After a time of pandemic-induced limbo for theatres, the latest show from the Kompani Giraff, Clouds, hits the stage of Stockholm’s International Scene of Contemporary Dance (Dansens Hus) on February 11. Blending together acrobatics, dance, poetry, and live music, Clouds promises to bring its audience on a journey through the darkness and light that exist in every one of us.  The helmswoman of this production is Giraff’s Artistic and Stage Director Viktoria Dalborg,alongside with her Artist Director partners, Sus Soddu and Axel Adlercreutz.  In our conversation with Viktoria, she offered some insights into the show’s themes and development.

Moln— or “Clouds” in English– has been inspired by the life and work of Swedish writer Karin Boye (1900-41), best known outside Sweden for her famous dystopian novel, Kallocain, which depicts a totalitarian state.  The true inspiration for Moln, however, is something less well-known to international audiences: Boye’s poetry. As we learned from Dalborg, “Boye’s poetry is about themes such as the pain of imperfection in a world where perfection is desired. She also explores existential topics such as a young person’s broodings, life’s shortcomings, and thoughts about God and the future.”

Moln is a “dream play” that walks the brink between childhood and adulthood. It brings spectators into the duality of a dark, existential dystopia and the forever-optimistic, “bright clouds” moments that coexist within us all.

Stina Oscarson wrote the script of Moln based on Boye’s poems. Dalborg shared that when she first read the script, she envisioned it as being a theater piece. “I didn’t have any ideas for creating a circus performance out of it,” she said. “I put it away in a folder and set it aside for months. Then one day, a colleague saw the script by accident. He said to me, ‘Those lines look almost like song lyrics.’ It was a breakthrough moment: from one second to the next, I just knew that the script would have to be translated into music and then sung, and I knew, at the same time, that the perfect composer for this work was the musician and singer-songwriter, Jonathan Johansson. That was a special moment of clarity for me.”

Moln’s world premiere happened for a small audience in Sundsvall back in April 2021. “That was the worst period of the pandemic here. During that time, Swedish theatres were not allowed to have audiences much larger than 8 people,” explained Dalborg.

Moln has already begun its tour in Sweden and will play next week in Dansens Hus, Stockholm’s contemporary dance theater. Kompani Giraff is currently exploring international opportunities to tour the show.

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The Cast

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Meet the Artistic Team

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Based on poems by Karin Boye
Artists: Axel Ahl, Benjamin Beaujard, Elaine Briant och Sara Runsten

Directed by: Viktoria Dalborg
Music: Jonathan Johansson och David Lindvall
Playwright: Stina Oscarson
Set & costume design: Sus Soddu
Lighting design: Sofie Gynning
Magic consultant: Axel Adlercreutz
Mask design: Sophie Rockwell
Violin and arrangements: Erik Arvinder
Technical production manager: Joakim Björklund
Technical production: Stefan Karlström
Production manager: Mette Klouman

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Carolyn Klein

Content Writer -United States

Carolyn Klein is a writer, poet, and circus fan from the Washington, D.C, area. Writing stories about the circus has been a dream of hers since getting introduced to circus fiction around 2014. She recently completed her B.A. in English and Creative Writing, magna cum laude, at George Mason University. As a new member of the Circus Talk journalism team, Carolyn looks forward to learning as much as she can about the industry and people behind circus.

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Andrea Honis

Founder and COO -United States

Andrea, Founder of CircusTalk, is a fifth-generation member of the Hungarian Eötvös-Picard circus family. Prior to CircusTalk, she worked in advertising and performing arts management. Before starting the CircusTalk project she was Assistant Producer at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’s family series “Reel to Real” in New York City. Andrea holds a BA in Business Administration and an MFA in Performing Arts Management.