HenBlakstad collaborates with
Henriette Blakstad, Artistic and Manag. Director (Oslo/Skien/Nesodden), Norway.
Is a performing artist, director/choreographer, educator, text developer and costume designer. She is Artistic and Managing director for HenBlakstad (2011-24), with productions performed in Beijing, Guangzhou, Singapore and Norway. The company develops art within theatre, site specific, text and gives workshops. Henriette has through workshops in New York with Anne Bogart (composition, and The Viewpoints) and as a teacher/director immersed herself within experimental, compositional, postmodern methods and been giving workshops in New York, Beijing, Singapore, Norsk Skuespillersenter, Det Norske Teater to mention some. At the moment she is building a home for herself, and a national and international art residence at Nesodden in Norway. In 2018 she received her Post Graduate Degree as an adjunct professor, a lecturer/educator within theatre and drama from Oslo National Academy of The Arts, where she in 1992 took her BA in dance, and shortly after an actor degree from NISS (Høyskolen Kristiania). With more than 34 years as a performative artist she has a broad range of experience as an independent artist working with groups as Marius Kolbenstvedt, Hildebrand Productions, Animalske Produksjoner, The Living Theater, Ibsen International, Guri Guri Henriksen, Kompaniet Normalitet, and from Norwegian state theatres as Det Norske Teater, Torshov Teatret, Den Nasjonale Scene and Norland Teater.
For the four last years she has been connected as an actor to Grusomhetens Teater where she recently performed as the lead part in “The Raven” influenced by Edgar Allan Poe´s well known poem with the same name.
Ylva Owren, visual artist/set- design (Nesodden), Norway.
Studied Scenography at Norwegian Theatre Academy at Østfold University College. Art. director with Tuva Hennum for NORMALITET. In MAXINE- under overflaten, mellom lagene. HenBlakstad Productions 2026 in co- production with Grenland Friteater (Porsgrunn) and Studium Actoris (Fredrikstad).
For more viual project info: https://issuu.com/ylvaowren/docs/portfolio
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Tuva Hennum actor, film maker, singer (Oslo), Norway.
She leads the film and theater company Normaliteten alongside scenographer Ylva Owren. There, she creates film and performing arts by writing scripts, developing directing concepts, designing scenographic solutions, and acting in productions. This was also the main focus of her Master’s specialization at the Theatre Academy at KHiO in 2023: “Directing from Within, in One’s Own Text. How to Stand on Stage or in Front of the Camera and Still Manage to Lead the Ensemble in the Desired Direction?”
Hennum loves pushing boundaries and expanding dimensions. She is also the lead vocalist in the band Hildebrand, which debuted with the album Ambivalencia in 2022, and sings in the street band Håpløs Kunstner.
Nami Kitagawa, Actor, Norway.
Nami Kitagawa is a Norwegian-Japanese singer, actor, and puppeteer.
In MAXINE- under overflaten, mellom lagene. HenBlakstad Productions 2026 in co- production with Grenland Friteater (Porsgrunn) and Studium Actoris (Fredrikstad).
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Desiree Bøgh Vaksdal, Lightdesign and Actor (Oslo), Norway.
In MAXINE- under overflaten, mellom lagene. HenBlakstad Productions 2026 in co- production with Grenland Friteater (Porsgrunn) and Studium Actoris (Fredrikstad).
Line Rosvoll, Dramaturge og Viv (Oslo), Norway.
Dramaturge in MAXINE- under overflaten, mellom lagene. HenBlakstad Productions, work- in- progress, premiere 2026 in co- production with Grenland Friteater (Porsgrunn) and Studium Actoris (Fredrikstad). Former artistic director at Dramatikkens Hus.
Johan Sara Jr., Composer (Mazé) Henriette Blakstad, Singer (Oslo), Norway.
Johan Sara jr. is the composer for MAXINE- under overflaten, mellom lagene. Henriette Blakstad is the singer in the composition by Sara jr.. HenBlakstad Productions, work- in- progress, premiere 2026 in co- production with Grenland Friteater in Porsgrunn.
Johan Sara Jr. is an innovative performer in one of Europe’s oldest song traditions, Sami music from the Arctic, the joik. His unique combination of joik and contemporary elements provides a hypnotic and meditative sound, which has been praised both at home and abroad. His music has confirmed his position as a vital, fresh and genre free innovator.
