Waterford Youth Arts
OUR VIKING HERITAGE
This twenty-four-month project is organized by Stella Polaris in partnership with Waterford Youth Arts (Ireland) and Theatre Brama (Poland). The project has received a grant from Bufdir, as Erasmus+ national agency in Norway, under the category of "Cooperation Partnership in Youth". Within the two years of the project a group of around forty-five youth (fifteen from each partner organization) will undergo practices culminating in four theatrical performances.
The performance: “Olav Trygvassons’ adventurous life – the journey from Odin to The Cross”.
We tell the story of Olav Trygvasson from childhood in Estonia and Russia, further Vendland, England, Ireland, Norway and finally Jerusalem, through storytelling, dances, folklore, stage fighting, circus, and more. The theatre play will be presented in Sandefjord and Tønsberg (Norway), Waterford (Ireland) and Goleniow (Poland). The participants will have the possibility to travel and perform while being part of a diverse group focused on the Viking background and histories of these locations.
About Our Partners
Stella Polaris(Norway)
Stella Polaris was formed in 1985 by Merete Klingen and Per Spildra Borg. Stella Polaris takes us back to ancient celebrations and previous rituals of human life. In a world of jesters, storytellers, troubadours, and fakirs we want to bring back memories of our common ancestry and to trig our longing for something larger than life. Through our expressive form of theatre, verging on the brink of the profane as well as the sacral, we take our audiences into a playful and caring world where magic moments between people occur.
Link: https://www.stella-polaris.com/
Teatre Brama (Poland)
Teatr Brama was founded in 1996 by Daniel Jacewicz. The name of the theatre comes from its first headquarters? Brama Wolińska (Goleniow’s old city gate). It was there that the theatre began first as an informal club and shortly after became a community theatre group under the umbrella of Goleniów’s Culture House. Today, Teatr Brama is well known in Poland and in the world of independent theatre. Brama creates a living cultural environment in Goleniow which can be experienced during their annual festivals – BRAMAT and ŁAKNIENIA. Brama’s motivation, from both an artistic and culture shaping point comes from the desire to revolutionize the relationship between artist and the audience. Performance is an occasion for meeting and creates the space for dialogue. As a Socio-Cultural Education Association, Teatr Brama Theatre utilizes informal education to create possibilities for improving the quality of life in the local community, while creating rich cultural life in Goleniów.
Our Viking Heritage so far..
We sent four leaders to Sandjford Norway in April, to explore and learn from Our Viking Heritage partners
In April, Waterford Youth Arts hosted the Creative Crew partners, where our young people engaged with professional performers who led workshops on movement, combat, and sound, all while learning more about our Viking heritage.
We took our visitors to experience some magical moments in Waterford, including visits to the Spraoi Studios, meetings with members of the Déise Medieval, and performances from local musicians.