PÅ VEJ (ON THE WAY)

A vibrant roadmovie about development and division

As the November-darkness descended over Nørrebro, the Danish-Ghanaian Hope Amuzue was crossing Dronning Louises Bridge on foot. She was alone, but was followed by a tail of people, as her journey took her around inner Nørrebro.

During two hours in the late evening, the audience followed the 17 years old Hope through the darkness and the autumn cold, while she in continuous movement tried to find clues. As the title indicates, she moved geographically through different environments and encounters, and at the same time towards a new stage in life. As invisible witnesses the audience followed the young woman’s tracks. With their gaze fixed at Hope, they saw what she saw, and equipped with headphones they were, with the help from binaural technique, able to hear her thoughts, feel her trembling breath and witness seminal encounters in the night, while Hope crossed her own tracks and went on new paths. And they witnessed Hopes frustrations on their own body as they, like Hope, didn’t know where they were going.

PÅ VEJ (On the way) was based on talks with African girls in Denmark, who all had one thing in common; they had arrived Denmark to live with one or both of their parents- who already lived here- without knowing, they were to stay for good. The audience meets Hope the day when enough is enough. Divided between two cultures, and with her mother’s expectations hanging over her head, Hope took her jacket and left.

In a long string of thoughts, characterized by a teenager’s vulnerability and clarity, Hope reflected on her life and the surrounding society. Reflections on life as a teenager, but also on division, demands and longings, all elements that helped defining Hope.

PÅ VEJ fought with the issues that almost every teenager tries to navigate in, but at the same time it took hold on the parallel lives, many immigrant girls have, on one hand they live like Danish girls, but at the same time, have to relate to other cultures and often some high expectations from their families. The very division between two cultures- the whish for, and difficulties of integrating them- was central for the performance.

PÅ VEJ received CPHCultures award as the special-performance of the year, while Marie-Lydie Nokuda received at the same occasion a prize for the breakthrough of the year, and Petra Berg Holbek was nominated as the director of the year.

Cast:

Hope: Marie-Lydie Nokouda
Stella: Nkechi L. Ukpo & Shaniqua Lutta
Rose: Feridah Rose
Effie: Rose Broholm
Charles: Zach Khadudu
Oliver: Gustav Wenzel Most
People in the night: Emilie Eskesen, Julie Lund, Mathilde Hartvig Munk, Silan Maria Budak Rasch, Emma Louise Rasmussen & Frederik Pahus Pedersen
Chorus: The Saving Angels

Director: Petra Berg Holbek
Text: Sofie Volquartz Lebech & Julie Petrine Glargaard
Sounddesign: Pelle Skovmand
Musical arr. & extra sound-editing: Joachim Holbek
Dramaturgic consultant: Tanja Hylling Diers
Lightconsultant: Clementine Waldelius
Scenographic consultant: Martin Eriksson
Photo og grafic: Søren Meisner

Producer: ABER DABEI in cooperation with TEATERGRAD
Premiered: København 9th. november 2015

Supported by: Statens Kunstfond, Konsul George Jorck og Hustru Emma Jorck’s Fond, Bikubenfonden, Knud Højgaards Fond, Nørrebro Lokaludvalg & Københavns Kommunes Scenekunstudvalg

Hope: Marie-Lydie Nokouda

Stella: Nkechi L. Ukpo & Shaniqua Lutta
Rose: Feridah Rose
Effie: Rose Broholm
Charles: Zach Khadudu
Oliver: Gustav Wenzel Most
Mennesker i natten: Emilie Eskesen, Julie Lund, Mathilde Hartvig Munk, Silan Maria Budak Rasch, Emma Louise Rasmussen & Frederik Pahus Pedersen
Kor: The Saving Angels

“With the perfect cast of Marie-Lydie Nokouda we went through the dark streets of Nørrebro with her delicate voice in our headphones, we found ourselves repeatedly on the fine line between the fictional intimate proximity, and the real sounds and people of Nørrebro.“

Casper KoellerSceneblog

“PÅ VEJ is a performance that sets new agendas for what theatre can and should be. (…) Teatergrad and ABER DABEI have united their efforts in this unique performance, let’s hope more of this kind is yet to come.“

kulturtid.dk

“Sometimes an experience is exactly what you hope for it to be: An intense and enriching journey into another world. Such is PÅ VEJ by ABER DABEI (…) As my companion says afterwards: “I don’t think I’ve ever been as close to another person before, without participating in the story myself.”

Linea ChristensenmagasinetKBH.dk

“It’s a really good concept, that in the finest way involves the spectator, both physically, we shiver with Hope in the damp drizzle, but perhaps especially through her circling talk, humming, shouting and whispering. We are drawn into a young confused mind, that is recognizable and yet foreign through its humanized global perspective. (…) PÅ VEJ is entirely its own, and a really good take on intimate urban theatre, that draw on both text and senses. Despite the theme’s incorporated despair and tristesse, one walks in elevated spirit home through Nørrebrogade. The Teatre has such a span. Lovely that ABER DABEI help us to remember, with this journey out on the streets, in to the mind.”

Anne Liisbergteater1.dk

“Marie-Lydie Nokouda with her delicate little face, that can be both hard unexpressive and beautifully dreaming, is quite touching as the little girl with an identity crisis (…) We may be voyeuring with others, but we are close to Hope and her thoughts. And the authentic Nørrebro all together sets an authentic framing of the journey through Hopes no-man’s-land. (…)”

Jakob Steen OlsenBerlingske

“A wandering performance through the notorious Nørrebro a cold November-evening may not sound all that alluring. But actually, PÅ VEJ, staged by Petra Berg Holbek, is one of the best experiences of its kind, this season yet has had to offer. Nørrebro works optimally as the physical framing for the performance – not just because of the environment’s authenticity, but because the place is swarming with people, that makes you truly in doubt of who are participating and who are actors. But first and last, it’s Marie-Lydie Nokouda who, as Hope manages to melt our hearts- despite the cold surroundings. She we believe.“

Cphculture.dk

“The Homelessness’ goes to the bone in insistent performance

This Wandering performance has its strength in the authenticity and actuality, that emanates everything (…) Marie-Lydie Nokouda (…) convinces with her delicate expressive body and sulky charisma as Hope, both tough and furiously vulnerable. And the people, she meets underway, seems to be fetched right up of the street- as part of the shabby group of immigrants, you can encounter in the dead of night in Nørrebro, with or without their sleeping bag.“

Monna DithmerPolitiken

“Chasing Hope, and all the rest of the culturally homeless.

When Europe becomes “DistEurope”, Theatre succeeds in putting a human face on the relation between them and us /…/ (…) as it is distinctive in similar stories, the emphasis here is put on the authentic real-life stories, but “PÅ VEJ” takes it a step further by letting the audience ramblingly chase Hope, through the rainy, windy, November-sombre streets of Nørrebro.
Here she- and we- encounter other homeless immigrants and refugees, drifting and sleeping in the parks. One got a thorough physical sense of the fact that it is no convenience-ride, to be without a roof over your head, and without roots.“

Monna Dithmer
Politiken