Beowulf

Imagine how you would feel if you where the King of Denmark in the 700th century with gold, glory and a big reputation. Your only problem was a 500 pound ugly and fetid troll, named Grendel, killing your men at random.

Maybe you would call it a true nightmare, but storytellers 1300 years later call it the magnificent beginning of a great story.

Sitting face to face around the Viking ship, the distance between the action and the audience is minimal - you feel like you take part in the thrilling tale - and who knows, maybe suddenly you do…

From the scene of the crime
to a touring performance

The almost true story of Beowulf has developed into a deep personal engagement for performing artist Jesper la Cour Andersen. For 1 ½ years he recounted the story on the scene of the crime, at the edge of the Sacrificial Bog, only a few hundreds yards from the original ruin of King Hrothgar hall, near Copenhagen, Denmark. The scene is today part of Lejre Experimental Centre for Archaeology and History, where visitors can experience how life was in the time of Beowulf.

After choosing an old watering-can as his instrument, Troels Kirk Ejsing began his engagement in Jesper's story, incorporating music and sound effects.

In the autumn of 2000 Jesper developed the idea of the Viking ship set and the armours made of rubber-tubes, adding a strong visual edge to the adventure.

The performance was presented in May 2001 at the world's biggest Children's Theatre Festival in Herning, Denmark and was very well received.

The papers wrote ...

"If Beowulf only was a little glint of all that could be seen at the Festival, then it was a shooting star for everyone who saw the performance"
by Herning Folkeblad.

"Beowulf is a magnificent performance all the way through"
by Anders Udengaard.

"The vitality is hug and the play has a provocation grade and raw power that the audience openly enjoys"
by Kirsten Dahl, Aarhus Stiftstidende.