation is an important part of performing arts and we collaborate with Bergen Improteater. The improv theater comes to the school and holds basic courses with us. There are follow-up courses in the spring semester.

Performances

During the year we put on several performances within different genres. We work with both short and longer texts, everything from monologues to ensemble pieces, we can improvise a piece in class, or we use scripts. In the fall we create and stage a revue performance and during the spring semester the class has its main production, a full-length performance based on a written script. We have a large selection of costumes in our costume room.

Revue

Revue is a theater performance composed of several numbers, for example sketches, monologues, stand up, song or dance, usually with current themes.

Revues have developed in parallel and later into musical shows, literary and political cabarets, stand-up comedy and theater sports. We write and put together a variety show that we perform for the school during the year.

Improv

Improv is an art in itself. Theater sports is often used as a reference when we talk about improv. Through various exercises and games we practice techniques that help you improvise a character, a figure, a mood and not least – the good line.

Makeup

We have workshops with our own makeup artist in basic theater and show makeup and special effects makeup. Here you learn to make yourself look older, create bullet holes and believable wounds, as well as hair styling and use of wigs/fake beards.

Study trip: Interrail - Copenhagen, Berlin, Amsterdam and London

The spring study trip will be interrail where we board the train in Bergen and stop in Copenhagen, Berlin, Amsterdam and London. The journey will give us some fantastic experiences and tons of inspiration from performances and workshops with professional performing artists in Europe.

We attend performances and experience some of the finest in theater, musical theater, concerts, and shows. We go backstage at theaters and get workshops with actors who work on the big stages.

The program varies from year to year as students help decide some of the program content.

Suggested program:

Day 1: Train from Bergen to Oslo Central Station
Day 2: Train from Oslo Central Station to Copenhagen. Explore the city and group dinner.
Day 3: Copenhagen. Tour of the Royal Danish Theatre and evening performance. Shopping and free time.
Day 4 - 5: Train from Copenhagen to Berlin. Guided tour through Berlin's history. Students get time to explore the city, we visit museums, have a workshop at the Brecht Theater, and see a performance in the evening.
Day 6 - 7: Train from Berlin to Amsterdam. We explore Amsterdam. The city offers many wonderful experiences.
Day 8 - 11: Train from Amsterdam to London. London's West End is the place for the best theater and musical experiences in the world. We will of course see many. There will also be several workshops and theater tours. We visit markets and have several dinners together. There's also plenty of time to explore London on your own.
Day 12: We fly back home to Bergen and Åsane Folk High School.

Program teacher Cato Jensen

Cato is an actor and artist educated at Bergen Theater School.
He has written a long series of plays and songs both for businesses and private individuals, has appeared in films and released several albums.
Cato was a student at Åsane Folk High School in 94-95, and has worked at the school since 2000.
In his spare time, father of three Cato works with revue and takes on assignments like concerts and shows.

This is what the students say

For me, Åsane was the first step into the world of theatre. I had always wanted to try acting, and after high school, a year at Åsane Folk High School was the perfect opportunity to follow that dream. I threw myself into it, even though I had never been on stage before — and it was such a great experience!

After Åsane, I also got the opportunity to continue with theatre at LIPA (The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, also known as the Paul McCartney school), where I completed a bachelor’s degree in acting. It’s safe to say that my life would have been completely different if I hadn’t taken the chance on the Revue and Theatre program at Åsane — and I’m so glad I did. Åsane paved the way for all the creative work I do now — in theatre, photography, and video — and I also made friends there that I still collaborate with to this day. I would highly recommend the Revue and Theatre program to anyone who’s curious about theatre. It’s a choice you definitely won’t regret!

Attending Revue and Theatre gives me so many opportunities! Improvisation workshops are great fun, and the visit from NSKI (Norwegian Acting Institute) was really educational. The folk high school year is a mix of many cool opportunities, both to explore, learn, and also to live with good friends.

In Revue and Theater, we practice stepping out of our comfort zone, surrounded by a safe environment. The stage texts we received from the students in the Writing Workshop gave us the opportunity to work on character development. We were involved in the entire process from text delivery to the finished performance. It was a really great collaboration between the different courses.

Vidar: In this course, I feel I’m gaining more control over my voice and exploring the various possibilities in voice use. I’m developing my body language and using my full range of emotions in different roles.

Joar: For me, who had no prior experience in this field, the course has been a safe and nice introduction to the subject.

After high school, I was tired of school and needed a gap year. Theater is something I’ve always found fun to do. Before I started at folk high school myself, I thought folk high school seemed like a place for slightly more unusual people, but that’s absolutely not true!

I’m very grateful that I chose to attend the Revue and Theater program at Åsane Folk High School. Throughout the year, I’ve had the opportunity to challenge myself by playing several different roles in everything from children’s theater to farce. We don’t just create ‘theater,’ but as students, we’re given a lot of freedom by our teacher Cato to direct what kind of creative productions we want to make. In the program, I experienced a teacher who has high competence in both revue and theater, and most importantly, he’s a fantastic teacher who really sees his students.

In addition, I’ve been involved in lots of fun things throughout the year! I’ve participated in a makeup course, I’ve seen lots of theater and stand-up comedy, and gone on an exciting study trip. The study trip consisted of interrailing to the four major cities of Copenhagen, Berlin, Paris, and London. It was truly a fantastic trip that left a big impression and was also ‘budget-friendly’.

The year at Åsane has rekindled my desire to learn. I’ve both developed as an actor and made good memories and friends for life. If you’re interested in revue and theater, are a bit tired of school after high school, and want to challenge yourself on stage, Revue and Theater at Åsane Folk High School is definitely for you.

Apply for a place at school now

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and processed in the order they are received. It is always a good idea to be early.