Events and performances

CULTURE WEEK AT BIRCA FROM 13-21/9-25

BIRCA kicks off this year’s Bornholm Culture Week with 6 theatrical performances plus a new documentary about the fishermen of Bornholm. All are results of research and development at BIRCA, inspired by the natural environment and identity of Bornholm.

We will present 2 premiere shows from international collaboration projects and 2 performative walks in partnership with the Metropolis Festival under the Performing Landscapes project. You have the opportunity to experience intimate formats—some outdoors in nature—by a selection of strong artists. All performances are supported by the Danish Arts Foundation.

The full program can be seen here

Meet the experienced theatre artists – 13/9 at 16

We have invited 6 experienced Danish performing artists aged 50+ for a 2-week residency. They will showcase traces from their explorations of the mature body – what does aging really mean? Meet local Peter Vadim and his colleagues Ellen Kilsgaard, Katrine Faber, Line Svendsen, Pernille Koch, and Camilla Stage.

Duration: 1.30 hours

Supported by the Danish Arts Foundation

Performing Landscapes / Katrine Faber with “Songs from Our Bodies” – 14 & 15/9 at 16

A performance walk that introduces us to a world no longer silent and barren but where places are living bodies with songs, feelings, and atmospheres. Katrine interprets and conveys the life of these sites and landscapes through vocal compositions, inviting us to harmonize. The work explores love and connection to the places we live in, grief over what we are losing, and the ability to acknowledge the more-than-human in our shared world.

Max 20 participants. Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes

Presented in collaboration with the Metropolis Festival

ABOUT KATRINE FABER Katrine Faber is a theatre artist, vocal artist, singer, composer, storyteller, director, and installation artist. She is the artistic director of Teater Viva, expanding the concept of theatre as an artistic space for self and collective exploration. Katrine has traveled extensively for theatre, music, and cultural exchanges, with rich experience collaborating with diverse locations and communities since 2015 through Singing Our Place, an international multidisciplinary project on humans, our environment, and our future. www.teaterviva.dk

Performing Landscapes / Sara Vilardo with “Sirene” – 14 & 15/9 at 19

A walk through a living landscape. Guided along hidden paths, across open horizons, and through natural thresholds, participants enter scenes where the land becomes a stage partner. Inspired by the Odyssey, the walk features crossings—moments to stop, meet, listen—that echo the ancient story’s search for home. Here, “home” is not a fixed place but a feeling born of connection: with the earth, fellow travelers, and poetic words in your ears. You’ll be active, challenged in your perceptions, and may find unexpected joy in finding home on unfamiliar ground.

The performance is in English. Suitable for 14+ – max 16 participants. Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes

Presented in collaboration with the Metropolis Festival

ABOUT SARA VILARDO Sara Vilardo, born in Milan and based in Copenhagen, is an actress, performer, and theatre creator. Her education includes physical theatre, a Master’s in Advanced Performance & Scenography Studies (Belgium), and a Master’s in Stage Performance & Visual Culture from Reina Sofia Museum/University of Madrid. With over ten years of experience, she has a strong international network creating site-specific, sensory, and immersive performances in interactive spaces. She believes in the transformative power of performer-audience connections. www.saravilardo.com

The Sea Hotel – 16 & 17/9 at 17 & at 20

A site-specific immersive performance. Playing with the concept of a luxury hotel, it creates new and profound connections with the sea. Participants check in, receive information about their stay, and are guided through the lobby, modern fish restaurant, and ocean spa by three international performers and a live musician. Each tableau offers a bodily experience with water elements based on scientific facts. “Hav Hotel” humorously comments on human superficiality and explores how we can deepen our relationship with the sea as a living organism.

The performance is in English. Max 20 participants. Duration: 1 hour

Created as part of the Island Connect project, supported by Creative Europe and the Danish Arts Foundation

Producer: Susanne Danig/BIRCA
Concept, text, direction: Ilon Lodewijks/Denmark
Music and live performers: Emma Lohan/Ireland
Video, design, performer: Héctor Gardez/Tenerife
Design, production: Kristina Pongrac/Croatia
Video, text: Albert Herranz Hammer/Mallorca+Sweden
Performer: Marta Pala

Himmelbåren by Wunchmachine – 18 & 19/9 at 17 & at 19

“Himmelbåren” is an outdoor performance. A living ritual, a transformation from human to bird under an open sky. A woman loses her sister. She sees her in a dream, with a huge, scaly ancient bird. She seeks to bring her sister back. The audience joins the journey. During the performance, visitors are invited into installations, mythic storytelling, and transformative soundworks. “Himmelbåren” is the culmination of two years of fascinating research about birds, including on Bornholm.

Suitable for 14+ – maximum 36 participants. Duration: 1 hour.

Direction & concept: Helga Rosenfeldt-Olsen

Co-direction: Alaya Riefensthal & Sonja Winckelmann Thomsen

The myth: Alexandra Moltke Johansen

Composition of choir & electronic soundwork: Niels Bjerg

Soloist & choir leader: Nini Julia Bang

Narrative text and guidance: Sonja Winckelmann Thomsen & Helga Rosenfeldt-Olsen

Performance: Alaya Riefensthal & Helga Rosenfeldt-Olsen

Installations: Sigrid Astrup

Costumes: Alaya Riefensthal

Sound editing: Helga Rosenfeldt-Olsen

Recording & live performance: Vocal ensemble NOOR: Aviaja Roland, Kathrine Skriver Knudsen, Ane Drewsen, Kristian Bach, Rasmus Baltser, Adam Leckius

Codomestication by Spine Fiction – 20 & 21/9 at 16

On stage are the two choreographers and mothers, My Nilsson and Andrea Deres from Spine Fiction, who have brought their children Tove aged 5 and Lau aged 3.5 along. The children have influence over what happens on stage; their creativity and responses are at the center. What happens when we give children power? This is a performance for all parents who wonder where their children went and whether life could be lived a little differently. The show was created by Krõõt Juurak from Estonia and Alex Bailey from the UK, and was performed for several years by the two co-parents and their 3-5-year-old child. Now, they have passed the concept on. The project is supported by Perform Europe and is also performed by other theatre artists with children elsewhere in Europe.

The performance is for adults (but we can take care of your children if needed – just let us know) and lasts about 45 minutes.

After the show on Sunday, there will be a talk with the artists in English.

Øen uden fiskere – Premiere of the documentary film at Scala Gudhjem on September 20th at 19
The documentary Øen Uden Fiskere explores what happens when it is no longer possible to work as a fisherman on an island with a fishing tradition. What is an island without fishermen? What are fishermen without fish, without a reason to go out to sea? What happens to the traditions, legends, and jobs that have defined the island since time immemorial? If the relationship of the people of Bornholm to the sea has shaped them, what is happening now? The film’s director, Albert Herranz Hammer, lives in Mallorca but has roots in Bornholm. He was at BIRCA with an Island Connect project and came up with the idea for the film.

The film was made with support from Creative Europe, BRK, and the Larsens Foundation.

After the screening, there will be a short panel discussion with Albert and some of those interviewed, followed by a drink.

Tickets are free and can be reserved on Scala Gudhjem’s website.

Practical Information

Performances take place at BIRCA, Bolbyvej 7, 3782 Klemensker, unless otherwise noted.

All visitors need to register and have a Culture Week wristband.

Please note that some performances are outdoor and involve walking; in case of rain, these will be moved indoors.

Order tickets for all performances here

Archives of programs of 2017-24 – look at DK site

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