HenBlakstad collaborates with
Henriette Blakstad, artistic and manag. director HenBlakstad (Skien/Oslo/Nesodden), Norway.
What do I explore as an interdisciplinary artist? What gives me momentum? What do I seek to understand?
Henriette Blakstad / HenBlakstad — visual artist, avant-garde theatre, dance, performance, and costume design. Henriette works at the intersection of performance, puppet theatre, installation, and virtual technology. Her artistic practice is rooted in queer contemporary abstraction — a lesbian, feminist, and erotic expression that challenges norms of gender, identity, and representation. She seeks new languages where emotion and relation are expressed through form, rhythm, texture, movement, and voice rather than through realistic narratives.
The loss of a child profoundly shapes her artistic work. She explores transformation, grief, and intuition as creative forces, as well as the experience of being larger than oneself in the aftermath of loss. Her work revolves around catharsis, embodiment, and transformation — where loss, as a shadow figure, takes shape as a recurring echo across different artistic formats.
Her concepts often contain ambiguity; she investigates what she does not yet fully understand. This reflects her ongoing collaboration with Merete Morken Andersen, Associate Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), and H. Blakstad, Associate Professor in Performing Arts (Artistic Research). Together, they explore bodily and non-verbal approaches to creative processes — an unconscious, intuitive language in which the answer emerges before the question.
Through her artistic practice, she continues to develop a personal formal language in which emotion and relation are expressed through form, rhythm, texture, movement, and voice rather than through realistic narratives.
Through HenBlakstad Productions, established in 2009, she has created works presented in Norway, China, Singapore, Denmark, and Taiwan, collaborating with a wide range of national and international companies and artists. Henriette has curated numerous visual and performative workshops for the visitors at the museum in collaboration with the education and mediation team at Nasjonalmuseet (The National Museum) of Norway. She has also participated in DKS- Den kulturelle skolesekken with Shadow Workshop for Children (grades 1–5),
Ylva Owren, visual artist/set- design (Nesodden), Norway.
Owren delves deeply into how materiality can serve as a guiding and supportive force in theatre and performance. She works across disciplines as a stage director, dramaturg, costume designer, producer, and scenographer, with her primary focus on the latter.
With an education from the Academy of Performing Arts (Østfold University College) scenographic work is an indispensable part of her practice, where visuality is considered alongside functionality and interactivity. Her aim is to facilitate sensory and social encounters. Owren continuously explores how different materials can guide artistic processes and creates opportunities for physical interaction between the body and the performance space — where impulses are partly curated by her and partly emerge as a dynamic choreography in the encounter between performers, audience, and material.
Since 2020, Owren has worked as an eduactor at the Academy of Performing Arts (Akademiet for scenekunst), where she has supervised numerous student productions and developed courses in scenography, collaboration, and production work. Across topics and formats, her teaching has a central goal: to create safe spaces for artistic exploration, risk-taking, and learning through failure.
Ylva Owren and Tuva Hennum is also Artistic Directors of the company Normaliteten.
For more viual project info: https://issuu.com/scenoylvaowren/docs/portfolio_2025
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Tuva Hennum actor, film maker, singer (Oslo), Norway.
She leads the film and theatre company Normaliteten together with scenographer Ylva Owren. Within this framework, she develops film and performing arts projects through scriptwriting, directing concept development, scenographic design, and performance. This practice formed the basis of her master’s specialization at the Theatre Academy, 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’s artistic practice is characterized by a continuous exploration of form, perspective, and process. She also serves as the lead vocalist of the band Hildebrand, which released its debut album Ambivalencia in 2022, and performs with the street band Håpløs Kunstner.
​In 2025, she performed in the production MISS MAX MAXINE, Vol. 1, which was presented at the Månefestivalen in Fredrikstad in 2026.
Nami Kitagawa, (Oslo) Norway- Japanese
singer, performer, and puppeteer. She is a graduate of the Nord University Acting Program and previously trained as a dancer at The School of the Hamburg Ballet. As a performing artist, she works both as a performer and creator – actor, sound designer, choreographer, playwright, and producer of her own projects.
In the critically acclaimed production Take all my resources and trickle some down on me, Daddy, developed together with Frida Vige Helle, she contributed as playwright, performer, sound designer, composer, and choreographer.
Kitagawa has worked with several Norwegian theatre institutions, including Grusomhetens Teater, Unge Viken Teater, and Teater Ibsen. Her artistic practice moves between movement, sound, and visual expression, exploring transformation, voice, and the poetic potential of the body.
In 2026, she is part of MISS MAX MAXINE, Vol. 3 – a HenBlakstad Productions performance co-produced with Månefestivalen (23–25 July 2026) and Studium Actoris (Fredrikstad, Norway).
Dina Jaroussac Moen
Dance artist, educator and choreographer
Dina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Contemporary Dance (2013) and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (2018) from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHiO).
As a performer, she has worked with choreographers such as Hege Haagenrud (Disintegrate, 2014), Jon Ole Olstad (Dancing in the Wild, 2021–2025), and Tony Tran (Brotherly, 2022–), the latter touring nationally and internationally.
