Melancholia II
By Jon Fosse
Adapted for the stage by Oda Radoor – a production by Ymist
Stavanger, early autumn 1902: Old Oline struggles up the steep slope from the quay to her house—with fish in one hand and a cane in the other. Her body aches, her thoughts are racing; she thinks a lot about her brother Lars, and on top of that, she feels the urge to use the bathroom.
Oline is going to die today.
The play deals with the fundamental aspects of human life: shame and dignity, love and death. It is a poignant story about belonging with someone, about physical and mental decline—and about the beauty found in the repulsive.
Jon Fosse writes from within Oline’s stream of consciousness, from within her frail body. One can feel how her legs ache, and feel ashamed at not being in control of one’s own bodily functions. At the same time, one feels the warmth and light in the memories she has of her brother, the landscape painter Lars Hertervig (1830–1902), whom she never fully understood or perhaps never quite dared to understand.
The novel is a triple portrait: of Oline, of Lars—and of the writer himself. Through the rhythm and breath of the text, the author reveals himself. In the performance, the actor attempts to embody this linguistic rhythm through a carefully choreographed physical language: The actor looks at the writer, who looks at Oline, who in turn looks at her brother Lars.
Melancholia II
Morten Espeland – performer
Gaute Storsve – composer
Maja Nilsen – set and costume design
Oda Radoor – adaptation and dramaturgy
Ingeborg Staxrud Olerud – lighting design
Erlend Samnøen – direction and choreography
About Ymist
Ymist is a Norwegian performing arts company founded in 2014 by actor Morten Espeland and choreographer and director Erlend Samnøen. The company works at the intersection of theater, dance, and performance, and is particularly known for a stage style where choreographed movement is just as important as the spoken text.
Ymist often takes its starting point in literary texts not originally written for the stage, including works by Jon Fosse, Tarjei Vesaas, and Thomas Mann. The goal is to give literature a physical form and explore the materiality of the text through the actor’s body, voice, and physicality. The company has made its mark on stages such as Black Box Theater, Tou Scene, and Cornerteateret, and has received critical acclaim for its work.
Melancholia II is supported by the Norwegian Cultural Council, the Fund for Sound and Image, Tou Scene, the Fund for Performing Artists, the Bergesen Foundation, Fritt Ord, the City of Oslo, and Hordaland County Council
