Photo Exhibition: Bergman at Dramaten
Play, passion and intense magic – moments from the creative life of Ingmar Bergman. A unique collection of photographs taken by Bengt Wanselius, Beata Bergström and Lennart Nilsson.
May 14 – June 9. Raoul Wallenbergs torg
Ingmar Bergman set up his first production at Dramaten in 1951 and his last in 2002. It was here that the young Ingmar Bergman was first introduced to the magic of theatre and where he came to see performances that would influence his work for the rest of his life. During his career Ingmar Bergman moved from one theatre to another until he was appointed head of Dramaten in 1963. He was to remain true to Dramaten for the rest of his life (apart from a period of involuntary exile in Germany in the 1970s).
This exhibition shows the work of the following photographers:
Lennart Nilsson is one of Sweden’s best known photographers. He followed Ingmar Bergman on several occasions for Life, Se and other magazines.
Beata Bergström is a freelance photographer who has worked for Dramaten for 30 years.
Bengt Wanselius, who has put together this exhibition, previously worked as in-house photographer at Dramaten. He has followed Ingmar Bergman’s theatre, opera and television work over a period of nearly 20 years. Ingmar Bergman never allowed outsiders during rehearsals, only people who were actively taking part in the production could be present – but there was one exception: Bengt Wanselius. Bergman let him come and go as he pleased. The unique collection of photographs of Bergman at work that came out of this cooperation is not only a result of Bengt Wanselius’s intuitive feeling for when a moment is important and his ability to capture it, but also of his ability to be present during a working process without disrupting it. This is why Ingmar Bergman trusted him for 20 years.
/Ulla Åberg