CV
Kate Pendry
Born 1965, London
Nationality British/Norwegian
Residency Norway
Original writing / performances for the stage (selected)
* Denotes both as writer and actor
2020
Enemy Of The People* - New music/theatre exploration of Ibsen’s classic with contemporary music ensemble Lemur. Premiered Rosendal Teater, October 2020.
The King Who Sold The Sea – a full length play about the historical events of the early 18th century when King Fredrik of Denmark sold the fishing rights of local fishermen in a small village in the north of Norway to wealthy merchants in the area.
Johnny and the Boi - collaboration with Ibrahim Faz
Johnny Johnson In The House* - a 4 month residency at Hamar Teater with the male character ‘Johnny Johnson’, exploring contemporary social issues ranging from Thunberg to the Liberal Elite, using dark humour and satire.
The Breakdown* - the Norwegian Opera and Ballet. Written with Jo Strømgren. A dance theatre piece about genetic narcissism and European history.
2018
Goodbye, America* - a three-part performance over three months tracking the evolution of Donald Trump’s presidency, and Europe’s relationship to the USA. Hamar Teater.
2017
Judacia - a commissioned work about antisemitism in Oslo during the German occupation - for Vega Scene Oslo’s polyphonic piece Haus City Vol 2.
Human Tsunami Trump:* The text written and performed as solo theatre directly after the artist attended Donald Trump’s inauguration in Washington. Also in development as a documentary feature film (producer: Storyline Nord).
2015-2016
Costa Blanca - with Kim Atle Hansen. About toxic tourism in the south of Spain. North/South polyphonic writing project, Madrid.
Soft Eyes - site specific metric poetic theatre piece about the refugee crisis in Syria: Oslo International Acting Festival, Spkrbx hip hop theatre festival, NonStop International Theatre Festival. National tours 2016-2018.
Loi: as part of the ‘dramatic quarter project’ - site specific play set in the future performed in Galleriet, Oslo.
WOMAN* - new text based on the work of Virginia Woolf for choreographer Daniel Proietto at DNOB (the Norwegian National Ballet and Opera)
The Rest Is Silence* - manuscript for dance with choreographer Hege Haagenrud. Dansens Hus Oslo. (Nominated Norwegian Critics Association dance prize 2016).
2007-2014
The Fountain / La Fontana: Quartieri Dell'Arte Festival – Italy. Site specific, rapid response theatre piece.
KONGO RE:BORN: Imagining the last hours of Tjostolv Moland's life as a stream of consciousness. Dramatikkens Hus.
Points Of Pain*: - about the terrorist attacks in Norway on the 22nd of July 2011; was premiered at the Red Zone - freedom of expression festival in Beirut and Cairo. The piece was also performed at the National Museum in Oslo. Extracts were perfomed by survivors on the 5th anniverary of 22th July, at the polyphonic at:lab event at the Arctic Arts Festival 2016.
Blood and Roses*: Literature Festival in Lillemhammer. A choric ‘what if’ meeting between Marilyn Monroe, Jaqueline Kennedy and Marguerite (mother of Lee Harvey) Oswald.
Dark Humor*: Dunkel festival, Hamar teater
A Dance Tribute To Margaret Thatcher* - Dramatikkens hus
Dropout - Oppland County, schools /prison tour 2012-2015
Peace Play 2011* - Ålesund Theatre Festival, UKA Festival Trondheim, Kulturkirken Jakob Oslo
Erasmus Tyrannus Rex DUS / Connections theatre for young people project
Happy Ducks - Literature Festival, Lillehammer
Mohammed and Me* - Teatermaskinen Festival - Sweden
Det Blinde Teater - Nationaltheatert /National Theatre Oslo
Pornography (nominated Ibsen Prize) - Det Åpne Teater
Johnny Johnson In D'Hus* - 5 x 3 hr monologues over 5 months
Sex In The War Zone*- Oslo, Bergen, Frederiksted, Brussels, Belgrade, Porsgrunn, Leipzig, Helsinki, Frankfurt, Paris, Stockholm, Pula –Croatia.
Dead Diana* - London, Copenhagen, Belgrade, Stockholm, Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen
1995 - 2005
Monster Madonnas - The Oslo Stage Company
Cabaret Pigalle - (ØJ Prod, Pigalle Nattklubb
Lilith, The First Vampire - Teater Sirenene
Aerporto Porco - Teater Sirenene
Ethnic Zoo - Norwegian Red Cross
I Can Also Sing The Blues - Nordic Black Theatre
Licktoad Jubenia - Watz/Pendry Art - Kunstnernes hus
A Prayer For John Lennon - Frederiksted Stage Art Academy
Dead Diana* - London, Copenhagen, Belgrade, Stockholm, Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen
OTHER SOLO works
Tales From A Wicked Child - Oslo, Belgrade Art Academy, BIT Bergen, Trondheim, Frankfurt
A Prayer For John Lennon - Kulturkirken Jakob
Sister Ruby Tuesday - Oslo, Trondheim, Hamar
Political spoken word performance residency at the Aktivist Kafe in Oslo throughout 2016, performing new material each month.
Podcast / Radio
2020 Kate Pendry’s Corona Chronicles: An apposite single voice narrative podcast of weekly 30 minute episodes that maps the social and emotional territories of the Corona pandemic. The podcast functions as a diary of events, and the content has been gathered since 12th March. Using both humour and a cultural materialist approach Pendry examines the macro issues (economy, mental health, class differences, domestic violence increases) as well as the micro (sex in the time of Corona, toilet paper hoarding, and the joys (and horrors) of ‘living room concerts’.
