Grimstad
Fjæreheia Amphitheatre in Grimstad, with its fantastic acoustics and atmosphere, will leave you with an experience to remember.
The open-air theatre has a prehistory, design and location like no other in Norway, and will give the audience a unique experience of art in nature, in front of a nearly forty meter granite wall.
The Granite Field of Grimstad
The granite that was supposed to hail the German dictatorship during World War II, now symbolizes free speech and man-made art. Agder Theatre has since 1993 created art in stone in the old granite quarry in Fjæreheia and has given experiences that have touched over 140,000 theatre spectators.
Nazi monument
Germany's dictator Adolf Hitler had the ambition of millions of people paying tribute to his regime in surroundings characterized by the red granite from Fjære in Grimstad. Fortunately that never happened, and the granite now has a different meaning.
The granite
The red granite in Fjære was especially attracitve and easy to process. Ever since the 1870's the granite has been used as decorative elements in the Trinity Church of Arendal as well as in the two-tower church in Skien. The stone that had been taken out by Hitler was later used in the Norwegian reconstruction, post-war. It is found today, among other places, in road construction, quays and terraces.
A modern theatre
In 1995, the quarry was bought by Agder Theatre. From being a temporary set up, the amphitheatre was completed as a new facility in 1999, seating 985 spectators. Underneath the new permanent stage now hides workshops, actor wardrobes, a kitchen, offices and a lounge. From 2012 to 2020, the amphitheatre in Fjæreheia was part of Kilden Performing Arts Center, where several great performances have been shown such as Terje Vigen and The Lady from the Sea, two of Henrik Ibsen's most famous works. From 2021, The Norwegian Ibsen Company was established with the purpose of producing Ibsen's work in both Norwegian and English in order to build a theatrical bridge between Ibsen's motherland and the rest of the world.
The Ibsen Company will present Ibsen's work at a high professional level, with the country's leading Ibsen interpreters on stage. Founder and Artistic Director is the well-known, critically acclaimed actor Kåre Conradi.
Source: Grimstad Turistkontor