THE MIDNIGHT MASS OF THE DEAD: AN ÅRSGÅNG STORY
Before the pandemic shut us all away, TWSO was working on our upcoming stage production, Årsgång: What You Follow Follows You.
It's a story about being in the woods of Sweden a long, long time ago, and the supernatural forces that reside there this time of year.
This audio story gives you a little preview of some of those characters and the atmosphere surrounding them.
Lajla and her friend Ylvi visit some village friends on a dark Christmas Eve and learn about the Christmas mass held by and for the dead.
And they are a little too eager to learn more.
It's a story about being in the woods of Sweden a long, long time ago, and the supernatural forces that reside there this time of year.
This audio story gives you a little preview of some of those characters and the atmosphere surrounding them.
Lajla and her friend Ylvi visit some village friends on a dark Christmas Eve and learn about the Christmas mass held by and for the dead.
And they are a little too eager to learn more.
Featuring:
Kayla Dvorak Feld as Lajla
Boo Segersin as her friend, Ylvi
Kristina Fjellman as the young widow Agniss
and Derek Lee Miller as Pastor Aspel
Sound recording and mixing by Derek Lee Miller
Direction by Amber Bjork.
Kayla Dvorak Feld as Lajla
Boo Segersin as her friend, Ylvi
Kristina Fjellman as the young widow Agniss
and Derek Lee Miller as Pastor Aspel
Sound recording and mixing by Derek Lee Miller
Direction by Amber Bjork.
You can stream straight to your laptop, or find the series on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, PocketCasts and more! Search for "Blight Christmas: A Holiday Horror Together."
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.
WE SEND YOU.
Photo by Erin Dvorak Clark, Design by Amber Bjork
On the dark night of the solstice, a brave soul seeking visions of the coming year must undertake a dangerous, quiet, supernatural pilgrimage through the still and snowy forest...although not truly alone....
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FEATURING
~ Kayla Dvorak Feld as Lajla Matthew Kessen as The Follower ~ Boo Segersin as Ylvie Derek Lee Miller as Pastor Aspel Kristina Fjellman as Agnis Megan Campbell Lagas as Sissela Joshua Swantz as Elin Amber Bjork as Gerda ~ Direction by Amber Bjork Music by Joshua Swantz and Amber Bjork Stage Management and Magic by André Johnson, Jr. Mask and tree design by Derek Lee Miller |
Photo by Erin Dvorak Clark
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WHAT IS ÅRSGÅNG?
A Swedish tradition from long ago, the "year walk" was a divinatory practice that would allow the practitioner to see events for the coming year. Fires, floods, bad harvests, who would marry, who would die. But it is not easy and not to be embarked upon lightly.
Those wishing to see the future must forego food, drink, light and company for 24 hours.
They must set out at midnight on a liminal night--some traditions say winter solstice, some say Christmas Eve.
They must go alone. Speak to no one. No laughing or smiling. No running or looking back.
They must make their way through the forest to the churchyard and along the way,
they will see visions and face supernatural challenges and distractions.
If they can do all of this, they will face the churchyard guardian and ask for knowledge. If they can't... they risk insanity.
Or death.
Those wishing to see the future must forego food, drink, light and company for 24 hours.
They must set out at midnight on a liminal night--some traditions say winter solstice, some say Christmas Eve.
They must go alone. Speak to no one. No laughing or smiling. No running or looking back.
They must make their way through the forest to the churchyard and along the way,
they will see visions and face supernatural challenges and distractions.
If they can do all of this, they will face the churchyard guardian and ask for knowledge. If they can't... they risk insanity.
Or death.
BLOOD NOCTURNE
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Emily Dussault: Erzsébet Báthory
Amber Bjork: Dorka/ensemble/director (bowed psaltry, percussion)
Kayla Dvorak Feld: Kata/victims/ensemble (french horn, percussion)
Derek Lee Miller: Ficzko/Thurzo/ensemble (balalaika, accordion)
Boo Segersin: Anna Darvolya/ensemble (percussion)
Joshua Swantz: Illona Jo/ensemble (flute, accordion, mellophone, percussion)
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André Johnson, Jr (Stage Manager)
Emmet Kowler (Lighting Designer Minnesota Fringe)
Scott Pakudaitis (Marketing Photographer)
Kris Heding (Graphic Designer)
Alex Wohlhueter (Production Photographer)
Photo by Scott Pakudaitis. Design by Kris Heding.
Production photos by ALEX WOHLHUETER, courtesy of minnesota fringe
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critical praise
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Blood Nocturne earned three Golden Lanyard Awards from Minnesota Fringe including Venue Pick (Southern Theater), Fringe with Benefits Members Pick, and one of three Artist Picks.
~ Twin Cities Arts Reader awarded Blood Nocturne Best of Fringe 2018. ~ Cherry And Spoon Reviews Blood Nocturne "The ensemble tells the story in a non-linear fashion, with charming and creepy original music." ~ Rohan Preston of the Star Tribune Reviews Blood Nocturne "Emily Dussault plays the countess with stateliness in a handsome show with striking period costumes and live music played by the actors." ~ Jay Gabler of CityPages Reviews Blood Nocturne "this ambitious and complex postmodern musical" "a play that sounds and looks stunning" ~ Selected Fringe Audience comments: "Beautiful, Dark, Complex" "Gorgeously Dark" "Stunningly good" "Beautiful, charming, haunting, wonderful show!" "Great Historical Horror" "Chilling Theater at Its Finest" "Brilliant!" "Captivating and Richly Appointed" "W0W, just Wow! Absolutely Perfect!" "Masterfully done" "Deliciously creepy in all the right ways" "The Winding Sheet Outfit is phenomenal." You can read more Fringe Audience reviews here. ~ "The creators of this show firmly put their tongues in their cheeks, and then bit them off." - MJ Marsh 
Photo by Scott Pakudaitis. Design by Kris Heding.
