Well here we are on another ferry but this time returning home from Denmark where we have been for the last 3 and half weeks. We have had a great time performing White or Kridtehvidt (Whitey white) which is what we have been called while over here. We have played in five venues right across the country, from Hadderslev in the south, to Thisted in the far north and taking in Aarhus, Viborg and Odense on the way.
So a quick recap of our last 3 weeks:
We started the tour in the unpronounceable Hadderslev. It looks easy but the ‘dd’ is a ‘ll’ with a bit of ‘th’ thrown in at the same time. Then the ‘slev’ is pronounced more like ‘slouwwe’. Basically the rule with Danish seems to be let your tongue go flat and loose and you are somewhere close. Anyway while we there we had great audiences and a few day trips out to see the beautiful surrounding countryside where we saw the amazing ice flows. The sea in the whole bay froze so it was like being in the arctic.(See pic)
Then up to Aaarhus, the second city of Denmark, where we performed in the house of Gruppe 38. A really beautiful venue and a very stylish city. Everywhere you look in Denmark there is a consideration of design and there seems to be a healthy respect that your work should have the same aesthetic consideration as anywhere else in your life. The offices of the companies we went to were more like graphic design offices and it was fascinating to compare it to what we have back home.
In Viborg, the home of Carte Blanche, we had a lovely couple of days. We particularly enjoyed hanging out with the guys from the company in their converted old army barracks – and their huge communal kitchen table is something we would all like to take home with us.
One thing we have realised while over here. When people say Denmark is flat, they mean it. You might get the occasional odd hilly rise but that’s it. So even Thisted, right up on the remote north west of the country is just a rugged wind blown version of the same flat landscape.
In Odense (pronounced Udn-sa) we have walked in the footsteps of Hans Christian Andersen, Denmark’s best loved writer. It is fascinating to think if Burns or for that matter Shakepseare had written primarily for children how differently we might regard young people and consequently the art we make for them.
Everywhere in Denmark we have gone, we’ve been welcomed by our host theatre and we have met some lovely people along the way and would like to say a huge thanks to them for our trip. We are sad to leave Denmark but Suzie and I are off to New Zealand to perform Pondlife at the Auckland Festival so we’ll be having a new adventure which I’m sure we’ll give you an update on. And Ian? He will be having his own personal adventure very soon – in the form of a new hip joint! For some reason he doesn’t like the old one. Good luck Ian! – we look forward to the new bionic Wrinkle.
And to Denmark: Hej Hej