12 Last Songs

12 Last Songs is one of the festival’s biggest projects this year, with over thirty people showing up on stage. They are not actors - they are workers from our community. From noon until midnight, all sorts of people turn up for a shift, telling us about their work and how they see the world. A decorator decorates a wall, a singer sings, an astrophysicist tells us about the laws of the universe, a midwife reveals some truths about the birth of a new life …

This unusual, joyful and touching work gives us an opportunity to experience the diversity of Iceland today, meet people we don’t necessarily encounter in our everyday lives and ponder time and the universe while peeking through doors that are not usually open to us.

Critically acclaimed performance group Quarantine are based in Manchester but have travelled widely with their productions, known for revealing unexpected sides to human life. 12 Last Songs have been enthusiastically received by audiences and critics.

The production lasts 12 hours, admission is free and the audience are welcome to come and go as they like.

Created by: Quarantine
Concept & direction: Richard Gregory
Designer: Simon Banham
Lighting Designer: Mike Brookes
Collaborating Artist & Assistant Director: Sarah Hunter
Collaborating Digital Artists: Lowri Evans & Lisa Mattocks
Questions text: Sarah Hunter, Leentje Van de Cruys & Quarantine
Dramaturgy: Renny O’Shea, Sarah Hunter & Leentje Van de Cruys
Performers: Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir, Jónmundur Grétarsson, Kate Daley, Unnsteinn Manúel Stefánsson

Presented by Quarantine in association with Factory International.

In collaboration with Harpa Concert Hall.