BIT Teatergarasjen 40 Years
This autumn and in collaboration with BIT Teatergarasjen, the University of Bergen Library presents an exhibition on the theatre’s 40 years of work in and for the performing arts. The exhibition tells parts of BIT's history since 1984 through posters, programs, stage installations, video and photographs, and is based on archival material that has recently been transferred to the library’s Special Collections. There will be several performances and events in the exhibition during the semester.
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Bergen International Theatre Festival (BIT) arranged its first festival in 1984 at Torgallmenningen, with performances at Lille Scene (DNS), Tracteuren, Bergen Museum and USF Verftet. The aim was to provide Bergen audiences with an alternative to DNS, and to give Bergen residents and visitors a richer theatre experience. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary this autumn, the University of Bergen Library and BIT Teatergarasjen are presenting an exhibition at Nygårdshøyden in Bergen, about the theatre's 40 years of work in and for the performing arts.
The exhibition is a continuation of two previous exhibitions, at Hordaland Art Centre in 2022 and at Visningsrommet USF in 2023. Both were short in duration and framed within the biennial festivals Oktoberdans and Meteor. Exhibiting in the students' living room for an entire semester opens more opportunities to showcase material from the theatre's rich archive. The exhibition includes posters, programmes, stage installations and videos, photographs and documents, sketches and more. There will be several performances organised by BIT Teatergarasjen and Prøverommet at the library during the semester.
Several VHS recordings and other material have been digitised and compiled into the film "Teater er best på Teater. BIT on video 84-20", which is shown in the exhibition. The book "Den flyktigste av alle kunstarter - 40 år med internasjonalt teater i Bergen" will also be launched during the semester. The book contains a chronological summary of all the years, four Theatre Studies contributions from Grethe Melby, Melanie Fieldseth, Keld Hyldig and Knut Ove Arntzen, as well as a text by former theatre director Sven Åge Birkeland and French choreographer Gisèle Vienne.
The theatre's archive has recently been transferred to the University Library's special collections, where it will be preserved for posterity and be available to researchers and the general public. At the Department of Theatre Studies, two research fellows are now working on mapping BIT's history and analysing the theatre's role in the national and international performing arts field. In many ways, the exhibition at Nygårdshøyden completes a circle from when three young theatre scholars interrupted their studies at the university in 1983 and decided to expand Bergen's theatre offerings by starting a festival.
BIT Teatergarasjen presents Norwegian and international performing arts to audiences here in Bergen, in the form of a seasonal programme and the two festivals Meteor and Oktoberdans. BIT has not had its own theatre since 2009, but has presented performances at Studio Bergen, USF Verftet and other venues in the city. In two years' time, Bergen International Theatre will move into the new Sentralbadet - an important step towards a new golden age for international performing arts in Bergen.
The exhibition can be seen at the library for humanities until the end of the year and will be followed by a program of performances and events throughout the semester.