Odin Teatret was created in Oslo, Norway, in 1964, and moved to Holstebro, Denmark, in 1966, changing its name to Nordic Theatre Laboratory/Odin Teatret. Today, its members come from a dozen countries and three continents. The Laboratory’s activities include Odin’s own productions presented on site and on tour in Denmark and abroad; 'barters' with various milieux in Holstebro and elsewhere; organisation of encounters for theatre groups; hosting other theatre groups and ensembles; teaching activity in Denmark and abroad; the annual Odin Week Festival; publication of magazines and books; production of didactic films and videos; research into theatre anthropology during the sessions of ISTA (the International School of Theatre Anthropology); periodic performances with the multicultural Theatrum Mundi Ensemble; collaboration with the CTLS (Centre for Theatre Laboratory Studies) of the University of Århus; the Festuge (Festive Week) in Holstebro; the triennial festival Transit devoted to women in theatre; OTA-Odin Teatret Archives, the living archives of Odin Teatret’s memory; WIN (Workout for Intercultural Navigators); artists in residence; children’s performances, exhibitions, concerts, round tables, cultural initiatives and community work in Holstebro and the surrounding region.
Eugenio Barba (born in 1936 in Italy), after working with Jerzy Grotowski for three years in Poland, created Odin Teatret in 1964 in Oslo and moved with it to Holstebro, Denmark, in 1966. He founded ISTA in 1979. He has directed more than seventy productions with his theatre and the intercultural ensemble Theatrum Mundi. His previous books include The Paper Canoe: A Guide to Theatre Anthropology (London and New York: Routledge, 1995); Theatre: Solitude, Craft, Revolt (Aberystwyth: Black Mountain Press, 1999); Land of Ashes and Diamonds: My Apprenticeship in Poland (Aberystwyth: Black Mountain Press, c1999.) and, in collaboration with Nicola Savarese, A Dictionary of Theatre Anthropology (2nd edn, London and New York: Routledge, 2006).
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Image: Odin Teatret’s Archive. Performance:Ode to Progrese . Director: Eugenio Barba. Photo © Tony D’Urso