Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Kulissene viser en liten landsby der det nesten aldri er stillhet. - The sets show a small village where there is almost never silence.

Kulissene is the definite plural form of kulisse, and in practice it usually means the stage scenery / the set in a theatre (all the painted flats, backdrops, constructions etc. that create an illusion of a place).

So in this sentence, kulissene viser … = the (stage) set shows / depicts …, not specifically the curtains.

Outside of theatre, kulisser can also be used metaphorically (for example bak kulissene = behind the scenes).

Why is it kulissene and not some other form, like kulisser?

Norwegian nouns change form for number (singular/plural) and definiteness (indefinite/definite). For kulisse the usual pattern is:

Singular, indefinite: en kulisse
Singular, definite: kulissen
Plural, indefinite: kulisser
Plural, definite: kulissene

In your sentence, kulissene is definite plural: the sets / the scenery.

We use the definite form because we are talking about specific scenery (the scenery used in this production), not scenery in general.

Does viser mean “shows” or “is showing”? How should I understand this tense?

Viser is the present tense of å vise (to show).

Norwegian has one simple present tense. It can correspond to several English forms:

The set shows a small village
The set is showing a small village
Sometimes even the set will show (for scheduled future events)

Context decides the best English translation. Grammatically, it’s just present tense.

Why is it en liten landsby and not something like et lite landsby?

Two things are going on:

Gender of the noun:
Landsby is a masculine noun:
- en landsby (a village)
- landsbyen (the village)
Adjective agreement in indefinite singular:
The basic forms of liten (small) are:
- masculine: liten – en liten landsby
- feminine: lita – ei lita jente
- neuter: lite – et lite hus

Since landsby is masculine, you need en liten landsby.
Et lite landsby would be wrong because landsby is not neuter.

What does der mean here? Is it “there” or “where”?

Here der introduces a relative clause and means where, not there.

en liten landsby der det nesten aldri er stillhet
= a small village where there is almost never silence

In this use, der refers back to landsby (the place) and functions like English where. It is not the demonstrative adverb there (as in Der er bilen = There is the car).

Could I say hvor instead of der in this sentence?

Yes, you can:

… en liten landsby der det nesten aldri er stillhet.
… en liten landsby hvor det nesten aldri er stillhet.

Both are grammatically correct. Rough guide:

der is the most typical choice in written Norwegian for “where” in relative clauses like this.
hvor is also common, especially in speech and in less formal writing.

So your original sentence with der is very natural.

Why is the word order der det nesten aldri er stillhet and not der det er nesten aldri stillhet?

This is because it is a subordinate clause (introduced by der). In Norwegian:

In main clauses, the finite verb is usually in 2nd position (V2-rule):
- Det er nesten aldri stillhet.
  Subject – verb – adverb – rest
In subordinate clauses, the order is:
- [subordinator] + subject + (adverbs) + verb + …
- der det nesten aldri er stillhet
  der (subordinator) – det (subject) – nesten aldri (adverbs) – er (verb) – stillhet (complement)

So der det nesten aldri er stillhet is the correct subordinate-clause word order.
der det er nesten aldri stillhet sounds wrong to native speakers.

What is the function of det in det nesten aldri er stillhet?

Here det is a dummy/expletive subject, similar to English there in:

There is almost never silence.

Norwegian existential sentences are often built as:

Det er … (There is / There are …)

In your clause:

det = dummy subject
er = verb “to be”
stillhet = the thing that exists (silence)

So literally: where it almost never is silence, but in natural English: where there is almost never silence.

What is the difference between stillhet and stille? Could I say … er stille instead?

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

stillhet is a noun = silence, quietness
- det er stillhet = there is silence
stille is most often an adjective/adverb = quiet, silent
- det er stille = it is quiet / things are quiet

So:

der det nesten aldri er stillhet
= where there is almost never silence (focus on the presence or absence of silence as a thing)
der det nesten aldri er stille
= where it is almost never quiet (focus on the state of being noisy vs quiet)

Both are correct Norwegian; they just emphasise slightly different nuances.

Why is it nesten aldri and not aldri nesten? Where do these adverbs normally go?

In Norwegian, nesten (almost) typically comes before the adverb or word it modifies:

nesten alltid – almost always
nesten aldri – almost never
nesten ferdig – almost finished

So nesten aldri is the natural order.
aldri nesten would sound strange or wrong in standard Norwegian.