Biography

Always starts the day listening to music by Johann Sebastian Bach.

The son of respected Norwegian artist Sigurd Winge, Stein Winge started out as an actor before becoming a highly respected and leading Norwegian theatre instructor. He has become one of the most sought-after instructors in the world, directing several plays and opera's in numerous countries.

In the 1980s he directed a version of Michael de Ghelderode's play "Barabbas" in the United States, with a young Bill Pullman in the title role.

Known to be a very caring and sweet-natured man he can however show an extraordinary temper, if pushed to the limit. One famous incident came when in 1987 he was directing Wagner at the Opera House in Geneva. There was a problem with the movable decorations and if the problem wasn't solved the leading star would actually run the risk of being decapitated on stage! The day before the first test-showing Winge went down into the cafeteria of the opera, where he found the technical chief drinking wine and enjoying dinner with the management. He calmly sat down and asked "When will the decorations be working?" The technical chief looked dumbstruck at him and answered "I don't know." Winge then liftdt their table and threw it across the room, making it crash into the wall, food and wine flying everywhere. He then screamed (according to himself for at least a minute and a half) before fainting into the lap of his tenor.

Father of model and actress Viktoria Winge.

Except from the fact that I really enjoy this life, everything else is better than being a theatre director. Some times I say: Theatre director - I can't recall ever being that. It must have been some grotesque intermezzo. [on his life as a theater director]