I was invited by Liz Pugh from Walk the Plank to support her as director of Midsummer Mystery, one of the key events for Bodø Capital of Culture 2024. I was offered the role of Performance Director, working with a team of performers and in particular a chorus from local theatre company Salten Friteater, who had no previous experience of performing outdoors. Their job was partly to encourage the public to join in and as Northern Norwegians are known for their dourness, this was considered with some nervousness…

I travelled to Bodø to run a 2 day Masterclass on outdoor performance with the performers and we developed a series of games that would be used to encourage the audience to participate. I returned in production week to run rehearsals and help to integrate the live performance into the wider visual narrative. The show involved challenging technical elements, including characters arriving from a boat, a wide arena with a range of sightline issues and facilitating large numbers of spectators to pull on a rope, working together to erect a large beacon on a nearby island.

The experience was an extraordinary one. I was privileged to experience the magic of midsummer in the Artic Circle. And also to be a part of a large scale production that didn’t only make a big impact in terms of spectacle but also managed to connect with many people on a playful and intimate level. In my experience this is a rare thing. Moreover, it turns out that Northern Norwegians are more willing to play than was originally expected, though no doubt the midsummer madness had something to do with it…

Creative Team