The National Theatre of Iceland is heading into a milestone year, as it celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2025. While exciting new productions await the lifting of the curtain, featuring both comedy and drama, the theatre will continue to present four wildly popular plays from last season—a momentum that Artistic Director Magnús Geir Thordarson warmly welcomes.
“In short, we have an incredibly diverse program ahead, with a lot on offer—probably more than ever, really,” says Magnús Geir when discussing the upcoming season. “One of the things that stands out about this season is the unusually large number of shows that were extremely successful last year and will continue with us into the winter. These include the Gríma Award-winning play Saknadarilmur (“The Scent of Longing”), the major musical Frozen, and Ord gegn ordi (Prima Face, by Suzie Miller). Not to forget the stand-up show At the Red Light, which was a big hit. Among the new productions, I’d like to highlight a hilarious Icelandic comedy called Eltum vedrid (“Chasing the Weather”), which premieres at the beginning of October. Many of the country’s top comedic actors are involved, and there’s a lot of excitement about this play, where we see the Icelandic nation in a nutshell—chasing the weather.”
The National Theatre’s Christmas Production This Year is Yerma — a stirring and powerful play, according to Magnús. “This is a new modern production that Gísli Örn Gardarsson will direct, with Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir in the lead role, and I expect it will resonate with audiences in much the same way as The Mayenburg Trilogy, which we performed last year and fondly remember, as it shares a similar tone.” Additionally, Magnús Geir mentions a new work by Hrafnhildur Hagalín, titled Home. “This is an incredibly well-written play about Icelandic people, an Icelandic family today.” He also highlights Taktu flugid, beibi (“Take flight, baby”), Jolabodid (“The Christmas Dinner”), and Blomin a thakinu (“The Flowers on the Roof”), which is one of six children’s plays that will be offered this winter.
Icelandic Reality and Stories That Move Us
After the New Year, a new Icelandic musical will premiere. It is titled Stormur (“Storm”) and is based on the music of the popular local musician Una Torfadóttir. “This is a story written and directed by Unnur Ösp Stefánsdóttir, who is working in collaboration with Una. It’s a story deeply rooted in current Icelandic reality, one that we can all relate to and that will move us, accompanied by Una’s wonderful music,” says Magnús Geir. “I think it’s safe to say that this season is characterized by stories that are close to us. There’s great originality, deep emotions, and amazing actors.”
One might assume it would be difficult to follow up such a strong season as the last one at the National Theatre, with four productions still running, but Magnús Geir says quite the opposite is true. On the contrary, it provides undeniable momentum going into the fall and winter. “This is truly a luxury position, and we are extremely pleased with how strong and proud we emerged from last season. Many of our stage productions broke attendance records, and our shows did incredibly well at the Gríman Awards [the annual Iceland Performing Arts Awards]. When you stop shows while they’re playing to full houses at the end of the season, it’s clear that we enter the new season with packed audiences and everything in full swing already by the end of August. Ultimately, it’s always about the audience, and the theatre is always more enjoyable when you feel that the interest is tangible and that shows are sold out. More than anything, this situation motivates us to keep moving forward in the same direction.”
The Theatre Always Reflects the Present
As it should, live theatre always takes cues from its external environment—it reflects the zeitgeist, so to speak, at least to some extent. Magnús Geir wholeheartedly agrees. “Theatre is always a certain mirror of its contemporary moment. On one hand, theatre deals with something universally human and timeless—human emotions, love and compassion, hate and conflict, families, lovers, and so on, and that’s part of what we do. That’s why theatres around the world are still performing Shakespeare, Chekhov, and the classical Greeks.”
At the same time, Magnús Geir and his colleagues are constantly trying to connect the theatre to people’s lives today and ensure that their selection of projects reflects current issues that are important to people. “What stands out a bit for us this winter is that we are reflecting on human relationships and the family as the cornerstone of life,” notes Magnús Geir. “We’re also addressing issues that have been prominent lately, and I would mention Prima Face first, as we are about to perform the 70th show soon. This is a play we premiered last year—an incredibly powerful and impressive piece, with Ebba Katrín Finnsdóttir in the lead role. It deals with sexual harassment and how the legal system processes such cases. It’s an incredibly clever work that brings us very close to the subject, allowing us to understand it in a completely different way than what we see in the media every day.”
Another play that Magnús says is firmly rooted in contemporary times is the aforementioned work featuring the music of Una Torfadóttir, Stormur. “This play is about the lives of young people finishing university and stepping into adult life, finding their way in that world. Many topics are raised that relate to life in Iceland today and the complex environment we live in. I can tell you that we had a table read of the play yesterday, and people here were tearing up over various aspects that resonate deeply with what we’re experiencing around us today.”
The Art of Crafting a New Theatre Season
It’s to be expected that an esteemed institution like the National Theatre must cater to as many people as possible while also ensuring its broad role in the cultural life of the nation. At the same time, it must remain fresh, innovative, and in tune with contemporary issues when it comes to selecting content. So, how does the person in charge—none other than the National Theatre’s director—go about planning a new season? Magnús Geir smiles at the question. “That’s right, it’s a tricky task, but an incredibly fun and rewarding one. At the theatre, we work in such a way that, although the director holds ultimate responsibility and leads the process, they work alongside a strong team—a project selection committee that operates throughout the year. And we’re always trying to gauge—what stories do audiences want to hear, and what stories do they need to hear, and what is important for society to be presented on stage. With that in mind, we’re constantly reaching out into the world, keeping track of what’s happening in theatres around the globe, reading newly released novels, and staying in regular contact with writers. We always have countless ideas and countless works under consideration and discussion. Slowly but surely, this narrows down, and eventually, we have our season.”
And that’s precisely what Magnús Geir and his team are offering to the nation this fall and winter. It’s clear to see and hear that the National Theatre is entering its 75th year in full stride—fresh and forward-looking.
Text: Jón Agnar Ólason
