In 1983, nurse and nursing home director Arnfinn Nesset was convicted of killing 22 people at a nursing home in Orkdal. For over 10 years, the women who worked with him suspected that something was happening and reported it, but they were not believed. When the trial began, they were subjected to massive pressure from Nesset's defenders and the media. After the trial was over, the case was covered up, and it was not to be discussed further. The women were left alone with great guilt, feeling they had not done enough.

The Nesset case is the largest murder case in Norwegian history. In 2004, after 12 years in prison, Arnfinn Nesset had served his sentence and now lives a life in freedom under a new name. The women who testified against Nesset never got a fresh start and have lived with the consequences of reporting the case ever since. Forty years after the Nesset case, whistleblowing is still a risky endeavor. Studies show that 2 out of 10 whistleblowers experience sanctions, while 4 out of 10 find that it leads to no results. The personal and professional costs are high, and an increasingly individual-focused media landscape raises the costs for whistleblowers.

Through the largest murder case in Norwegian history, "Mistanken" examines what it costs to raise one's voice and the price we pay for letting silence prevail.

The performance is based on interviews with people who worked at the nursing home, documentaries, media reports, court notes, and interrogation protocols. On stage, four actors weave characters and times together and ask questions that many find difficult to answer.

Timeline of the Nesset Case

• 1976: Arnfinn Nesset was employed as the director at Orkdal Sjuke- og Aldersheim.
• 1977: According to the verdict, Arnfinn Nesset commits the first murder with Curacit. Towards the end of the year, a series of suspicious deaths are uncovered, and at the peak, 60 suspicious deaths are investigated.
• 1980: In November, it is discovered that Nesset is accumulating large quantities of Curacit. Curacit is a drug that paralyzes skeletal and respiratory muscles.
• 1981: In February, the county doctor in Sør-Trøndelag contacts the police. In March, Nesset is summoned for interrogation. He confesses to a total of 27 murders.
• 1983: Arnfinn Nesset is convicted of 22 of 25 murders and sentenced to 21 years in prison.
• 1993: Arnfinn Nesset is transferred to open serving.
• 2004: Arnfinn Nesset is released.

Nina Wester Returns to Turnéteatret i Trøndelag

Turnéteatret i Trøndelag is proud to have Nina Wester back at the theatre. In 2022, she dramatized and directed "IDIOT!", a performance that Trønderavisa's reviewer rated 6 out of 6, describing it as a performance that "stirs the heart and soul." Nina Wester was nominated for two Heddaprisen awards for the performance in the categories of best stage text and best direction. For the creation of "Mistanken", she is collaborating with scenographer and costume and mask designer Daniel Åkerström Steen, lighting designer Geir Ola Brattaker, and sound designer Magnus Børmark.

Pay-what-you-can does not apply to this performance, as the performance is presented by an external organiser.