Eline Arbo (1986) is from Tromsø, a small city above the Arctic Circle in northern Norway. After studying Theatre Studies at the University of Oslo, she moved to Amsterdam to study directing at the Amsterdam Theaterschool, which she successfully completed in 2016. She debuted with Goethe’s classic The Sufferings of Young Werther, to immediate critical acclaim. She directed several pieces in Norway, where her 2019 big stage debut with Ibsen’s Peer Gynt was a great success. Arbo makes her own adaptations of existing repertoire and always looks to find a social and political perspective. Her work is characterised by a musical and theatrical approach that combines the personal with the political. She directed an adaptation of Édouard Louis’ successful novel The End of Eddy in 2020. For ITA in 2021, she directed The Hours, based on Michael Cunningham’s novel. She was connected to Toneelschuur Producties previously and made several pieces with Noord Nederlands Toneel. She has been connected to ITA as an Associate Artistic Director since 2022. Since January 2023 Arbo is appointed Ibsen Artist in Residence, an initiative of the Philip Loubser Foundation.

Major pieces

2018 The Sufferings of Young Werther

2019 The Revolutionaries

2019 Three Sisters

2019 Black Water

2020 The End of Eddy

2021 The Hours

2022 The Years

Prizes and awards

2018 BNG Bank Theaterprijs for The Sufferings of Young Werther

2020 VSCD Director’s Award for The End of Eddy

2021 Mary Dresselhuys Award for her work of the past years

2023 Ibsen Artist in Residence