«Sølvguttene (the NRK boys choir) had sung in the start of Christmas, the Christmas tree glittered in front of us, and under it lay the presents. There was a lovely scent in the flat, the smell of Christmas. But there was another smell too: beer. In the chair sat pappa, a disaster that was just waiting to happen».
That is how the comedien Rune Andersen describes Christmas for him and his family in their high-rise in Kristiansand. He describes growing up with a father who drank and hit when he came home from sea. With a mother who intervened and took blows from which blood flowed – to save Rune and his sisters.
«Mamma, do you think I should tell on stage sometime what happened to us», he later asked his mother. «Yes, I think you should Rune, but wait until I am no longer around», she answered.
For 40 years the family remained silent about what had happened – but when his mother died in 2017, Rune Andersen decided to present the performance Lykkeliten.
The art of balance
Lykkeliten, which was performed for the first time in Kristiansand in 2018, spotlights an important and far-reaching topic: children who are exposed to domestic violence, and on the other hand the importance of good neighbours, caring teachers, grandmother and grandfather, a mother with boundless love for Rune and his sisters. These good forces made a difference.
The balance between the hilariously funny and the darkest despondency is brilliantly accomplished. The performance is full of humour and optimism, characterizations and imitations.
– We submerge to the depths of gravity, but we will not stay there – we resurface, says Andersen himself about the performance, which is performed during Olav's Festival at Byscenen on Friday 2. August.
Awarded Jon Lilletun's honorary award
At the national assembly of Kristelig Folkeparti (the Christian People's Party) at the end of April, Rune Andersen was awarded Jon Lilletun's honorary prize for his work on the performance and the theme it handles. The jury's justification states among other things:
«Jon Lilletuns Honoray Award goes to Rune Andersen because he has used his whole self to spotlight an important and far-reaching theme: children who are subjected to domestic violence. Through the story of his own life and the theatre performance Lykkeliten, Rune Andersen opens people's eyes and hearts to a theme which is shrouded in shame . The jury would like to thank Rune Andersen for his courage in talking about what is most difficult in life with just one aim: to help others in the same situation. "
EN 
NO