STELLA POLARIS THEATRE seeks 12 - 15 volunteers for 1 month historical outdoor theatre project.

For one month, starting June 4th until July 5th, 2012 -Stella Polaris is seeking funds for yet another production of a large, outdoor theatre production based on the many historical treasures found in the Viking graves at Borrehaugene at Midgard Historical Centre in the Vestfold region of Norway. The production is a cooperation with the Colony of Zoublistan from Belgium, Teatre Brama from Poland and our own crew and youth theatre members. The performances will take place at Borrehaugene June 29-30 and Sunday July 1st 2012. Are you interested in theatre, or maybe already an actor? Are you an acrobat, juggler or street performer of any sort? Are you interested in history, myths and folklore? Do you play an instrument or sing or consider yourself to be musical? Are you handy, and like to create, build and use your hands as well as your head? Do you like to dance, or are you maybe a dancer? Do you like to work in a group, and push for a common goal? If you can answer yes to any of these questions please read on. Maybe you should spend one month in Norway doing exactly what you like best ?

STELLA POLARIS
STELLA POLARIS is Norways oldest street performing theatre, and one of Norways oldest and leading independent theatres. We have played nationally and internationally for 26 years, for the royals and the bag ladies of the street alike. In squares and in palaces from Vard high in the north of Norway to Jerusalem in the south. Today we live at the artist centre at Fossnes in Stokke County, Vestfold region Norway. For more info on our work and the group please visit: www.stella-polaris.com

The Artistic backdrop of the project

Vestfold region is considered Norways "Luxor". It is densely covered with historical sites, ruins and remains of our Viking history. BORREHAUGENE at Midgard Historical Centre is one of the most famous sites. It is a collection of big old Viking graves that have puzzled the archeologists for ages. Who is buried here? Why did they die? Why the huge sizes of the graves? Where they Kings or Queens? What has been regarded as facts and truths about all these questions have changed as new discoveries are made and after every new piece of history found in the ground. As this is written there are rumors that they can trace the genetic origins of one of our most famous Viking queens all the way down to the Iran Iraq region. Thus begins our urge to tell a Tale..

http://www.midgardsenteret.no/ http://www.zoublistan.be/

Short summary from the projects 2011/2009/2008

For three years we have carried out this project as a group EVS project including 15-20 volunteers each year, all coming from different European countries. The Norwegian theatre company STELLA POLARIS have been host and coordinating organization. The duration of the project has been apr. 4 weeks, with three days of performances as the highlight of the project. The performance has been conducted as a theatre performance of its own as well as a part of the Vestfold International Culture Festival. The performance is best described as an outdoor historical spectacle consisting of dance, song, circus skills, storytelling, music and recreation of ancient rituals. During the period the volunteers are trained in all these skills and they bring their own personal skills into the performance as well. The performances told the tale of the dead buried in the famous Borre Viking Burial Mounds, their heritage and their life. The performance claims that there is no such thing as a Norwegian, that the first Norwegian was a foreigner, and that we all have the same ancestors. We all come from the same egg

The Performance When the Dead Awakes

A ROUGH SKETCH OF THE STORYLINE Stella Polaris has been given the task of "Awaking the dead" and letting them tell their story. -We will dramatize the last day on earth for this Big Viking. - What happened? Did he have guests? Family visiting from the old world? -We will tell our tale of why he died, what happened that day? -We will tell the tale of his burial, how could a burial ritual have been? -We will follow him down into the grave. How was his encounter with life on the other side? -And what happened afterwards? All within the artistic tradition and humor of Stella Polaris of course, but also with inputs from the archeologists working at the site, and with referral to the very few written sources we have of life in the Viking era. THE INTERNATIONAL ASPECT We like to think that in the past people were more isolated and remote from one another. History, in fact, shows the contrary. The Vikings travelled all over Europe and the Middle East. Merchants and travelers from all over the world came to Norway doing business, looking for work and so on. People might even have had more in common than we have today, since their migration to Europe from further lands and continents was more recent and therefore tied them more together. We believe that looking to the past might help us understand that we have much in common, and that we are all brothers and sisters in flesh and spirit! Thats why we want you to be part of this project. Our vision is that working with this material together we will not only show international friendship and togetherness in action, but maybe by working together with this material we will find traces of a common historical and cultural heritage? The written sources of the performance we are indeed very international. The only direct eyewitness and written source to an ancient Viking burial is the writings of the Arabic merchant Ibn Fadlan. He has given a very detailed and visual description of what he experienced during his participation in a week long ritualistic Viking burial.

SOME PRACTICAL INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES

1 Start: week 23. June 4th. End: week 27. July 5th.
2 Where: The first three days in Oslo. The rest of the period, Tnsberg Norway 3 What O spectacle:Physical training and introduction to Stella Polaris physical theatre language Training in Gurdjieff dances and movement with Theatre Zoublistan. Preparation/construction of sceneography, installations, props and costumes. Training and learning international song and dance Working with the story on the burial sites of Borrehaugene. Premiere and great success First days will consist of lectures on Viking history, museum tours and self-study of the subject. the rest of the period will be related to the creation of the

We are looking for people aged 18-30 years. Actors, dancers, singers & musicians, jugglers, circus artists, creative people, students, amateurs and professionals alike. We will train in; acting skills, stage fighting, acrobatics, music, singing and dancing. There will be creation and building of musical instruments, props and other objects used in the play. Creating new and alternating already existing costumes will be part of the work. We are particularly interested in people who have knowledge of ancient songs, dances, music, poems, histories, rituals or old traditions forgotten from their own country or minority folk-tribes. We want you to be able to bring this knowledge with you and share it with us to give a real ancient touch to the process. If you play an instrument: BRING IT! Training will be very physically demanding. We expect people to be positive, open minded, flexible and motivated. You will need a sending organization from your country. This requires some

administrative work: Go to Your National Agency for Youth Exchange:

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/youth/contacts_en.htm?cs_mid=152
Tell your national agency about our project and they will help you find a sending organization, BE PREPARED! This might take 1-3 weeks; processing time varies from country to country. Those arriving from countries like Turkey, far-east Europe, and ItalyStart in good time!!! There might be Visa-issues etc. Do you need more information about the EVS Programme? Check: http://www.evsguide.eu/int/youth-in-action/evsguide/index2.html We will provide flight ticket, food and accommodation according to EVS rates and standards. You will live together in shared rooms of 2 or more. You will have to share some kitchen duties among yourselves. We will come back to you with more information on practical issues closer to project start. People with health issues, diabetes, joint/muscular syndromes, back-problems, and so forth HAVE TO inform us about this when they apply, as this might have an effect both for you and on our work during the training/performance. If you think you have any kind of health issue we should know about, write about it. We are flexible, but need to know about peoples needs in order to make a safe and sound environment for everybody. We would like to stress that we cannot accept the use of drugs or narcotic substances in any form. If you want to participate please send us your CV and a letter telling us about yourself and your motivation towards this project. Please answer rapidly, and before January 6th 2012!!! Send it to evs@stella-polaris.com subject BORRE 2012

WE ARE EAGERLY AWAITING YOUR RESPONSE AND PROMISE A MIND BLOWING EXPERIENCE!! On Behalf of Stella Polaris, Thorunn Hagberg