Save the dates!

28th Reykjavík Arts Festival

22 May - 5 June 2014

The 28th edition of the Reykjavík Arts Festival will take place from 22 May to 5 June. We introduce the first two festival events:

Ragnar Kjartansson and the Magic of Theatre

Der Klang der Offenbarung des Göttlichen is a new visual performance for the stage by Icelandic visual artist Ragnar Kjartansson, featuring music by Sigurrós's Kjartan Sveinsson, to be performed at the Reykjavík City Theatre during the 2014 Reykjavík Arts Festival.

What methods can the theatre employ to enchant its audience if no actors tread the boards, if there is no text, nothing left but the progress of sound and image? Ragnar Kjartansson practically grew up in the theatre and as a child, his undivided attention was captured by magnificent lighting changes, sets and music. These moments are Kjartansson‘s inspiration for a new performance where music and the magic of stage technology are at the forefront. The piece is being developed in collaboration with the Reykjavík City Theatre and the esteemed Berlin Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, and will have its premiere in Berlin this coming February. Kjartan Sveinsson‘s music will be performed live by the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg and the Filmchor Berlin led by pianist and conductor Davíð Þór Jónsson.

Performance dates: 28, 29 and 30 May 2014 at the Reykjavík City Theatre.

RCT subscription ticket holders can already book their ticket but general ticket sales will open in early 2014.

Der Klang der Offenbarung des Göttlichen is a new collaboration between RAF, the Reykjavík City Theatre and Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz Berlin; with the support of Der Haup­sta­dttkult­ur­fonds Berlin.

SAGA – A Cutting-Edge Puppet Show for Adults

Wakka Wakka Productions will be a special guest at the Reykjavik Arts Festival next spring with SAGA, their award-winning puppet show for adults, to be performed at the National Theatre of Iceland.

In SAGA, thirty puppets – spanning between ten centimetres and three metres – tell us a modern Icelandic saga, the story of Gunnar Oddmundsson who is ruined by the economic crash of 2008 and harbors dreams of justice.

The show, a fiery tragicomedy, is performed by an international team of puppeteers from the United States, Norway, Iceland and Ireland. SAGA, which premiered in New York City last spring, received the coveted Drama Desk Award 2013 for its excellent use of the media of puppetry and a witty and imaginative approach to an important contemporary topic.

Wakka Wakka Productions is a visual theatre company based in NYC  that pushes the boundaries of the imagination by creating works that are bold, unique and unpredictable. Wakka Wakka creates and produces original works of theatre which tour extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad. Wakka Wakka’s productions are highly physical, overlapping in a wide range of styles, including grotesque, absurd and clown, incorporating elements such as object manipulation, puppetry, masks and original music.

Performed at the National Theatre of Iceland in early June.
Tickets go on sale early 2014.

SAGA is a collaboration between RAF, the National Theatre of Iceland and Wakka Wakka Productions.