Things to do
CPH STAGE: The city as a stage
Stephen Gadd
May 25th, 2017
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This article is more than 7 years old.
CPH STAGE also includes outdoor performances that unfold the entire city as a stage and show it from a new angle.
Get out and about and become part of the action yourself (photo: Andreas Bennetsen)
CPH STAGE is going on all over the city – in both well known and newly-established venues.
The festival is an excellent opportunity to see a great variety of performing art – from the Royal Danish Theatre to the newest, undiscovered, upcoming groups in Denmark, and international performances as well.
A new angle on things
However, the festival also gives you the opportunity to experience the city through magic, dance and artistry – or in other words, from a new and different angle – in outdoor venues. One of the most recent additions to the outdoor meeting points in Copenhagen is Ofelia Plads: A concrete pier with a square.
Coated with dark grooved concrete, the pier slopes down at the north side, where it disappears under the water level gracefully, giving shout-outs to the history of the harbour.
Despite its young age, the relaxed and humble attitude of the pier is already mixing popular culture with high culture. Here, you’ll find pavilions, stages, food trucks and stairs made just for kissing. This is the place to take a break, a snack, a cold beverage – or to go and see a performance while the sun hopefully caresses those winter pale cheeks of yours.
Performance program at Ofelia Plads
Under the auspices of the Royal Danish Playhouse, a variety of matinees and soirées will take place in the form of a contemporary circus act, a ballet show, interactive theatre, a performance city walk – and much more.
In ‘The Balance’, Signe Løve Anderskov examines the concept of balance in her laboratory of balance. Two self-promoting double agents invite you to join them in their omnibus on the search for meaning in the all-embracing ‘Big-Brother’ society in ‘Omnibus’. In ‘Walking Workshop’, Inge Agnete Tarpgaard takes you on a very spontaneous city walk – where anything can happen.
Urban exploring
CPH STAGE takes you to a series of different cool sites around the city. ‘Hidden Numbers’ by Cantabilie 2 is a performance city walk, that will take you around an unknown Copenhagen. You will simultaneously be existential detectives and urban explorers on this yet-to-be-known route.
In the historic Lorrys Have garden in Frederiksberg, you can enjoy ‘Jekyll on Ice’ by Paolo Nani. The round, loveable, clown-like ice cream salesman will, without doubt, make you laugh when he invites you into his universe. Balloons, Ice Creams and humour set the scene in the old garden for a good laugh!
The Meat Packing District is known for its nightlife, with cool restaurants and popular night clubs. However it will also be the place to go for an outdoor feast with coffee, cakes and more.
‘My Table is Your Table’ examines the relationship between privacy and public space. The setting reflects a family dinner, with different traditions of celebration, but instead of the usual topics, the speeches and songs are about identity and nationalism, setting the scene for a strong – but subtle – dialogue about society.
Welcoming the summer
With the diverse variety of on-site performances this year, CPH STAGE is not only ideal for taking in interesting experiences from the performing arts, it’s also a great way to welcome the Copenhagen summer, which really is all about harvesting good times in the sun. Go check out the program, and plan you alternative exploration of the city.
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