TWO BEERS WITH AURORA TVETE-BERGER AMDAM HELLAND
TWO BEERS WITH AURORA TVETE-BERGER AMDAM HELLAND
Aurora meets us ready-ish for the interview at Hunkattloftet. As we settle into the corner sofa, cold “spring brews” are set out on the table. We also get a charming bag of yesterday’s cut-up fruit to munch on. A slightly chaotic welcome, but then again, so is today’s interviewee. We have just managed to squeeze ourselves into Aurora’s colourful and incredibly busy calendar and are ready to get to know the Revue Manager for UKA in Ås 2024.
Journalist: Henrik Bakken og Celine Våga
Photographer: Tuva Hebnes
Translator: Ida Haraldstad
Web-distributor: Martha Ingeborg Evensen
A revue manager who is revue managing
Aurora applied to be the Revue Manager for UKA i Ås 2024 in March this year. She got the job, and has spent seven (almost eight) months running back and forth to organize and create the best possible anniversary revue. She tells us about a somewhat overwhelming period with “a lot of arms and legs” and that we meet her in a rather intensive period. There is a lot to plan, many to hire, and a lot to organize and remember. At the moment, Aurora’s life and calendar are filled to the brim with revues, revues and revues. But according to her, she wouldn’t change a thing. She says that the UKE book is ready on her bedside table and she can geek through it to be inspired by old revues. Flipping through pages and pages of revue history and student involvement has really made Aurora realize how extensive the role of revue manager is, and that she is constantly in awe of the trust she has been given.
Imposter syndrome
Aurora talks about “the imposter syndrome”, the feeling of not being qualified for a job or task you have been given. Being the boss of a 100-year-old revue tradition is something she is in awe of. And to be honest, you wouldn’t trust a manager who didn’t understand the seriousness of the role or who didn’t feel the emotions she is experiencing. Aurora says that she often thinks that she has no idea what she’s doing and that as an individual she’s not qualified to be where she is. In addition to having a great desire that the anniversary revue will and “must” be good, there are many shoals in the sea that threaten to sink SS Revue manager Aurora. It must be said that commitment and passion for revue is difficult to fake, and that it takes a highly experienced imposter to fool the entire student body at Ås. Aurora may feel like an “imposter”, but we see right through it. She’s actually a revue nerd who has the experience, knowledge and passion to be a good revue manager: It just takes a little time to warm up.
The Butterfly Effect
Ås. The plan was first to be an au pair in Paris and then study political science in some city. But the pandemic came, and she realized that it might be a good idea to apply for something, as the au pair job would probably not be possible. She therefore logged on to “samordna opptak” and there appeared the Renewable Energy bachelor’s degree, and without reading up on the program, she ranked it first. The application for higher education was accepted, and three years at rural Ås was suddenly next. Aurora says that she had no expectations of Ås or life as a student here; on the contrary, she was skeptical about the whole thing. She just wanted to finish her degree and move on. Fortunately for Aurora, a small engaging classroom environment was about to be the springboard to four years full of new friendships and involvement in associations, Samfunnet and UKA.
Aurora has been dancing since she was young. And so it was very natural for her to apply to the dance community when the whole Ås thing started to take shape in her first year at the Agrarian Metropole. Of the dance opportunities at Ås, it was actually UKErevyen that seemed the most fun. “Why not?” she thought and applied. This was Aurora’s first flirtation with student revue. She reveals, somewhat shamefully, that she first thought theatre was weird and that those who did theatre and revue were at least as weird as the art form itself. “I thought theatre games were mega-cringe” she laughs, and realizes that she is now the one who forces theatre games on others and pushes the boundaries of the revue gang. “I had never done theatre before [coming to Ås],” Aurora admits. But in the course of wandering across cornfields and dance shows on the Aud.Max. stage with the UKE dancers, she was bitten by the revue bug. Today, her theatre experience is completely different. “I’m revue first, then a student,” Aurora smiles.
We ask her where “Aurora” lies in the identity chain. The distinction between “just Aurora” and “revue Aurora” has become less and less defined over the past two years, and has instead become a soup of the same thing. Aurora = revue. The idea of joining UKErevyen 2022 as a dancer would later turn out to lead to a little-toomuch involvement in both the Hunkatt association revue and the managerial position she holds today.
“So Aurora has only been involved with revue?” you might conclude. Well, revue has been a big part of her student life at Ås. But Aurora has also been involved in both clerical positions in the bar during UKA 2020, been a marketing assistant for NU, been part of the Committee for Climate Accounting at Samfunnet (because she thought it would motivate her to do better in one of her subjects; it didn’t) and proofreader for Tuntreet. And we can’t forget Foreningen Hunkatten, the association Aurora has been heavily involved in since her admission in the fall of 2021.
