Legal issues are given new life at the theatre
Three of the participating lawyers: Karin Persson, Jenny Forkman and Henrik Bellander. Photo: Jula Mård
Who is actually guilty? And what is a reasonable punishment? The play “Den som berövar annan livet” [The Taking of a Life] gives new life to legally complex issues and invites the audience to weigh in their own opinions. Two of the play’s authors, Henrik Bellander and Gustaf Almkvist, are senior lecturers at the Department of Law at Uppsala University.
Henrik Bellander, Associate Professor of Procedural Law, and Gustaf Almkvist, Associate Professor of Criminal Law. Photo: Annica Hulth
The performance begins with the audience witnessing two crimes. This is followed by an intermission, giving the audience time to get some refreshments and discuss what they saw. Act two is a trial in which the audience acts as jurors and helps determine the verdicts.
“We want to highlight how difficult these legal assessments are, even when you’ve actually seen what happened,” says Henrik Bellander, Associate Professor of Procedural Law.
His colleague and co-author Gustaf Almkvist, Associate Professor of Criminal Law, agrees:
“We’ve been able to incorporate things that actually happen and are quite dramatic in and of themselves. There is a lot in the law that is exciting and engaging.”
Playing to full houses
The idea behind the play came from Anders Frigell, a lawyer and author who passed away in 2020. Henrik Bellander, Gustaf Almkvist and dramaturge Jonas Bernander were involved from the start and worked together to complete the script. The play is now being performed to full houses at Uppsala City Theatre.
“Henrik and I worked hard to create a scenario that is as clear and legally sound as possible in order to highlight various legal issues. We also put a lot of thought into how the second act, i.e. the trial, should be portrayed. Jonas then took responsibility for the final dramaturgical decisions,” says Gustaf Almkvist.
There has been a lot of discussion about the characters, what works on stage and for an audience, and what makes a character believable.
There is no right answer
Despite the audience seeing everything, or at least a significant portion of what transpires, it is still quite challenging to make legal assessments. Henrik Bellander, who is also a performer in the play, has had audience members come to him afterwards and ask questions such as: “Was the verdict correct?”.
“My answer is that there is no right answer.”
In the play, they want to show that there is a big difference between having a general opinion about a crime and bearing the responsibility of passing sentence.
“A trial involves different roles, all of which contribute different perspectives. In the theatre, you can take that a step further and get close to all the characters in a way that you can’t in a trial,” says Henrik Bellander.
Classic problems
Classic legal problems are portrayed on stage. For example, what happens when two people are at the same place, a crime is committed, and each of them points the finger at the other, but no one knows what really happened? And how do you judge two people who were both present when a crime was committed, but only one of them held the murder weapon?
“These are classic criminal and procedural law problems that we didn’t just make up out of thin air. They also arise quite often in the real world. Everyone can see the moral dilemma in these issues, which our courts deal almost on a daily basis,” says Gustaf Almkvist.
Among the theatregoers in the audience are many lawyers, some of whom are also judges and professors.
What has being part of the performance meant to you?
“When you take what you teach and research and transport it to the theatre stage, you discover new things. This is particularly true of legal assessments – something lay judges do all the time. In terms of the reasoning applied, it really doesn’t make a difference whether it is fictional or real,” says Henrik Bellander.
Background as a lawyer
Henrik Bellander himself has a background as a lawyer, while Gustaf Almkvist has been a judge, so they have extensive experience of court cases and the interesting discussions that can arise both in court and at the theatre.
“It’s fascinating how law and jurisprudence stand with one foot in very complex theoretical issues of right, wrong and morality and the other foot in reality. I think we’ve built a great bridge in this context,” says Gustaf Almkvist.
“I think theatre audiences seem to have a very keen interest in these issues and recognise their complexity. They see many nuances, and it feels meaningful that we can contribute to that.”
Annica Hulth
Production at Uppsala City Theatre
The play “Den som berövar annan livet” is being performed at Uppsala City Theatre until 18 January. It was written by Anders Frigell, a lawyer and the writer behind popular plays such as “von Sydowmordens gåta” [The Mystery of the von Sydow Murders] and “En advokats död” [The Death of a Lawyer], together with Henrik Bellander, Gustaf Almkvist and dramaturge Jonas Bernander.