Acting graduate lands contract at Norway’s National Theatre

Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts Acting (Screen & Digital) graduate, Christoffer Masters has been awarded an eighteen-month contract with Norway’s largest and most prestigious venue, Nationaltheatret (Norway’s National Theatre) in Oslo.

Norwegian Christoffer, who graduated in 2023, is currently on tour with Riksteatret’s production of Bonnie and Clyde, playing the parts of Henry Barrow (Clyde's dad) and Buck Barrow (Clyde's brother).

We caught up with Christoffer to find out how the tour’s going and how he landed a job at Norway’s top theatre.

Q: Congratulations on your contract at Nationaltheatret. Tell us how that came about?
I was on tour (with Riksteatret) when I got a callback to do an in-person audition. I knew that there were hundreds of applicants and that I could not allow myself to get my hopes up; I decided that my focus had to be on making the most of the time I had at the audition and then figure out how to get back on the road in time for the performance we had the same evening.

I feel like it could not have been a better time to get a callback. When you're on tour doing five or six shows a week, you're so focused on preparing for a new performance every night, you don't really have time to overthink or go through all the "what if’s" in your head. Walking into the audition, I just felt like I was doing yet another performance for a new audience, and all I had to do was my job. I went back on tour, and a few days later, I got a call that they wanted to offer me a contract; it was incredible!

Q: You’re currently on tour with the musical Bonnie and Clyde, how’s that going?
When we started work on the production, we didn't really have a script; we had a timeline and a few pieces of text written by external writers. We did a lot of improv work to create the scenes we needed to follow the timeline, and our musical director had us working with a lot of different instruments to see what would work on stage and in the different scenes. As the production went on, we got a digital script that we had to be familiar with before every rehearsal due to a lot of cuts and changes throughout the entire production. This process of creating theatre was new to me, but it has truly been a rewarding experience.

Q: What’s the audience reaction been like?
So far, it has been the experience of a lifetime. I get to travel, perform, and see all of these beautiful places. It seems like we have made a show that people like.

Q: And what's the biggest thing you've learnt while on tour with Bonnie and Clyde?
I am lucky to be surrounded by people who have a lot more experience than I do, and I make sure that they know that I value their advice. This is my first professional job and my first tour, so I do feel like I learn something new every day. I have, however, picked up a few things that I have found useful, such as the importance of staying healthy, taking care of your physical and mental health, eating right, and making sure that the people around you are doing well. I think that's just as important to apply in everyday life as it is on tour, but having good and healthy routines when you are on the road sure makes it easier to give a good performance.

Bonnie and Clyde tours until 30 April and Christoffer starts at Nationaltheatret in August 2024.

Image: Christoffer Masters in Bonnie and Clyde. Photography: Maja Moan