Peer Gynt

Twin Cities musical storytellers, Impossible Salt, partner with Norway House this summer with an expanded version of a piece created with the Mesabi Symphony Orchestra (Virginia, MN). The company takes its name to heart, compressing Henrik Ibsen’s 7-hour epic philosophical play into one hour. Experience the raucous, mischievous march into a world of laziness and lies, self-centered protagonists, voices in the dark, women who wait, and of course, trolls in the Gallery at Norway House, the National Norwegian Center in America.

Peer Gynt, based on Henrik Ibsen’s play and the Norwegian folklore that inspired it. Adapted, produced, and performed by Impossible Salt in partnership with Norway House.

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Original music by Erik Ostrom. Featuring IS ensemble members Sean Hansberry and Amber Lee Olivier and IS newcomers Gaia Mencagli and Stephanie Ruas. Directed by Emilia Seay Allen and designed by Ashley Burdash. Created by the ensemble based on the work of Henrik Ibsen.

DIRECTOR & WRITER: Emilia Seay Allen

ENSEMBLE:  Sean Hansberry, Gaia Mencagli, Amber Lee Olivier, Stephanie Ruas

MUSIC DIRECTOR & COMPOSER: Erik Ostrom

DESIGNER: Ashley Burdash

PHOTOGRAPHY: Tom Northenscold

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ABOUT IMPOSSIBLE SALT

Impossible Salt (IS) tells stories that make all of us – artist and audience alike - thirst for the truth behind the fantastical. We are a diverse, woman-led troupe of roving musical storytellers who create original work inspired by folk tales. Impossible Salt productions are peopled with unexpected characters, embodied by performers who defy gender, racial, and body type standards. We sketch the worlds we inhabit with spare, artfully designed words, sets, props, and costumes, inviting the audience to complete the creation in their own imaginations long after the performance is done.

Impossible Salt was founded in 2014 and has created seven original productions to date: TATTERHOOD, HEARTLESS, THE STRANGER for the American Swedish Institute, THE PROTECTOR OF OSMIR, THE WISHING SKIN for the MacPhail Center for Music Spotlight Series, WISE ONE, again for ASI, and THE MEMBER OF SOME GODS for the MN Fringe Festival. The group has provided numerous storytelling and pop-up performances and teaching residencies, including with the American Swedish Institute, Belwin Conservancy, Minneapolis Public Schools, Minneapolis Music Company, and the Festival of Nations.

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ABOUT NORWAY HOUSE

Norway House is a forward-thinking, international business and culture organization in Minneapolis, Minnesota dedicated to establishing, renewing, and advancing connections between contemporary Norway and the United States through education and partnerships centered around the arts, business, and culture. 

Born out of the need for a centralized location in the Midwest Norwegian-American community, Norway House opened its doors in the big, blue Albert H. Quie Education Center in 2015. Since then, the organization has grown to serve as more than just a convening mechanism for local Nordic organizations and heritage interests; it’s also a destination for contemporary Norwegian art and ideas and a hub for cultivating Norwegian and pan-Nordic government and business relationships. Daily visitors enjoy the Gallery with rotating exhibits and regular events, the Kaffebar serving Nordic Waffles and lunch goodies, the gift shop of curated gems from Ingebretsen's Nordic Marketplace, and flexible event and meeting spaces.

In the coming year, Norway House will break ground on a $13M expansion project with public funding, as well as significant investments from the State of Minnesota and the Norwegian Government. In 2019, the King of Norway became a Royal Patron of Norway House. The expansion will include a flexible events space with seating for more than 300, a soft-landing hub for Norwegian businesses coming to the US, and a genealogy library and archival center in partnership with the Norwegian-American Bygdelagenes Fellesraad. Together with Mindekirken, the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church, this block will solidify its status as the epicenter for Norwegian activities in America.