A SWEDISH TIGER

By Göran Gillinger and Jens Östberg

Abba, blondes, IKEA and neutrality. And a closet of dark secrets from WWII. In a fast paced, pop culture riff on the dangers of apathy in times of war and injustice, prominent Swedish actor Göran Gillinger brings his bravura performance from Stockholm's National Theater to Washington's Fringe.

Presented at:
Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Rehearsal Hall

644 D Street, NW

Washington DC

July 20 through July 25, 2007

Roar Of The Tiger
By: Eliza Bent:
American Theatre Magazine
July/August, 2007

Sweden, in the land of the midnight sun, is known for many things: subfreezing winter temperatures, stoic people, streamlined-yet-economical furnishings and its neutrality during the Second World War. Oops, scratch that last one. It may be what everyone thinks, but Swedish actor Göran Gillinger has set out to change a widely held historical misconception with his play A Swedish Tiger, appearing July 20–25 at this summer’s Capital Fringe Festival in Washington, D.C. (which runs July 19–29).
Gillinger, who is well known in Sweden for his role as Tobias on “En Fyra För Tre” (John Ritter’s “Jack” character in the Swedish version of “Three’s Company”), co-wrote the show in his last year at the Royal Academy of Acting in Stockholm with director Jens Östberg. “Sweden didn’t actually participate in the war,” Gillinger explains, “but it did help Germans by allowing them to use our railways for transporting and building prison camps. The Swedish government even designed a logo portraying a tiger in the colors of the Swedish flag.” The word “tiger” in Swedish not only means the striped animal, but also means “to be quiet,” which historically implied that Swedes needed to keep silent about their Nazi-sympathizing government.
Swedish critic Ånna Angström describes the play as “young, angry and very entertaining,” adding that it is “a complex self-examination worthy of exporting to other countries.” In an e-mail actor-playwright Gillinger reflects, “My grandfather, who died a couple of years ago at age 96, never showed his emotion, like many men of his generation. They were the true ‘Swedish Tigers.’ This is a play about my generation confronting our history—and also how it is to be Swedish and not ‘be quiet’ anymore.”