During the 1940 peace, writers Hella Wuolijoki and Bertolt Brecht who was exiled from Germany were sitting on the terrace of the Marlebäck mansion drinking coffee and discussing world peace. They were optimistic, telling stories to each other and creating a utopia in the midst of Europe that was burning.
The Norwegian theatre group Verk Production together with Danish playwright Daniel Wedel has found diaries, letters, stories and plays written during the historical meeting of these two renowned authors. Build Me A Mountain! combines documentary material and fiction to bring up the still current issue that was the main question Wuolijoki and Brecht examined: “the art of being human in an inhumane and complicated world.”
Build Me A Mountain! is a love story about creativity. It is also a story about people revolting against God because they want to define their own reality. But how to continue to live when all the illusions are gone?
”Make me a mountain, not one of those half-finished ones like God created because he only had six days.” – Brecht & Wuolijoki: Mr Puntila and his man Matti
Verk Production is an actors collective that was founded in Oslo in 1998. The core of the group consists of freelance actors from the Nordic countries: Fredrik Hannestad (NOR), Saila Hyttinen (FIN) and Anders Mossling (SWE). Since 2003 they have worked closely together with the musician Per Platou and scenographer Signe Becker. Verk is known for their epic and expressive form of acting with satirical and political undertones changing swiftly between storytelling, acting and improvisation. Verk performed in the Baltic Circle Festival for the first time in 2007 with their work Ifigeneia.
Produced by: Baltic Circle, Verk Production & Black Box Theater
