For the latest episode of the Performing Arts Centre Iceland podcast, Salka Guðmundsdóttir sat down with Þorleifur Örn Arnarsson, one of the pre-eminent theatre directors of his generation and one of the first names that come to mind when you think about Icelandic performing artists working internationally. Þorleifur who was born in Reykjavík initially studied acting at the Iceland University of the Arts, before he turned to directing and studied at The Ernst Busch Academy of the Dramatic Arts in Berlin. This proved to be the start of a career that has interwoven practice in Iceland with practice on the continent, in particular in Germany. Þorleifur has a history of stretching forms and genres. He has worked with classical texts, new writing, opera, research-based material – created new work from the sagas, from contemporary novels and from mere concepts.

For this episode of the Performing Arts Centre Iceland podcast, host Salka Guðmundsdóttir was joined by an artist who has been taking her work across various borders in recent months. Choreographer and dancer Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir is one of Iceland’s leading dance professionals. Following a successful 16 year career with the Iceland Dance Company, she has now embarked on the next stage of her career.

For the latest episode of the Performing Arts Centre Iceland podcast, host Salka Guðmundsdóttir was joined by circus artists Eyrún Ævarsdóttir and Jóakim Meyvant Kvaran who are founding members of the contemporary circus organization Hringleikur. As part of a dedicated group of circus professionals building a platform for this form in Iceland, Eyrún and Jóakim had plenty of insights to share.

We continue to interview some of our most exciting performing arts professionals for the Performing Arts Centre Iceland podcast. This time, Salka Guðmundsdóttir was joined by not one but two guests, Brogan Davison and Pétur Ármannsson. As creative partners and partners in life, Pétur and Brogan are frequently referred to as a single and much revered entity here in Iceland – PéturogBrogan or BroganogPétur. Their contributions to the scene span different branches of the performing arts tree and they are known both for their creative output and, generally speaking, for making things happen. We caught up with Pétur and Brogan following one of the biggest events on the Icelandic performing arts calendar: Reykjavík Dance Festival.

For the latest episode of the Performing Arts Centre Iceland podcast, Salka Guðmundsdóttir met up with classical singer Guja Sandholt. A true powerhouse on the Icelandic opera scene, Guja is known not only for her voice but also as artistic director of Reykjavík Opera Days, a festival which has blossomed in the six years since it was first held.

For the fifth episode of the Performing Arts Centre Iceland podcast, featuring interviews with some of our most exciting performing arts professionals, Salka Guðmundsdóttir was joined by Greta Clough. Greta lives in the village of Hvammstangi, where she runs Northwest Iceland‘s only professional stage arts company, the award-winning puppetry and visual theatre company Handbendi. As the company‘s Artistic Director and Creative Producer, Greta is one of the artists who have made Iceland their home and brought new flavours to the local stage arts scene. Greta arrived in Iceland as an experienced puppeteer and director, including as Associate Artist at Little Angel Theatre in London.

For this installment of the Performing Arts Centre Iceland podcast, featuring interviews with some of our finest artists working here in Iceland and on the international stage arts scene, Salka Guðmundsdóttir sat down with scenographer Brynja Björnsdóttir. Brynja has been a highly prolific scenographer for over a decade, working as part of the independent scene as well as for the larger theatre institutions. In the summer of 2023 she will represent Iceland at the Prague Quadrennial.

Performing Arts Centre Iceland - podcast. For the third installment of our podcast series, featuring interviews with some of our most exciting artists working in the performing arts, Salka Guðmundsdóttir caught up with playwright Tyrfingur Tyrfingsson on one of his sojourns to Iceland from his home in the Netherlands.

Tyrfingur might be described as a superstar playwright here in Iceland, having steadily grown his audiences over the past 12 years from his not-so-humble beginnings as an arts university graduate, to the big stage at the National Theatre of Iceland, with just about everything else inbetween. A multi-award winnng playwright, Tyrfingur‘s work has also been featured overseas at festivals and showcases.

For the second episode in our podcast series featuring some of our most prominent performing artists, Salka Guðmundsdóttir sat down with director Una Þorleifsdóttir to discuss her diverse body of work in the theatre, her recent productions in Poland and her continuing role in educating new performing arts professionals.

Una has been a major presence on the Icelandic theatre in recent years, earning multiple nominations and two wins for Director of the Year at the Icelandic Stage Awards, and she also holds awards for Play of the Year and Best Production. Una studied in the UK, first at Goldsmiths College and then at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Performing Arts Centre Iceland - Podcast.  To kick off our podcast series, where we feature interviews with some of our most exciting artists working in the performing arts, Salka Guðmundsdóttir talked to choreographer, dancer and all-round performance maker Ásrún Magnúsdóttir.

Ásrún graduated from the Iceland University of the Arts on 2011 and has been a vibrant presence to the Icelandic performing arts scene ever since. Ásrún‘s work has earned her multiple nominations for the Icelandic Stage Awards, as well as other awards and nominations. Ásrún‘s latest work, Ball, created with her long-time creative partner Alexander Roberts for the Iceland Dance Company, was nominated for Production of the Year 2022.

Interviewer:  Salka Guðmundsdóttir

Music by: Gunnar Karel Másson