Kitty cat, Hunkatt and geriatric cat mom
You can’t avoid talking about association life when you fall into conversation with Aurora. We’re sitting in the living room in the “Hunkattloftet” with the Hunkatten Association’s own banner standing magnificently in the corner. Aurora explains that it was the lack of a classroom environment at university that originally prompted her to join an association. As a kitty cat in Foreningen Hunkatten (a kitty cat is a new recruit/aspirant in the association), you are pushed out of your comfort zone to explore your limits. Foreningen Hunkatten has also been an incredibly important “primus motor” for many of the friendships she has developed over the years. In brief: The Hunkatten association left deep paw prints on Aurora.
Aurora says that she has gone from being very shy to being incredibly outgoing and comfortable speaking out loud in front of others. We’re a little surprised by this; it doesn’t sound like the woman we’re having a chat with today. Aurora says that the personal growth she has experienced during her time at Ås is largely thanks to Hunkattene and the cultivation of strong personalities that comes from being part of such an association.
We feel that Aurora stands out a little extra from other Hunnkatts. It’s probably the little extra knowledge she has about the association’s history that shines through in the interview. She tells us that she moved into Hunkattloftet with the other, slightly older Hunnkatts when she was still a little kitten. “Living in the ‘loft’ brings you closer to the history of the association in a completely different way. Living with several of the older Hunnkatts in the association who had a lot of knowledge about the old traditions in the associations has meant that she has learned many strange things and a lot of association history. Now that she is in her third year in the association, she says that “it’s important for me to be able to pass on that knowledge to the new members [in the association]”. Even though she’s getting older (in cat years), she still has a bit of momentum. Combining association work in Hunkattene with other major positions is somewhat tricky, but according to Aurora, it has gone “surprisingly well”. Aurora says that she (perhaps) won’t be the most “prominent” member of the association in the future, but being a geriatric cat mom isn’t bad either.
Revue is a saving grace
Aurora is not alone in being a creative soul here at Ås, something she was a little surprised about since there are virtually no creative degrees at NMBU. Perhaps that’s why revue is so strong here at Ås, that there is a need that arises when you constantly study to find the correct answer to underline. In a revue, it’s more about intuition, spontaneity and creativity. Aurora admits that she often struggles to find time for a lunch break between all the appointments and meetings that fill her Google Calendar. Despite the amount of work, the mountain of meetings, the constant recruitment process and stress, Aurora points out that she would like to work in a creative field after her master’s degree. Revue has changed Aurora, and it has become a part of her life that cannot be removed. Revue is a creative process, and after getting to know Aurora a little better, we can see that Aurora’s life has also been a bit of a creative process; maybe that’s why they are made for each other.
HILSENER:
Dear Aurora “hot for realzz” Helland
“Who is Aurora?” you ask?
A bubbly and fun lady from top to bottom. Nice, approachable, and inclusive. Our dancing fly, raving queen and crazy Østfolding. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to get to know you, through parties and other fun, countless rehearsals, hour readthroughs and mental breakdowns at 00:30 in Aud.Max.
There is no doubt that you’re a real revue soul – your enthusiasm shines through both when you’re on stage in wig and costume, and when you talk about everything that has to do with revue. It was not a surprise when we learned that you just had to join the whole circus again. We are looking forward to seeing you in the smashing show you and the gang are setting up in 2024!
We love you <3
Hugs and kisses form the UKErevue ensemble 2022
Dear Aurora,
When a random gang of 8 people is to be placed together and meet every Monday for two years, you really want them all to get along. We think it’s going great so far. From those who knew you, to those who got to know you, it is a pleasure to sit on the Board of UKA with you! You are honest, compassionate and have bones (and a ring) in the nose (Note: Norwegian saying about being tough). You have zero problem voicing your opinion and asking critical questions, and we appreciate it.
You’re not just a pleasure to be around, but also a fantastic revue manager! You are creative and open, but with a steady critical sense.
Still, the most important thing about being a revue boss is that one likes revue. You live and breathe revue, and your enthusiasm is contagious. The anniversary revue is in good hands with you behind the wheel.
We are looking forward to a year and a half more with Mondays and fun with you! Rai rai.
Sincerely, the Board of UKA.
Cheers dear 302!
With a heart as open as the door to room 302 you are very easy to fall in love with. At Qlturens Høiborg there’s talking all night, and you always have a fanciful story to tell. That the living room is too lovely is a luxury problem we can easily live with. When you start up a song, whether it be on the balcony or in the Bodega, it’s always with a beautiful voice and great passion. To say you have a busy schedule would be an understatement, and you come home and leave again in under 19,60 seconds if it’s needed. Still, you always have time to show compassion to everyone around you and can still spend hours listening to other people’s problems. We are extremely grateful that you have stuck around and are living in Qlturens Høiborg for the third year in a row, so that we have gotten the chance to live at Loftet with you and all the wonderful experiences and joys it brings.
Cheers to that living with you at Qlturens Høiborg is a fast-paced fairy tale!
Qlturell Greetings 301, 303, 304, 305 and 306 /Birte, Ingeborg, Marthe, Ingeborg and Ingeborg.