Moen has collaborated extensively with Nam- The National Museum of Norway, particularly alongside Henriette Blakstad and Guri Guri Henriksen, in projects exploring the intersection between dance, costume, and visual art. Her artistic practice is characterized by a tactile and spatial sensibility — where the body, material, and movement exist in a continuous dialogue.
As a choreographer, she has created works such as Tale for Loffen (2014) and Jägerbomp (2025, with Anette Hagerup).
Moen teaches contemporary dance and improvisation and has supervised students at the KHiO- Oslo National Academy of the Arts and the Norwegian College of Dance.
In 2026, she is working with HenBlakstad on MISS MAX MAXINE, Vol. 2 and 3, as well as Bone by Bone by TTC–Studios in Taiwan, a co-production with Ibsen Scope (Skien), where HenBlakstad provides the framework for the physical and performative language of the production.
Kjersti Posti Høgli (Porsgrunn) Norway
Actor, Scenographer, and Performing Arts Professional
Kjersti Posti Høgli has been a core member of Grenland Friteater since 2009, working as an actor, scenographer, costume designer, and project leader. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Acting from the Academy of Performing Arts at Østfold University College (2001–2004).
Her theatre experience spans classic and contemporary works, including productions with Grenland Friteater, the Sagliocco Ensemble, and Teater Ibsen. Highlights include scenography for Hærøya 1945, acting in Fredrik Brattberg’s Virus, and creating the solo performance Gjenkjennelsen, which toured schools and won the Daphne Prize (2008). She has also contributed to educational theatre projects such as Ibsen for Ripsen and guided pedagogical performances for diverse audiences.
Kjersti’s practice combines acting, scenography, costume and prop design, site-specific performance, and project leadership. She frequently works as an assistant director and has experience mentoring students and guiding creative processes in both professional and educational settings.
Skills: mezzo-soprano voice, tango and contemporary dance, Eastern and Northern Norwegian dialects, fluent English, basic French, and experience with sign-to-speech and AAC communication.
​In 2026, she is performing for HenBlakstad in the performance MISS MAX MAXINE, Vol. 2, a co-production between Vinterscenen/Grenland Friteater (Porsgrunn).
Johan Sara Jr., Composer (Mazé) Henriette Blakstad, Singer (Skien), Norway.
Composer for MISS MAX MAXINE, Vol. 1- 3 (2025-26) Henriette Blakstad is the singer.
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.
Manuel Madsen (Skien) Norway
Sound Engineer and Media Producer
Manuel Madsen is an experienced sound engineer and music producer with expertise in recording, mixing, mastering, and music publishing, both in studio and on location. He has collaborated with the Norwegian Composers’ Association, filming over 100 concerts in contemporary and experimental music.
Since 2023, he has run Madsen Visuals AS, combining his sound expertise with video production for private clients and major organizations such as Offshore Norge, Sparebank1, Henie Onstad Art Centre, and the Norwegian Academy of Music. He manages the full production process, including filming, streaming, editing, color grading, sound mixing, and logistics.
Manuel holds a diploma from Alchemea College, London, and completed courses in concert systems and live sound engineering in Oslo. He delivers comprehensive media solutions with a strong focus on sound quality. In 2026, he is producing for HenBlakstad in the performance MISS MAX MAXINE, Vol. 2.- 3., a co-production between Vinterscenen/Grenland Friteater, Månefestivalen, Studium Actoris and Forsvarsbygg.
Harald Fossen (Fredrikstad) Norway
Filmmaker, motion designer, illustrator, animator.
​Harald holds a degree from the former Bergen National Academy of the Arts/Kunsthøgskolen i Bergen (nå Fakultet for kunst, musikk og design/the Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design). He works across the audiovisual field and, over the past decade, has focused on documentary approaches within theatre, performance, and site-specific art—primarily as a cinematographer and editor for Østfold International Theater. His work there also includes production photography, poster design, and directing promotional material.
In parallel, Fossen works with digital animation and visual effects for film and television, and has designed several extensive title sequences for a wide range of TV series. For the title sequence of the series Nobel, he was nominated for Gullruten (the Norwegian Television Award).
Earlier in his career, he directed a number of short films, one of which was nominated for the Amanda Award, and several have been screened at international film festivals. He has published a book with Cappelen and participated in the annual Autumn Exhibition.
Fossen has also collaborated closely with artist Finn Eirik Modahl, developing digital models for several of Modahl’s most significant sculptures—later realized in polished steel.
In 2026, he is collaborating with HenBlakstad in the performance MISS MAX MAXINE, Vol. 1.- 3., a co-production between Vinterscenen/Grenland Friteater, Månefestivalen, Studium Actoris and Forsvarsbygg.
Claudia Lucacel, Film and Photo (Gran), Norway/Greece/Romania.
Film and photography for the performance THE BIRD LADIES (Copenhagen, 2022). SixtyEight Art Institute. Curator: Heidi Hart, PhD (US/DK).