2015 Anglo-nordic noir black-comedy series: Oppdrag Renhold* (Operation Cleanup) for NRK P2 (Norwegian National Broadcasting); 6 episodes á 15 minutes each, about a middle-aged immigrant cleaning lady who murders the 'rats' she is employed by.
2002 - 2013 as programme host and writer at RadiOrakel, Oslo:
The Dead Diana Corporation News (weekly show 2002 - 2007)
Sister Ruby Tuesday’s Sixties Soul Show (weekly shows 2008 – 2013) Both satirical/political spoken word hour long shows, broadcast live.
Visual Arts / Crossover arts
Within the electronic art field has exhibited at the National Gallery (Oslo) 2005; the Melbourne Biennale ’99; Kunstnerneshus Oslo (Detox 99 Eon 97,); ‘Electra 96’ at Henie-Onstad Art Centre; The 5th International Biennale in Istanbul; DEAF; exhibited/toured with Riksutstillinger (National Touring Exhibitions) 1999-2000, The National Theatre Oslo - 2009.
Noted pieces include Charlie Pendry’s Talking Heads - an extensive video art piece containing multiple characters from the 20th century - all written and performed by Pendry (National Touring Exhibitions Norway)
2002: co-curator STUNT CLUB exhibition in Oslo featuring over 70 international artists during a 6 week period.
2008: NORWEGIAN GOOD – Kate Pendry retrospective. Kunstbanken Hamar dedicated the house to this exhibition including documentations of significant works, live performances, remixes of Pendry works by other artists (notably Kim Atle Hansen and Sons Of Liberty), and an extensive catalogue with essays and interviews.
2013: co-curator “Free The Arts” RED ZONE international freedom of expression festival featuring artists from 12 countries in the Arab regions: Kulturkirken Jakob.
Theatre (selected)
1991: King Lear - Reading Park Open Air Theatre dir. Katie Roden (Goneril).
1994: Decadence by Stephen Berkoff - Accusative Cases, London/Oslo dir. Edward Hall - main female lead
1995: Mauser by Heiner Müller; Fortinbras Teater Oslo London. Dir. Erik Meling - main female lead
2006: Gjengangere (Ghosts) by Henrik Ibsen: Theatre Ibsen. Dir. Morten Traavik. Helene Alving
Når Vi Døde Våkner (When We Dead Awaken) - Ibsen - Irene
2010 - 2020: Member of the Winter Guests ensemble, regular productions at the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and abroad. Most recently as Queen Elizabeth 1st in The Hamlet Complex – DNOB main stage (2018-2020).
Voiceover work (selected)
Ibsen: the lion – feature documentary / main narration (Tellus works)
Tram To Auschwitz - feature documentary / main narration (Hummelfilm)
Dishonoured - feature documentary / main narration (Icarus Films)
Hammersborg: Protecting the bygone future - documentary short / main narration (official selection Grimstad, Bergen International Festival). Selected to the Autumn Exhibition Oslo 2016.
Television
Occasional microscopic appearances on television include:
Okkupert (Occupied) TV2 Norway. 2016
2:1:1 (faction drama about climate) TV2 Norway. 2010
and slightly larger appearances include:
Snow Children TV / production. 102 episodes as main character ‘Snowflake’ TV2 Norway. (2000-2001)
Film
Human Tsunami (Storyline North Productions), directed by Mads Sjøgård Pettersen. Script / featured-as-self, KP. A documentary covering the three days around the inauguration of Donald Trump in Washington. (Released 2020).
Publications
Demonologi: Kate Pendrys liv og Verk (biography) with Marie Ekeli. Transit Forlag 2017
Erasmus Tyrannus Rex - Transit Forlag 2010
Happy Ducks – TUT Press 2010)
Pornography - Det Åpne Teater 2009
Stipends & residencies
Three-year artist stipend from the Norwegian Cultural Council (2007-10)
One-year artist stipend, Skien Municipality (residency at Snipetorp – Ibsen’s childhood home (2009 – 2010)
Writer-in-residency, Dramatikkens hus (Norwegian Centre for New Playwriting, Oslo 2013-2015
Two-year artist stipend from the Norwegian Cultural Council (2014-2015)
Associate playwright, Dramatikkens hus (Norwegian Centre for New Playwriting, Oslo 2016 - present.
Three-year artist stipend from the Norwegian Cultural Council (2018-21)
Union membership
Norwegian Writers Guild
Norwegian Actors Equity
Norwegian Visual Artists Union
Awards & nominations
Pris Ars Electronica Honorary Mention, 1996 for “sense:less”
Best Stage Performance 2003 for Sex In The Warzone – National Association for Performing Arts (Norway)
Woman of the Year 2003 – Radio Orakel (Oslo).
Norwegian Playwrights Association 'Gledesglas' for An Evening With Johnny Johnson, 2005
‘Person of the Year’ 2006 – Istra newspaper, Croatia
Ibsen Award (nomination) for Pornography 2009
Ibsen Award for Erasmus Tyrannus Rex 2010
Norwegian Critics Association - best dance performance (nomination) The Rest Is Silence w. Hege Haagenrud 2016
EDUCATION
BA (Hons) Theatre 1st class – University of Surrey, UK (2021)
3 year Diploma – Musical theatre and Acting: Mountview Academy (1987-1990)