Johan Sara Jr. was born in Alta and grew up with reindeer herders on the vast snow-covered tundra in the arctic north. He is now settled in the Sami town of Maze.
Johan Sara Jr. has through his own unique expression continued a thousand year old tradition by adapting the joik to his reality and his contemporary time. Johan Sara Jr. connects the modern to the natural, the sound image of the future with the music of the past and will in this way give his small contribution to make mankind recover the original, the natural and the human. «Everything goes so fast. We no longer have the time to find peace. We have moved so far from the natural that it affects our health, both personal and in relation to how we treat our nature.
Mats Blakstad, Virtual Design (Oslo), Norway.
Has a Bachelor in Culture and Communication, and a Bachelor in Design, Use and interaction from the University of Oslo, and currently doing his master thesis at UiO- University of Oslo, the faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, at the course Informatics.
In April 2021 he was supposed to travel to Malawi and conduct a participative design process with health workers, but because of covid 19 he now works to change his whole master thesis. Mats states: "I’m interested in participative design, ICT for development and co-creation".
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Claudia Lucacel, Film and Photo (Gran), Norway/Greece/Romania.
Claudia Lucacel is an artist experimenting within visual and performing arts as a performer, photographer, filmmaker and producer, based in Oslo.. She is originally from Iasi, Romania, and grew up in Santorini, Greece. In 2012, Claudia graduated from the University of Peloponnese - Faculty of Fine Arts, Theatre Studies Department with a BA in Acting and Directing and since then she has been working in various theatre productions in Greece, USA, UK and Norway.
She studied Documentary Film Art at OsloMet, where she is also currently doing her MA in Drama & Theater. With her master thesis, she researches the impact of using Applied Theater practices as a different approach towards immigrant second language and cultural learning in Norway. Alongside her studies, she also works as a producer for theater company Grusomhetens Teater, the music organisation VoxLAB and manages her farm in the countryside of Hadeland.
Thomas Hildebrand, Sound- design (Nesodden), Norway.
Sound director in MAXIME- skeiv dramtikk i podcastformat on Spotyfy. Sounddesign in MAXINE- under overflaten, mellom lagene. HenBlakstad Productions 2026 in co- production with Grenland Friteater in Porsgrunn.
Mary Ellen Beaudreau, Performer/Consultant (New York), USA.
Mary Ellen (Mellen) is a performing artist and director living in Brooklyn, NY. She has 15 years of experience as a director, choreographer, dancer, producer and educator. She received her MA in Choreography from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance in London and a BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School in NY. Mellen performed with renowned companies, including San Francisco Ballet, Pilobolus Dance Theatre, RUBBERBANDance Company, Charlotte Ballet, and Fort Wayne Ballet. Her choreography for dance, film, theatre and opera productions have been performed at the Royal College of Music in London, The Laban Centre in London, Festival Ballet Providence in Rhode Island, American Players Theatre in Wisconsin, Classic Stage Company in New York, Charlotte Ballet in North Carolina, Fort Wayne Ballet in Indiana, Columbia University in New York, Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, The Actor’s Fund Theatre in New York and Judson Memorial Church in New York. Mellen held the following positions as the Development Assistant of Arts & Science Department at New York University, Producer of Performance & Residencies at Gibney Dance Center in New York, and Director of the Brooklyn Ballet School.
Ine Ubben, Performer/Consultant (Zutendaal), Belgium.
Ine Uben is a performance artist working within devised theatre, puppets, objects, often as a
dramaturgical partner and thinking companion, living in Zutendaal in Belgium. She has currently graduated with a Master degree from The Academy of Performing Arts- Damu, in Prague. A Degree as a director within devised, object theatre, the department of alternative/puppet theatre. In 2014 she did her BA at Fontys Academy for Theatre in Tilburg/Netherland (theatre, musical and circus).
Website Ine Ubben.
Jiang Ke-Yu, Sound- design/Performer/Consultant (Beijing), China.
Ke-Yu (Iris), living in Beijing/China is a choreographer/director, educator, sound-designer, producer and performing artist, with a BA from Beijing Dance Academy. She is Artistic and Managing Director for Abbe Dance Company and Body Boulevard Art Platform with her husband choreographer/musician Simon Abbe from Cameroon. They have produced productions performed in France, Switzerland, Norway, Singapore, UK, Cameroon, Sydney and China. Ke-Yu has made choreography for the Olympics in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012, and where part of establishing and founding, Cameroon National Dance Company in 2004/09.