Viking Magazine - July 2014 - 46

Q&A
Jeanne of All Trades
Meet Norwegian playwright and performer Jeanne Bøe.
BY MEGAN GOSCH
A
fter starring in the awardwinning
short fi lm " Money
Back, Please, " Norwegian
actress and playwright Jeanne Bøe
is hitting the road for a world tour
of her one-woman show PEER
Gynt: With Trolls in Heart. Bøe
began acting at the age of 13-long
before she realized playing pretend
could be a career path. She's since
dedicated her life to performance
of all kinds, from dance to drama,
playwriting to production. After
studying theater at The Academy of
Live and Recorded Arts in London,
Bøe performed with Norway's
Northern Theatre and worked as a
playwright before starting her own
production company, Bøe's Film
and Theatre. Viking caught up with
Bøe about her career and plans for
the future.
Q How has your acting infl uenced
your work as a playwright and
producer?
A When I write, I'm looking at
interesting characters. I think hard
about what I want to spend my time
on for a few years, so I write about
what I want to play. I need to think
about the audience as the producer,
because I need the audience. I can't
just write for myself, but usually
others are interested in strong
people with an interesting history
and life.
46 VIKING JULY 2014 sonsofnorway.com
Q How do you connect with
your characters?
A I do a lot of research and read
everything about the person I want
to portray or the story I want to tell.
This is something I love to do. When
I played the Danish author, Karen
Blixen, I read all about her and all of
her books.
Q What inspired you to start your
own theater company?
A I had a steady job with the
Norwegian Theatre and could
have been there the rest of my
life. But my heart was in creating
and writing my own productions,
and there wasn't time to do both.
I started Bøe's Film and Theatre in
2002, and have since hired more
than 40 actors, musicians and
directors. I was also one of ten
actors hired by the Norwegian
cultural department and Norwegian
Actor's Equity Association. It was a
huge vote of confi dence for me.
Q In PEER Gynt: With Trolls in Heart
you play multiple characters. What
is that like?
A The challenge is that you don't
have time on stage to lean on another
actor. Everyone is looking at you. The
perks are in planning tours, rehearsals
and performances. I also love the
challenge of being alone on stage and
making the audience listen.
Q What do you like to do in your
leisure time?
A These days I'm training for
a marathon in Eidfjord and a hike
across Hardangervidda, a national
park in Norway. I love to read,
ski, bike and walk my dog.
Spending a few evenings at home is
always nice.
Q What would you like to focus on
next in your career?
A I have started to write for fi lms,
and this is something I would love
to do more. I love to write. I would
still love to play Peer all over the
world, so hopefully I can stay in
shape and be healthy!
Q What has it been like to tour in
the United States?
A Great! I was here for the fi rst
time in 2004, and came back in
2006, 2009 and now in 2014. I have
so many wonderful memories of all
the people I have met. I love talking
to the audiences after
the shows.
Name: Jeanne Bøe
Origin: Skien, Norway
Company:
Bøe's Film and Theatre
PHOTO BY MØLEN
http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - July 2014

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