On Tuesday, February 11th, from 17:00 to 17:40, Bergur Þór Ingólfsson, the artistic director of the Akureyri Theatre, will give a Tuesday lecture at the Art Museum under the title Sagnadýrið (The Story Beast). In the lecture, he will discuss the importance of theatre in modern society, introducing the statement: "Humans need stories as much as they need food and drink, or else they wither and die." Admission is free.
Bergur Þór Ingólfsson graduated from the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 1995 and subsequently worked as an actor at the National Theatre, before moving to the City Theatre at the turn of the century, where he acted, directed, and wrote plays until 2024.
Bergur has been highly active in Icelandic theatre. In addition to his full-time work at the country’s largest theatres, he has been a driving force in the theatre group Gral and has directed productions in New York and Norway. Plays that he has written, either solo or with others, have received various recognitions, including Dauðasyndirnar, Jésú litla, 21 manns saknað, Hamlet litla, and Horn á höfði. Among the roles he has portrayed are Marta Smart in Chicago, Andy Fastow in Enron, Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar, and Dante in Dauðasyndunum. Notable directing projects include Kenneth Mána, Auglýsingu ársins, 1984, Mary Poppins, and Bláa hnöttinn.
Bergur has received various awards for his work, including more than fifteen nominations for the Icelandic Theatre Awards. The international cultural organization Ibby has honored him for his contributions to children's theatre, and in 2017, he received the Humanist Award from Siðmennt, along with his colleagues. Bergur became the artistic director of the Akureyri Theatre in June 2024, where he has directed Litla hryllingsbúðin and Jóla Lóla.
The lecture series is a collaboration between the Art Museum in Akureyri, the Vocational School in Akureyri, the Artists' Society, and the Gil Society. Other lecturers this winter include Kate Hiena, visual artist, Þórgunnur Þórsdóttir, artist, Angelika Haak, visual artist, Brynja Baldursdóttir, visual artist, as well as representatives from the Artists' Society.
The lecture is in icelandic