Heino Byrgesen on the achievements of BCITI

President of the Danish ITI, Heino Byrgesen, is in Dhaka to participate at the ITI Theatre Festival. This is his fourth time in Dhaka. The Daily Star recently spoke to Heino Byrgesen.
Byrgesen, the former President of Nordic Theatre Union, completed his PhD in theatre and began his career as a theatre reviewer for the Danish National Radio (DNR). Byrgesen is now the Head of Production, Radio Drama, the Audio-Dramatic Division of DNR.
Commenting on the activities of Bangladesh Centre of ITI, Byrgesen said, “This is one of the most active centres of ITI. We are absolutely impressed by its publications, which is an achievement of this centre.”
Byrgesen informed that the theatre scenario in Denmark is different from here. Danish theatre activists are very professional. The Danish Government provides subsidy to all art forms including theatre. He said, “There are over 60 theatre troupes in Denmark. Except one private theatre troupe, all groups receive assistance from the government. Each year the government provides 80 million dollars specifically for theatre activities.”
Commenting on the current theatre activities in Denmark, Byrgesen said, “Plays featuring socio-political issues such as 'migration' and 'gender' are popular in Denmark. Young Danish playwrights are writing interesting poetic scripts on these issues as well. Besides, classics by Shakespeare, Harold Pinter and other master European dramatists are frequently staged. Musicals are also very popular in Denmark, as are radio plays.”