Claudia Lucacel is an artist working experimentally within the visual and performing arts as a performer, photographer, filmmaker, and producer based in Oslo. She is originally from Iași, Romania, and grew up in Santorini, Greece. In 2012, Claudia graduated from the University of the Peloponnese, Faculty of Fine Arts, Theatre Studies Department, with a BA in Acting and Directing. Since then, she has worked on various theatre productions in Greece, the USA, the UK, and Norway.
She studied Documentary Film Art at OsloMet, where she is currently pursuing an MA in Drama and Theatre. In her master’s thesis, she researches the impact of using Applied Theatre practices as an alternative approach to second-language and cultural learning for immigrants in Norway. Alongside her studies, she also works as a producer for the theatre company Grusomhetens Teater and the music organisation VoxLAB, while managing her farm in the countryside of Hadeland.
Guri Guri Henriksen (Nesodden), Norway.
Dramaturg for HenBlakstad
Guri Guri Henriksen is a visual artist and dramaturg for HenBlakstad. Educated at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1989–1995) and as a Teaching Artist through Seanse.no and Volda University College, her practice bridges visual art, performance, and pedagogy.
She has exhibited widely, including at the Drawing Biennale, the Stenersen Museum (Boundeless), the Vestlandsutstillingen, and the Østlandsutstillingen, and has presented animation films at international short film festivals such as Mostra de Video Art Internacional d’Alcoi (Valencia) and Femina Filmfestival (Verdal).
Since 2014, Henriksen has explored paper-cut and shadow-play techniques in stage productions for children and interdisciplinary performance projects with Animalske Produksjoner and DKS Akershus.
Formerly a Curator of Mediation at the Museum of Contemporary Art and now at the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, she works in the fields of art-based learning and accessibility, combining visual expression with sensory and performative exploration.
​In 2026, he is collaborating with HenBlakstad in the performance MISS MAX MAXINE, Vol. 1.- 3., a co-production between Vinterscenen/Grenland Friteater, Månefestivalen, Studium Actoris and Forsvarsbygg.
Shiva Sherveh, Light design (an Oslo-based artist)
working at the intersection of light design, scenography, and costume design for theatre, dance, and performance. Her practice examines states of in-betweenness, instability, and perceptual uncertainty—conditions that emerge in moments of polarization across artistic, spatial, and social contexts.
In recent years, her research has concentrated on light as a dramaturgical and performative medium. She investigates thresholds between darkness and illumination, treating light not merely as an aesthetic component but as an active agent that shapes spatial logic, choreographic presence, and audience perception. Through precise modulation of intensity, colour, shadow, and temporality, she constructs immersive environments that probe fluidity, tension, and transformation.
Shiva holds an MFA in Fine Art from Kunstakademiet i Trondheim and a BA in Scenography from the Norwegian Theatre Academy.
Thomas Hildebrand, Sound- design (Nesodden), Norway.
Sound director in MAXIME- skeiv dramtikk i podcastformat on Spotify, co-production with Ung Tekst- unge Viken Teater (2024)
Jiang Ke-Yu, Sound- design/Performer/Consultant (Beijing), China.
Ke-Yu (Iris), based in Beijing, China, is a choreographer, director, educator, sound designer, producer, and performing artist with a BA from the Beijing Dance Academy. She is the Artistic and Managing Director of Abbe Dance Company and Body Boulevard Art Platform, which she runs with her husband, choreographer and musician Simon Abbe from Cameroon.
Together, they have created and produced works performed in France, Switzerland, Norway, Singapore, the UK, Cameroon, Sydney, and China. Ke-Yu choreographed for the Olympic Games in Beijing (2008) and London (2012) and was part of the establishment and founding of the Cameroon National Dance Company (2004–2009).
Since 2012, Ke-Yu has been a co-producer and long-term collaborator with HenBlakstad (Norway). Together, their companies have co-produced the performances Return, Carcass, and A Phenomeno; Hedda Gabler.
Mary Ellen Beaudreau, Performer/Consultant (New York), USA.
Mary Ellen (Mellen) is a performing artist and director based in Brooklyn, NY. She has over 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 her BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School in New York.
Mellen has performed with renowned companies including San Francisco Ballet, Pilobolus Dance Theatre, RUBBERBANDance Group, Charlotte Ballet, and Fort Wayne Ballet.
Her choreography for dance, film, theatre, and opera productions has been presented at the Royal College of Music (London), The Laban Centre (London), Festival Ballet Providence (Rhode Island), American Players Theatre (Wisconsin), Classic Stage Company (New York), Charlotte Ballet (North Carolina), Fort Wayne Ballet (Indiana), Columbia University (New York), Roger Williams University (Rhode Island), The Actor’s Fund Theatre (New York), and Judson Memorial Church (New York).
Mellen has also held several leadership and administrative positions, including Development Assistant for the 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, puppetry, and object-based performance, often serving as a dramaturgical partner and thinking companion. She lives in Zutendaal, Belgium.
She recently graduated with a Master’s degree from The Academy of Performing Arts (DAMU) in Prague, specializing in directing within devised and object theatre in the Department of Alternative and Puppet Theatre. In 2014, she earned her BA from the Fontys Academy for Theatre in Tilburg, the Netherlands, where she studied theatre, musical, and circus arts.
Website Ine Ubben.
