This is an anthology of words and drawings, a fertile soil teeming with worms and seeds, from which the theater project Seasons sprouts. The term “anthology” (ἀνθολογία) itself literally means a collection of blossoms. Following this notion, we have created a bouquet of varied blooms, capturing the eerie, fractured cycle of innumerable seasons, situating our fragile bodies within their affect. How does the change of seasons shape our emotions, memories, and perception of time as our planet breathes in a peculiar cadence, and the seasons seem to be out of season?
Michael Marder’s “The Event of Seasonality” graces the opening, weaving thoughts and experiences on the notion of seasonality. This theoretical prelude gives way to poetry, stories, and fables, each rooted in the season of the author’s birth: Penny Yiou Peng (Spring), Matilda Tjäder (Fall), and Olof Runsten (Winter). Märit Runsten’s ink-washed drawings conjure a landscape where growth is entangled with decay, blooming intertwined with molding. Summer, devoid of text, manifests through light and sound, blooming solely yet multifaceted upon the stage.
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Credits
Texts: Penny Yiou Peng, Matilda Tjäder, Olof Runsten, Michael Marder
Drawings: Märit Runsten
Graphic design: Marijn Degenaar
Proofreading: Ming Lin
Artistic concept and directing: Olof Runsten
Light, video, and laser design: Christoffer Lloyd
Sound and music: Patsy Lassbo
Textile scenography: Diane Esnault
Mask, costume, and speaker design: Emma Eastop
Performer: Anna Ladegaard
Voice actor: Josephine Kylén-Collins
Technical supervisor Turteatern: Josef Moberg
Production: Dramageddon AB
In collaboration with: Turteatern, Skogen, and Black Box Teater
With support from: Swedish Arts Council, Fond for Lyd og Bilde, Nordisk Kulturfond, Sveriges Författarfond, Helge Ax:son Johnsons Stiftelse
Printed by Klas Trollius at Skogen
Published by Skogen Förlag 2024
ISBN: 978-91-982502-7-5