DREYER, DEN DANSKE TYRAN

– “A powerful, intriguing and dark work” CPH POST – 5 stars

– “A tight and crisp work from the hand of Stuart Lynch” TEATER 1 – 4 stars

In 2012, the prestigious Danish film festival CPH PIX opened at Dagmar Teater with DREYER, DEN DANSKE TYRAN. A highly ambitious amalgamation of film and theatre, the large-scale production followed the life of the foremost Danish filmmaker of the 20th century, Carl Th. Dreyer. Directed by Stuart Lynch and written by Thomas Markmann, it starred Charlotte Muck, Bo Madvig, and Baard Owe.

By combining film and live performance, Stuart Lynch sought to investigate both the life and film career of the danish tyrant Dreyer; it staged the real-life impact of the man, as well as his legendary, enigmatic contributions to the silver screen.

As a city rich with history, Copenhagen has many modern-day connections to Dreyer. And many of these locations and communities that Dreyer once belonged to, are the creative spaces and people that Stuart Lynch was drawn to. Not only did DREYER premiere in Dagmar Teatret – Carl Th. Dreyer was the manager of Dagmar for many years until his death – the show starred titan of Danish acting Baard Owe, who also starred in Dreyer’s final film, Gertrude.

Lynch staged these unusual synchronicities to remind us that Dreyer might have seemed larger than life, blown up on the big screen, but he was also human.

But what kind of human?

What brought him joy? Anger? What were his demons, or his angels?

DREYER, DEN DANSKE TYRAN was above all concerned with Dreyer as a person. His films might have been emotionally austere, but the focus of this play was, above all, this man’s personal relation to emotion. Clearly it was a complicated one, as he was labelled a sadist and an obsessive.

DREYER explores Dreyer’s fascination with men and women, their power dynamics and struggles, as well as his distinct understanding of the transformative magic of light and composition.

Carl Th. Dreyer was a pioneer of Danish film, and with DREYER, DEN DANSKE TYRAN, Stuart Lynch focused on both the films, and the man responsible.