America – Visions of Love is a two-act play based on original text and transcripts of recorded conversations collected whilst traveling through the united states.

Strikingly well-acted and beautifully composed, on a high international level !

- Klassekampen

Why does the whole world seem to be preoccupied with America and American culture? It seems an image or movie exists in everybody’s mind about what “America” is. We decided to grab a-hold of our assumptions: our love, loathing and prejudice, and travel to the USA to collect stories and situations for a play.

What a vast screen one could fill if there were no edits - but, of course, there must be. We have edited as one might edit a movie: re-ordering, re-contextualizing, re-forming characters, performances, personalities, and people. And as in many great film noir courtroom classics, we have tried, judged, and sentenced to death those who do not deserve their new fate and let those off, with a caution, who may have otherwise been vilified and destroyed — not in an attempt to present the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth behind contemporary American culture and society, but to confess our own need for myth and fantasy. "Films… are fantasy… magical illusion".

Øyen’s 12 year old nephew gives an impressive performance as an ageing, sex-addicted gay man.

- Bergens Tidende


America – Visions of Love is a play appearing in the form of a screenplay based on transcripts of conversations we took part in or observed, as well as snatches of recontextualized dialogue from television shows or movies — and of course, our own writing.

As a whole, America – Visions of Love is a magnificent production.

- Bergens Tidende

Videos

AMERICA- Visions of Love trailer

Info

Year: 2009

Duration: 180min (one intermission)

Premiere House of Dance, Oslo, October 18th 2009

Credits

Director

Alan Lucien Øyen

Written by

Alan Lucien Øyen and Andrew Wale

with

Andrew Wale, Kate Pendry, Suzie Davies, Åsmund Færavaag, Leander Øyen, Krysten Cummings

Set design

Åsmund Færavaag

Light design

Torkel Skjærven

Sound design

Gunnar Innvær

Cinematography, edit

Alan Lucien Øyen

Technical manager

Martin Flack

Dramaturgical assistance

Tom Remlov

Stills photography

Erik Berg

Co-producers

BIT Teatergarasjen and House of Dance, Oslo

Funded by

Arts Council Norway, City of Bergen, Fund for Sound and Image

AMERICA - Visions of Love

House of Dance, Stockholm

  • 16 April 2011

House of Dance, Oslo

  • 3 April 2011

BIT - Teatergarasjen, Bergen

  • 12 - 14 November 2009

House of Dance, Oslo

  • 18 - 20 October 2009