Kattas Figurteater AS is located in Tønsberg. We are seven artists who run the theater group, but we also connect with artists outside the group in our productions. Kattas has an office and warehouse at Olsgaard Atelierfelleskap and uses Papirhuset Teater as a rehearsal and performance venue. We create puppet theater for all age groups and teach and hold workshops, courses and lectures. Kattas is a local partner for UNIMA Norway's festival - the Figure Festival in Tønsberg which is held in January every other year.
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Anne Helgesen is the artistic director of Kattas Figurteater and also works as a puppeteer, screenwriter and director in the company. Anne started professionally with puppet theater already in 1985. First in Bodø, Nordland and since 1999 in Tønsberg where she started Kattas Puppet Theater. She has a doctorate in theater studies with the dissertation Animation - The Blessing and Curse of Puppet Theater (2003) . She teaches theater studies at universities and colleges and is a playwright and author and has published several children's books and non-fiction. In 2005 she received the Tyrihans Prize for her efforts for the Norwegian puppet theater and in 2015 she became a state scholarship holder.
Henriette Grøtting Kihle is the general manager of Kattas Figurteater and also works as a puppeteer and actress in the company. She is educated at the Acting Education at Nord University and has worked as a freelance actress and producer since 2018. After her education, she has been involved in several of Katta's productions and workshops; "Spillet i fjæra", "Mer enn ti tommeltotter", "Noen daler ned i skjul", "Kattas digital workshop" and more. She has also produced her own puppet show; "LILLE" who has toured in Vestfold and will tour in Telemark in 2022.
Sandra Bringsjord Pape is a producer for Kattas Figurteater. She is a trained actor from NISS with specialization in puppet theater at Oslo MET, where she has also studied cultural management. Since 2013, she has worked as a producer, general manager and coordinator for festivals, performing artists and cultural organisations.
In Kattas, she has worked on the performances "Virus - a fuge" and "Nyfødt Andersen og Rampegutt".
Tuva Synnevåg is a board member of Kattas Figurteater. She is also a designer, set designer, animator, shadow actor and figure maker in the company. Tuva comes from Færder and is a trained animator from Volda University College. She has also taken further education in shadow theater at the Teatro Gioco Vita in Italy. Tuva works as a freelance 2D animator and illustrator, and has been involved in many of Katta's productions, including Petra and the Wolf , Chat Noir's Shadows and Paradise at Slottsfjelltårnet .
Cecilie Schilling is a board member of Kattas Figurteater. She is also a singer, actress, character actor and ventriloquist in the company. She is a graduate of the Norwegian Academy of Music and the University College of Theater, Opera and Musical in Gothenburg. She has participated in several of Katta's Puppet Theatre's productions; "Grå gubber leker med fyrstikker", "Katharina's voices", shadow games at Slottsfjellet 2019 and several other events that Kattas has had throughout. She is currently working on Katta's latest production; Bing and Boss.
Elisabeth Eastwood is a board member of Kattas Figurteater. She is also a costume designer, seamstress, puppet maker and shadow player in the company. Elisabeth has a journeyman's certificate in dress and costume and journeyman's certificate in costume in the sewing profession and has been with Kattas since 2014. She has sewn several of the costumes that Kattas Figurteater has used in their productions and made patterns for sewing for several of our characters. In addition, she has participated as a shadow figure leader when Kattas had a shadow play on the castle mountain in 2019.
Iselin Skagen is a board member of Kattas Figurteater and is also responsible for marketing. She is also the producer for the company. She comes from Nøtterøy and worked with Kattas for the first time in 2012. Since then she has worked hard on our performances. Iselin is educated at
University of Oslo and has a master's degree in theater studies from there. She annually markets the Christmas performance of Kattas Figurteater and the company has been fully booked every year in december thanks to her efforts. She also does an important job of marketing
other events and performances throughout the year on social media. You can often meet her at the ticket office or the cafe before the performances.
Martin Eldøy is a board member of Kattas Figurteater. He is also a photographer and technician in the company. He is educated at CircoNove which is a circus school in Santiago and he has studied media and communication with specialization in photography. Otherwise, Martin works as a freelance photographer for Tønsbergs Blad and for Sirkus Eldøy. He also holds juggling courses for children in "Den Kulturelle Skolesekken" and for Færder Kulturverksted.