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more information and references |
A new play with music, devised and composed from scratch, by the makers of last year's encore and award-winning Fringe showThe Memory Box of the Sister Fox!
Erzsébet Bathory's story is...complicated. And dark. Full of holes and covered in layers of historical question marks. We are going to give her music and make her fight for her life. We're not out to exonerate her, the lady was no saint. But she's not the real villian here. We must examine the ways human history chooses to present itself. Want to know more about Erzsébet? Here are some books:
Twin Cities Arts Reader pre-festival interview with director Amber Bjork. THANK YOU: Jonathan Feld, Kristina Fjellman, Jacob Steinbauer, Mandi Johnson, Kris Heding, Scott Pakudaitis, Deb Dvorak, Rose Shaffer, Boo, Kayla, Josh, Derek, Emily, André, The Fringe technicians, volunteers, staff, and you. |
bios
Báthory family crest.
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Emily Dussault: Báthory Erzsébet
Emily Dussault is an actor/singer/theatre-maker based in Minneapolis. She has performed with many local theatre companies, including Savage Umbrella, Transatlantic Love Affair, Artistry, Theatre Pro Rata, Loudmouth Collective, and The Moving Company, among others. She is also half of the musical duo The Champagne Drops, and is a co-host of the podcast Hypotheticast. She is very excited to be in her first Winding Sheet Outfit production. In addition to Blood Nocturne, you can also catch her this Fringe Festival in Couple Fight: The Musical! Kayla Dvorak Feld: Kata/victims/ensemble (french horn, percussion) Kayla is an actor and teaching artist in the Twin Cities. Formally of God's Country (Iowa), she received her B.A. in Theatre Arts at Simpson College. She is quite pleased to be performing with The Winding Sheet Outfit for a fourth time, having been most recently seen in The Memory Box of the Sisters Fox and Theatre of the Tiny Clandestines at the 2018 Art Shanty Project. Kayla has also worked with companies including Daleko Arts, Theatre Pro Rata, Hero Now Theatre, Theatre Unbound, Theatre in the Round, among others. In the fall, you can see her in Le Cirque Féerique with Collective Unconscious Performance. When she's not making theatre, Kayla enjoys reading, sleeping, being outdoors with her husband, and looking lovingly at her perfect dog, Mira. Derek Lee Miller: Ficzko/Thurzó/ensemble (balalaika, accordion) Derek is an actor, writer, puppeteer, designer, builder and musician. This is his 14th year in the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Past Fringe shows include Sandbox Theatre's June of Arc and Marie-Jeanne Valet, Who Defeated La Bete du Gevaudan; Transatlantic Love Affair's Ballad of the Pale Fisherman, Red Resurrected, Ashland, These Old Shoes and 105 Proof; Perpetual Motion Theatre Company's The Depth of the Ocean; and his own one-man shows Know Your B-Movie Actors and The Banana Wars. Derek is also a founding ensemble member of Transatlantic Love Affair and a writer for Minnesota Playlist. This is his first time playing the balalaika, even though he bought it six years ago. Boo Segersin: Anna Darvolya/ensemble (percussion) Boo is a Twin Cities actor and she likes it that way. She is oh so thrilled to be performing with The Winding Sheet Outfit again after joining them last year for The Memory Box of the Sisters Fox. Other companies she has worked with include Theatre Unbound, Fearless Comedy Productions, Impossible Salt, Really Spicy Opera, Swandive Theatre, SteppingStone Theatre, Six Elements Theatre, Ghoulish Delights, Sod House Theater, and others. She studied her theatre skills at Augsburg University and likes cats. And Tom. Joshua Swantz: Ilona Jó/ensemble (flute, accordion, mellophone, percussion) Josh is excited to be performing in the MN Fringe after a 5 year hiatus. He's doubly happy because this marks his second show with The Winding Sheet Outfit (having previously been seen in Birds of Passage). During his time away from performing in Fringe, he has been playing with Pan-Handlers Steel Drum band and other assorted ensembles as the occasion arises. While he's rarely met an instrument he couldn't figure out, he still can't figure out proper punctuation (commas and ellipses abound). When he isn't making music or supporting MSP's great theatre scene, he can often be found exploring a new (or old) brewery, playing trivia, or trying to make friends with the cats in his neighborhood. André Johnson, Jr: Stage Manager André Johnson Jr. is a theatre artist in the Twin Cities stage managing, designing, acting, and creating works. He usually has a few strange and unusual ideas for shows kicking around in that head of his. He excited to work again with Winding Sheet and the lovely people that have created this show. Amber Bjork: Dorka/ensemble/director (bowed psaltry, percussion) Amber is the founding member of The Winding Sheet Outfit. A Twin Cities-based director and actor, she has worked with Theatre Pro Rata, Transatlantic Love Affair, Sandbox Theatre, Savage Umbrella, Tedious Brief Productions, Theatre Unbound, Freshwater Theatre, Nimbus Theatre, Guthrie Theatre, and others. You may have seen her Fringe work as director of The Memory Box of the Sisters Fox (2017) and Marie-Jeanne Valet Who Defeated la Bete du Gevaudan (2014), and performer in 105 Proof, or the Killing of Mack "The Silencer" Klein (2015) and Fringe Orphans 2 "The Sound...of Food" (2013). Amber's education includes a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and a four-year education in mime, movement, storytelling, and puppetry from Masque Theatre and School. |
