Årsgång: What You Follow Follows You
Workshop Presentation
april 8, 2019. One night only.
All forms of "witchcraft" were banned in Sweden until recently, as a blasphemous affront to the laws of Christianity. In the 1800s, you could even get arrested for "sitting out"--going out into nature to look at the moon and stars--because this was suspected to be a form of divination. Because of this, old pagan traditions were kept off the page, handed down only through whispers and songs, and spread thin over so many cold, rural regions.
Årsgång is one of these traditions. It is the Year Walk, the secret quest of those who wished to see visions for the coming year. In order to participate, a year walker had to keep their intentions secret, fortify themselves for danger, stay silent, and follow the rules:
Årsgång is one of these traditions. It is the Year Walk, the secret quest of those who wished to see visions for the coming year. In order to participate, a year walker had to keep their intentions secret, fortify themselves for danger, stay silent, and follow the rules:
During the time between winter solstice and the new year,
Keep yourself from the light of day.
Come out at midnight and walk to the woods.
Take the long way 'round toward the church.
You will encounter supernatural forces along the way.
They will not be benevolent.
They will be many.
When you reach the church, there is a ritual to be performed.
You will encounter the Grim.
If you survive, you will be rewarded with visions of the coming year.
Harvests. Famine. Joy. Failure. Weddings. Sorrows.
If you walk back home on the road that leads from the church,
You may see the funeral processions of all that will die in the coming year.
Possibly your own.
The Year Walk is a heavy undertaking.
Not to be embarked upon lightly.
It will be cold and quiet, and the moonlit snow will light your way.
You will walk out alone.
You will not be alone.
Keep yourself from the light of day.
Come out at midnight and walk to the woods.
Take the long way 'round toward the church.
You will encounter supernatural forces along the way.
They will not be benevolent.
They will be many.
When you reach the church, there is a ritual to be performed.
You will encounter the Grim.
If you survive, you will be rewarded with visions of the coming year.
Harvests. Famine. Joy. Failure. Weddings. Sorrows.
If you walk back home on the road that leads from the church,
You may see the funeral processions of all that will die in the coming year.
Possibly your own.
The Year Walk is a heavy undertaking.
Not to be embarked upon lightly.
It will be cold and quiet, and the moonlit snow will light your way.
You will walk out alone.
You will not be alone.
Mask Design by Derek Lee Miller
A workshop snippet of Årsgång: What You Follow Follows You will be presented as part of Minnesota Fringe's Drafts & Draughts series, Monday, April 8, at Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis.
Cast:
The Girl: Kayla Dvorak Feld
The Presence: Matthew Kessen
The Fox: Boo Segersin
The Crow: Megan Campbell Lagas
The Deer: Derek Lee Miller
Conception and direction: Amber Bjork
The Girl: Kayla Dvorak Feld
The Presence: Matthew Kessen
The Fox: Boo Segersin
The Crow: Megan Campbell Lagas
The Deer: Derek Lee Miller
Conception and direction: Amber Bjork
coming soon to Minnesota Fringe
The Winding Sheet Outfit presents:
You Are Cordially Invited to the Life and Death of Edward Lear: Poet, Illustrator, Composer, and Melancholy Hypochondriac
OR What is a Runcible Spoon: An Absurdist Eulogy and Existential Crisis on the Stage.
Minnesota Fringe, August 1 - 11, 2019
You Are Cordially Invited to the Life and Death of Edward Lear: Poet, Illustrator, Composer, and Melancholy Hypochondriac
OR What is a Runcible Spoon: An Absurdist Eulogy and Existential Crisis on the Stage.
Minnesota Fringe, August 1 - 11, 2019
we gained some honors in 2018:
|
Founding member Amber Bjork is one of the honorees of MN Theater Awards' Exceptional Performative Direction on The Winding Sheet Outfit's 2017 production of The Memory Box of the Sisters Fox ~~~ Blood Nocturne is named "Best of Fringe" by Twin Cities Arts Reader ~~~ Blood Nocturne takes home three Golden Lanyard Awards from Minnesota Fringe voters: Venue Pick (Southern Theater) Fringe With Benefits Members' Pick Artists' Pick (1 of 3 awardees) THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. WE CONTINUE TO BE STRANGELY BEMUSED BY YOUR PRESENCE, YOUR VOTES, AND YOUR FAVORABLE MENTIONS. |
