ThorbjørnHedegaard
Thorbjørn Hedegaard radiates a rare innocence. He approaches his roles with a wholehearted desire to understand the inner life of his characters, however complex they may be.
I am enormously grateful for the award. For me, it represents trust and an opportunity to continue deepening and developing the work I am engaged in.
Thorbjørn Hedegaard is an actor who graduated from the Danish National School of Performing Arts in Copenhagen in 2024. He immediately joined Aarhus Teater, where he has performed, among other roles, a remarkable X Factor host in the climate anxiety production 'GenZ Endgame' and a young man consumed by wanderlust in the monologue 'Derude'. These performances earned him a Reumert Talent Prize last year.
Originally from Skanderborg, Thorbjørn found his way into the performing arts through the grassroots scene in Aarhus, where a community of like-minded artists and the experience of underground theatre opened the door to his work. "For me, it was first and foremost a place where I felt enormously free. Like a fish in water. A place where I was strong."
He began working at Aarhus Teater even before completing his training, and has since marked himself as a distinctive voice on the stage. That early trust, he says, has helped shape his continued development, most recently seen in the title role of the musical 'Dear Evan Hansen', exploring vulnerability, loneliness and the longing to be seen.
For Thorbjørn, theatre is the place where he gives himself over completely. In his private life he feels uneasy, but in the shared space of performance it feels natural to step in and bring another person's world to life. It is here that vulnerability and doubt become not a hindrance but an asset, a way into the human experience we all share.
Thorbjørn Hedegaard receives the Harlequin Talent Prize 2026.
The Jury Said:
Thorbjørn Hedegaard radiates a rare innocence. He approaches his roles with a wholehearted desire to understand the inner life of his characters, even when they are at their most complex.
In the musical 'Dear Evan Hansen' at the Playhouse, he played the young Evan Hansen, on the margins of his school community. As an audience we were completely drawn into his portrayal of the fear of not making friends, while his social anxiety made him tremble.
Every fibre of his musical body reflected Evan Hansen's fragility. In the role, he did everything to appear invisible. Fortunately, that did not work with the audience. Thorbjørn's talent is clearly not to be contained.
Congratulations on the Harlequin Talent Prize!
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
