Alan LUCIEN ØYEN
Alan LUCIEN ØYEN is one of the most exciting artists from Norway today, whose work as writer, director and choreographer has been highly acclaimed in his home country and abroad.
As the son of a dresser, ØYEN grew up in a small theatre, Den Nationale Scene, established by IBSEN himself, in the town of Bergen, Norway. Here he would watch theatre religiously from the age of 7: classical productions as well as contemporary masterworks like the very first world premieres from Norwegian playwright Jon FOSSE.
At the age of 17 he went on to study Ballet with Hungarian ballet master and Marinsky graduate Peter TORNEY, whom he studied with for two years before being accepted into the State School of Art in Oslo where he graduated as a dancer in 2001.
ØYEN spent his first years as a dancer with The Norwegian National Contemporary dance company, Carte Blanche, where he met American choreographer Amanda MILLER, he later went on to join her company Pretty Ugly in Köln in 2005.
ØYEN choreographed his first piece excerpts of citation without context in 2004, a solo dealing with the over-exposure of information in modern day society based on Jean BEUDRILLARD’s essay Ecran Totale (Screened Out).
By 2006 ØYEN had already established his own company winter guests – a multidisciplinary company bringing together actors, dancers, writers, set designers and technicians, touring theatrical works in English for the international stage. Since 2009 his plays for winter guests has been written and developed together with British playwright and director Andrew WALE.
Whether it’s theatre, dance or film, ØYEN’s works have a highly emotional and dramatic drive. His choreographic language is complex and technically challenging. His works are informed by the world around him which allows him to draw inspiration from a myriad of sources including high art and popular culture as well as personal conversations and experiences – always in pursuit of a sincere and human expression.
ØYEN has won several awards, both for his choreographic works as well as his theatre productions. His six hour long play Coelacanth, (co-written with Andrew WALE), won him the prestigious HEDDA Award, (Norwegian Theatre Awards), for Best Original Play, as well as three other nominations including Best Director and Best Play.
As Artist in Residence with the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, ØYEN is given the space and freedom for himself and his company winter guests, to make groundbreaking theatre and dance performances in the stunning new Norwegian Opera House.
Besides his work for winter guests, ØYEN is also commissioned to create work for companies in Norway and abroad. His most recent productions, his staging of Swedish playwright Lars NORÉN’s As the Leaves of Vallombrosa for Det Norske Teatret in Oslo, as well has Kodak, (which he wrote, choreographed and directed), for the Gothenburg Opera’s Dance Company, received great critical acclaim.
ØYEN will be one of the first two guest choreographer commissioned to create a full-length piece for Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina BAUSCH premiering June 2018.
ØYEN and winter guests receives annual funding from the Norwegian Arts Council and has been generously supported since 2004.