THEATRE

This summer, we were invited by Northland Theatre in Stamsund, Lofoten, to be part of the development of Mama Fortuna, an immersive theatre project by artist Claudia Six. And it was a real pleasure to return to the rehearsal room and become part of a story that is as strange as it is relevant.

Mama Fortuna takes us into the world of fortune-telling. At the centre is Mama Fortuna, an ancient creature who promises to reveal what lies ahead. But beneath this seemingly magical world lies a much more unsettling question: Why do we want to know the future? How much are we willing to believe? And what happens when the stories, predictions and systems we create begin to shape the way we see ourselves and the world around us?

Working on this material was fascinating because the form and the content constantly influenced each other. We weren't rehearsing a finished story; we were discovering how this world should work, what it should reveal and what we wanted the audience to experience.

There was no beginning and no end, just an ongoing loop. There was space to explore, try things, question them, discard them and start again. The piece would grow through the process itself.

Another part of that process was the exchange with the other invited groups. We followed each other's developments, gave feedback and accompanied the different working processes. Seeing how others approached their material also challenged and enriched our own work.

And then there was our own team. Because we knew each other, trusted each other and were well attuned to one another, we could start much deeper into the creative process from the very beginning. We didn't have to spend the first weeks finding out how to work together. We could focus on the work itself.

For me, it was a wonderful reminder of why I love being part of something that doesn't exist yet, exploring a story together and allowing the form to emerge from the questions the story asks. Mama Fortuna is still developing. And so is the story.

To be continued...