Children’s Theatre with Poetry, Humour and Attitude

With an alluring combination of acting, puppetry, live music and visual art, Teatret Lampe has specialised in creating humorous, poetic and topical shows for children. In addition to modern interpretations of classic fairy tales, Teatret Lampe also produces thought-provoking contemporary Danish drama.

Anne Nøjgård
(Born 1959). Actor and puppeteer. Graduated from the Actor’s School at Aarhus Theatre and worked from 1984-1991 as a freelance actor at various Danish theatres. Founder and artistic director of Teatret Lampe since 1991. 

Artistic profile
Believing firmly in the combination of great acting, a good story and the necessity of relating the theatre to our everyday life with its joys and sorrows, Teatret Lampe creates performances that strive to captivate the audience from beginning to end. The theatre always entertains, but not simply for the sake of entertainment.

An interplay with live music is a characteristic feature in the theatre’s performances for very young children, giving the shows a unique poetic quality. Artistic director Anne Nøjgård has devoted herself exclusively to acting in theatre for children and young people and has earned a reputation as one of the finest Danish puppeteers.

For over 15 years now, Teatret Lampe has put on approximately 100 performances annually in Denmark and abroad. The theatre’s acclaimed production of The Ugly Duckling in 2000 for very young children - using puppets, live music and slide projection – totalled over 390 performances.

Current productions

The Girl Who Went Away
(2007)
Renowned Danish dramatist, director and cartoonist Nikoline Werdelin has created this new puppet play. A girl leaves home to become a poet and embarks on a journey through a wonderful and frightening world, inhabited by odd characters. Poetry, punning and the magic of words paves her way. The performance features magnificent puppets and newly-composed music.
Max. audience: 80 -100
Age group: 6 - 11 years old
Language: Danish

The Rug
(2006)
A new interpretation of Grimm’s fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel. In order to concentrate on their work and themselves, two busy parents – an actress and a musician – have sent their children away. But they begin to wonder: How will the children deal with the dangerous world? And what about the parents - can they manage without their children? A visual and physical show accompanied by classical piano music.
Max. Audience: 80 -100
Age group: 4 - 9 years old
Language: Danish

Wish!
(2005)
A performance with objects based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Steadfast Tin Soldier. When the tin soldier sees the ballerina for the very first time, he wants her for his wife. After a challenging voyage to the bottom of the sea, the soldier’s wish finally comes true. A humorous and poetic love story told with the simplest of means: pencils, paper and a pair of scissors. Plus live acoustic guitar music.
Max audience: 40-50
Age group: 2 - 6 years old
Language: English and Danish

Review extracts

“Amusing, captivating and using a rug as her sole prop, Anne Nøjgård acts out the happy-go-lucky Hansel, the sweet-as-pie Gretel, the hungry witch, etc.; while super-shrewd Peder Holm Johansen plays characters and “piano” (…) The show sways freely and easily with its own musical and physical precision. Nothing gets swept under the rug.” (5 stars)
Politiken (DK), The Rug

“Teatret Lampe tells the story of Hansel and Gretel from the viewpoints of the parents and the children, both in the fairytale past and the present-day life of modern Danes. Using only a rug as a prop in a radiantly white and empty children’s room, the fairy tale is played out and narrated with Kamilla Wargo Brekling’s elegant, minimalist and suggestive direction with effective piano accompaniment. Original and contemporary theatre for children, sensitive and dark at the same time”
Jyllandsposten (DK), The Rug

 “In Wish!, Teatret Lampe invites a very young audience to some delightful humour and simple, poetic, visual magic, provided by a flawless dramatic storyteller. Each of the many characters is given a unique voice and personality, making it easy to follow the story of The Steadfast Tin Soldier.”
Børn og Unge (DK), Wish!

International Tours

2006
Kijimuna Festival (Okinawa/ JA)

2005
NIFIN (SE + FI)

In recent years – in addition to touring Greenland and Estonia, Teatret Lampe has also initiated an ASSITEJ collaboration project with children’s theatres in Serbia.