Drama in the Diamond II: The Father
This evening you can experience August Strindberg's classic "The Father" in two different interpretations - and with some of the country's most prominent actors on stage.
Actors
Claes Bang
Maria Rossing
Solbjørg Højfeldt
Carla Eleonora Feigenberg
Instruction and staging
Christopher Berdal
Editing of original text
Jokum Rohde
Karen-Maria Bille
Modern rewriting
Tomas Lagerman Lundme
Royal Danish Library and Danske Dramatikere are going through the past of Danish drama and giving iconic classics a new life when they are performed by famous actors and subjected to a modern approach. The result is a world premiere of a completely newly written text – perhaps one of the classics of the future.
First, it was the Danish-Norwegian Holberg's The Fidget (Den Stundesløse). Now we pay tribute to August Strindberg's famous tragedy The Father (Faderen) from 1887. The Father premiered at the Casino Theatre in Copenhagen and is a major work in the modern breakthrough. The play depicts an intense power struggle between a married couple fighting over custody of their daughter.
Strindberg himself called his play a "tragedy" and is read by many as an artistic adaptation of his own worst nightmare: being driven mad and disenfranchised by a woman.
With its treatment of timeless themes such as love, marriage, divorce, jealousy, doubt and power, The Father became the subject of great press attention and debate in its time – and continues to provoke and ask questions about gender and relationships today.
Classic text in a new interpretation
With star actors on stage, we present two different interpretations of Strindberg's text: The first part is an excerpt from the classic text and the second part is a modern retelling written for the occasion.
Both texts will be performed as staged readings in the Queen's Hall with Christoffer Berdal as director. There will be a short break between the two readings.
Masterpieces of the past are brought to life
Drama in the Diamond is a scenic and sensuous celebration of Royal Danish Library's unique collection of performed drama – a collection that includes more than 18,000 plays. With this initiative, we are resurrecting three classics from each period of theatre history through new interpretations and new drama. The project is part of the library's national initiative Denmark's Dramatic DNA (2024–2027), which aims to digitise and bring Danish drama to life for new generations.
Drama in the Diamond
Drama in the Diamond is a series of three events:
- Autumn 2025: 24 November at 7 p.m.
- Spring 2026: 4 May at 7 p.m.
- Autumn 2026: 23 November at 7 p.m.
Playwright Jokum Rohde will open all three events with short introductions. The events will also be made available as podcasts afterwards.
Created in collaboration with Danske Dramatikere.
