Award-winning installation

Situation Rooms is an award-winning multi-player video installation inspired by real photos of the American government upon learning that their mission to kill Osama Bin Laden had been successful. Slipping into the perspectives of the protagonists, the audience becomes entangled in a film set that recreates the globalized world of pistols and rocket-propelled grenades, assault rifles and drones, and rules and refugees – a part of the re-enactment of a complicatedly elaborate, multi-perspective “shooting” in an immersive environment with more than 4,000 props.

- It is amazing to present this innovative performance here in Harstad. The interactiveness and masterly execution makes the experience unique, and it is mindblowing to think about how Rimini Protokoll has put all these stories together, says festival director Maria Utsi

Weapons and instruments of war

Equipped with an iPad mini and headphones, an audience of 20 follows a range of real-life characters: an Israeli soldier, a Swiss weapons manufacturer, a Pakistani lawyer or a Mexican drug cartel administrator, with the help of a screen used to augment reality.

- The stories presented through the different characters range from child soliders to journalists and activists. Going into the consequences of war on so many levels, this is a performance that is important to the Arctic Arts Festival thematically, but also because of the innovative form where the audience gets involved in the performance, says Utsi. 

Game-like reality

The performance guides the audience through an intricate labyrinth of stories and rooms, going from a backyard in Libya to a board room in Geneva further to a Swiss weapons factory. The story is told through an i-Pad and headphones in props that completely matches the video on the i-Pad. 

- This continuous interaction provides a fascinating extra dimension to the experience, you see the effect of your own actions, and other characters' perspective. This is a unique opportunity for the audience to experience a show where the boundaries between technology and reality is blurred in an impressive game-like reality, says Utsi.

Built in a sports hall

The physical rooms of the installation will be recreated in a two-story building, built inside a sports hall, and is almost like a complete film set in the level of detail. This production is the largest so far at the Arctic Arts Festival. The props alone will be sent to the Arctic in large shipping containers, and the local team plans to construct the set in a week. 

- We've been to Madrid to see the performance in order to understand the complexity of the project. Both in terms of logistics and construction this is a complex job that we are well prepared for, says Kristoffer Sandaas, production manager at the Arctic Arts Festival. 

It will only be exactly 20 people attending each performance, with several performances per day. All in all, 700 people can take part in the performance. 

Tickets are available friday February 8 at www.festspillnn.no.

Said about "Situation Rooms":

"Interweaving reality into an event in this way is the art of Rimini Protokoll. Everyone there is involved and yet the technique maintains a distance".
"A gripping theatre experience: its fascinating immediacy makes an individual impact on all those taking part".
Annete Stiekele aus "Im Zauberwald der Theatermagie", Die Welt am 08.08.2014

"Situation Rooms" was awarded with the Children's Choice Award from the Ruhrtriennale 2013 in the following categories: "Best of the Best" and "Most intense show that was so intense that I didn't want to miss a second".

In addition, Rimini Protokoll received the Excellence Award of the 17th Japanese Media Arts Festival on 05th February 2014 in Tokyo.

The virtual tt of nachtkritik.de voted "Situation Rooms" to the top ten theater productions of the year 2013, and also the Theatertreffen of the Berliner Festspiele selected "Situation Rooms" from 395 productions.