The Events, 2016, The Events

"GEST are delighted to present the Swedish premiere of the award-winning and critically acclaimed The Events by David Greig. Music by John Browne.
4 May - 14 May at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern Stockholm
8 April- 30 April at Gothenburg English Studio Theatre
A rare, daring and beautiful new play wherein the cast will be joined by different local choirs every performance.
Claire, a liberal church minister, ran a community choir in a small seaside town. "...a choir that brought together vulnerable people, old people, asylum seekers, immigrant men, young mums and so on - it was a – the idea was - you can imagine. " Claire desperately searches for understanding as to why a boy with a gun walked in to her choir rehearsal, resulting in devastating consequences. She becomes obsessed with the boy and the reasons for his actions. She looks for answers among the politicians that the boy associates himself with, his father, old classmates and, in the end, the boy himself. It's a journey that takes her to the edge of reason, politics and faith. The Events has a strong relevance to today's development of far right extremism in Sweden and Europe whilst also exploring how far forgiveness can stretch in the face of brutality.
Since its original opening at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2013 with the Actors Touring Company, The Events has been performed all over the world."a mighty play about not just one lost soul, but many... about the things that bind us together as a community, the things that drive us apart, and what it is that makes us human." The Guardian
What makes this production so unique and thrilling is the fact that the actors will be joined on stage by a live choir. We at GEST have put together our own community choir in which the members represent 10 different nationalities. We are very excited to expand our work in the international community in Gothenburg and look forward to working with such a diverse and talented group of people.
Apart from our own choir we will also welcome a variety established local choirs such as Örgryte Kyrkokör, the Majornakyrkan choir, two choirs with students from the music program at Hulebäcksgymnasiet, Svenska Vokalensemblen: Aoide, Sångkompaniet and Rabalder. These choirs all have their own unique sound and add their own touch to each performance
In May, The Events will be performed at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern in Stockholm. Different local Stockholm choirs will also join us there: Årsta Ungdomskör, Årsta Kammarkör, Cantus Forum, Kummelby Gospel, Bella Donna and Collage-kören." [GEST:s hemsida]