AlexanderMayah Larsen
In ‘Tronfølger’, Alexander brings his father's life story to the stage, giving voice to a generation of immigrants who have never truly been heard in Danish theatre. He doesn't merely champion the work. He ignites it.
Alexander Mayah Larsen is an actor, playwright and artistic director. After graduating from the Danish National School of Performing Arts in Copenhagen in 2019, he performed at Odense Teater and Mungo Park in Allerød before making his debut as a playwright with 'Som Brødre' at Teater Grob, now Blaagaard Teater, where he became artistic director in 2025.
Alexander's interest in the performing arts began in childhood, first through his school's theatre group and later through visits to the major stages with his grandmother. The fascination was immediate, but a pressing question followed: was there a place for him in that world?
Even during his training, a need grew beyond performing roles, to tell the stories he felt were missing from the stage.
During his time at theatre school, Alexander's brother was imprisoned and his father returned to Iran. These deeply personal experiences became the foundation of his artistic work, carrying a universal story of loss and grief.
This has led to the works 'Som Brødre' and 'Tronfølger', in which his personal stories have been transformed into theatre. The desire to create recognition while also opening new perspectives for those who have not lived these experiences has played a central role.
For Alexander, theatre is a place where there is room for more stories. It is a space where audiences can see themselves reflected and encounter experiences not represented elsewhere.
"I am truly grateful for the award. For me, it is about using it to open up the theatre, make it more accessible and invite in those who would not normally find their way. And at the same time, to keep challenging what the performing arts can be, in close dialogue with the city we are part of."
This drive to tell untold stories has made him both a playwright and artistic director of Blaagaard Teater in Nørrebro, where he works to make the performing arts more accessible, at eye level with the audience and in symbiosis with the neighbourhood.
"There are not many stories on stage that resonate with what I have experienced. Is there room? There was, and there is. And I want to make sure that future artists also have that room."
Alexander Mayah Larsen receives the Harlequin Performing Arts Prize 2026.
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The Jury Said:
Alexander Mayah Larsen's undeniable talent announced itself early in classical roles, as the passionate Heathcliff with sparkling intensity in 'Stormfulde højder' at Odense Teater, and as the dedicated but alcoholic district doctor Astrov in 'Onkel Vanja' at Vendsyssel Teater.
With his autobiographical piece 'Som Brødre', Alexander demonstrated he was equally at home in contemporary drama, in a production that has since been performed in a prize-winning Swedish staging at Helsingborg City Theatre.
He went on to write 'Tronfølger', and the trilogy will conclude next season with 'Mors stemme' at Blaagaard Teater. As artistic director there, Alexander has championed new Danish drama, not least the boundary-pushing production 'Djinn', about homosexuality in a Muslim community.
Directly across from Blaagaard Teater on Nørrebrogade stands the shop where Alexander's Iranian father once sold kebabs to Danes. In 'Tronfølger', he brings his father's deeply personal life story vividly to the stage, giving voice to a generation of immigrants who have never truly been heard in Danish theatre.
Alexander doesn't merely champion theatre as a place where difficult things can be said aloud. He ignites it.
Congratulations on the Harlequin Performing Arts Prize 2026!
Jury
Dinna Bjørn
Choreographer
Anne Middelboe Christensen
Theatre and Dance Critic at Dagbladet Information
Michael Søby
Theatre, Musical and Film Critic at CPH Culture
Jan Hertz
Theatre Director
